As you research, you will encounter thousands or even millions of resources you may choose to use for your assignments. Choosing the best sources for your assignments will help you learn, support your academic work, and enhance your critical thinking skills.
As you evaluate and choose resources, consider the following:
- Seek resources that are informative rather than sources meant to sell or persuade.
- Let the research teach you rather than seeking sources that say exactly what you want them to say.
- Read research that covers all sides on a topic to fully comprehend the topic and develop a sound research question.
- Keep an open mind when encountering conflicting perspectives.
- Refine your research question as you discover gaps in research.
- Critically evaluate sources, even sources that share your perspective.
- Be sure to choose and use direct quotes that accurately represent the information.
- Give appropriate credit to the research of others.
If you are new to research or need a refresher, visit the Getting Started with Library Research guide.
