Academic Integrity

Words are very powerful. Therefore, it is important to use them truthfully, accurately, and responsibly. Statements should be accurate both in terms of how information is managed and how it is credited.

---

APA Format

A quick reference to citing in a reference list some of the most common types of materials in the American Psychological Association publication format.

---

ASA Format

This guide is intended as a quick reference to citing in a bibliography and in text some of common types of materials in the American Sociological Association publication format.

---

Bibliographies

The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to provide your reader with a fairly comprehensive though concise list of relevant scholarly sources on a given topic.

---

Compare and Contrast

Comparison papers ask you to compare two or more things, in order to get a better idea of each and also evaluate them to determine the relative success or merit of one or both.

---

Essays

Essays usually require no outside research (though they sometimes may). Generally, class essay assignments ask you to discuss in some depth a topic relevant to the course content.

---

Evaluating Web-Sites

As more and more research is found on the Internet, it is important to approach sources critically. How do you know if a site is useful, reliable, and provides valuable information?

---

Historiography

Historiography is the study of the various approaches to historical method, the actual writing of history, and, primarily, the various interpretations of historical events.

---

MLA Format

This guide is intended as a quick reference to citing in a Works Cited list some of the most common types of materials in the Modern Language Association format for research papers.

---

Original Research

Though writers in any discipline may conduct original research, scientists and social scientists in particular are interested in controlled investigation and inquiry.

---

Outlines

Many writers organize their work more quickly and easily when they first make an outline of the material they wish to cover. The organizing principle of your outline will depend on your topic, the argument you intend to make, and the expectations of your audience.

---

Paraphrase, Summary, and Precis

Three writing strategies that will help you understand what you are reading are the paraphrase, summary, and precis. All three ask you to put the information that you're reading into your own words.

---

Prewriting Strategies

Pre-writing strategies use writing to generate and clarify ideas. While many writers have traditionally created outlines before beginning writing, there are other possible prewriting activities.

---

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

The amount of information to manage in college is enormous. While you may have done previous work with the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, at the university you'll want to use more specialized sources as well. To do that, you'll need orientation to those resources.

---

Incorporating References

Make the best use of your research efforts by incorporating reference information smoothly and systematically into the text and citing your sources accurately and in a consistent fashion.

---

Research Papers

This overview of research paper strategies will focus on the type of research paper that uses library resources. The research paper is a popular academic assignment. Forms of it are used in various professional fields as well.

---

Thesis Statements

Thesis statements establish for your readers both the relationship between the ideas and the order in which the material will be presented.