RI 100: Personal College Success (Knaff) -- Spring 2008

RI 100: Personal College Success

Instructor: Knaff

Librarian: E. Scott

Research Project

Assignment: Students will research one specific topic. Students will develop an essential question that will result in the development of a plan of action or a personal decision. The essential question might be phrased:

What plan can I develop to...? (ex., lose weight, keep to my budget, decrease stress, reduce test anxiety, conserve energy, be less aggressive, etc.)

How can I...? (ex. manage my time, increase my memorization skills, control my anger, save money, etc.)

What is the best way for me to...? (manage my diabetes, overcome shyness, improve my study habits, etc.)

The process will include these steps:

1. Research topics in the library
2. Evaluate the articles for their valid content, authority, and currency.
3. Choose articles based on the evaluation criteria and how you believe that the plan will work for you.

Magazine and Journal Articles

To quickly locate articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers, visit some library databases, including:

Opposing Viewpoints is an excellent resource to find articles on current or controversial issues.

This database will provide information from a variety of sources:

You can find material in Opposing Viewpoints by doing a "Basic Search" . . .

Or you can select from a long list of broad topics provided by the database . . .

You can browse the list of topics as show above, or you can search for specific topics.

Points of View Reference Center is another great resource for this assignment!

In addition to providing a list of topics with relevant research, Points of View Reference Center offers a series of writing tools that may help you with this assignment.

Still have questions? Visit the library or call the Reference Desk at 697-4436.
Spring 2008