22 Researching for an Argument

Research at the university level requires expertise on a topic while drawing from a wide variety of sources. The university library is a wonderful source of information, with articles and even whole books accessible completely online. In addition, there are many reputable websites from which credible information can be gleaned.

As you research, remember that your goal is to find out more about your organization and the problem it solves. Many students begin research simply by looking for quotes that will support their own opinions. If you did the previous assignment, you should have written down some questions you have about the organization you chose and the problem it solves. Do your best to find the answers to those questions in your research.

Types of Sources

Both print and internet sources may be utilized effectively in an academic argument. Depending on the situation, one type of source might be more effective than another type. For example, when discussing the Civil War, print sources will probably be the most effective. But, when discussing the whole foods movement, internet sources like the Weston Price Foundation might be more effective. The key is to find a diversity of sources, both in type and viewpoint. Diversity in your research will lead to balance in your argument, which, in turn, will lead to credibility with your audience.

Using Databases

The databases found on the university library home page will prove to be your most important research tool over the course of your academic career!  With the databases, you can find credible, academic sources online right from your computer. The various databases are like an online encyclopedia of information relating to any area of study, such as engineering, business, art, or literature. They include articles published in scholarly journals by universities around the world – written by experts in a particular field of study – and these scholarly articles are always the best place to begin research once you have established your topic. The databases include newspaper and magazine articles, as well as government research and documentation. It is important to understand that these resources go far beyond what you can find if you simply do an Internet search, and that these businesses (universities) are not paying companies such as Google to promote their information, which makes the information more creditable and unbiased. There are tutorial videos on the library page to help you navigate the labyrinth of information. The databases even format citations!  You will also find the librarians to be more helpful than you can imagine. If you take the time to familiarize yourself with using these library resources, you will be able to access information far beyond you academic career.

Evaluating Sources

As mentioned previously, the quality of your sources is an important factor in establishing your credibility with your audience. The following are important factors to consider when evaluating sources.

1. Relevance:  Is the source relevant to your topic? For example, if I were to write an essay about creating a community garden on a college campus, a source relating the history of community gardens might be relevant, but one discussing the creation of a campus garden might be even more relevant to my topic.
2. Reliability:  Reliable sources provide verifiable information. Sources that do not give citations or references are not as reliable because the information given cannot be verified. In written sources, documentation is usually provided within the text and in a references or works cited  page as well. Internet sources may have documentation incorporated, or they may simply include hyperlinks to the source itself.
3. Credibility : The credibility of a source can be determined in many ways. A quick way to rule out a source as credible is to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Another is to look for logical fallacies and author bias. Does the author make reasonable claims, support them with reliable evidence, and appear to treat any opposing voices with respect?  If an author chooses to remain anonymous, credibility must be questioned, and therefore sources with an anonymous author should not be used. Wikipedia is never a creditable source for academic work.
4. Timeliness: Check the date the source was published. If the topic must be very current – such as in health care – older sources may not add useful information. If the topic is historical, older sources may help put the issue in perspective. For example, a 1997 report on elderly drivers may or may not be helpful in an argument about elderly drivers 28 years later. Remember that topics related to the sciences tend to require more current information.
5. Variety of Sources: Does the author utilize sources that all come from the same website, for example, or sources all written by the same author, or does the author’s work contain references from a wide variety of perspectives?

Keeping a Research Journal

As you research, it’s important to keep a record of the information you find. It might not seem difficult to remember a handful of sources, but, as you continue on in your academic career, you may have a source list of 10, 20, or even more sources for a single paper. Getting in the habit of keeping track of your sources by using a research journal will help you to keep your information organized and make writing your paper much less work.

Keeping a research journal is simple. First, create a new Word document. As you do your research, take note of the correct citation of each source. Write a short summary of the source, including any important notes (for example, if the source contains a lot of data). Finally, write any quotes that stand out. Make sure to put the quotes in quotation marks and add the in-text citation at the end of the quote. That way, you can access the article again later if needed, and when you are writing your paper, you can easily copy and paste in a quote from a source with no worries about plagiarism!

Tip: You might find it helpful to use a table to keep track of your sources. Simply put each source in a different row of the table. Another option is to add a dividing line after each source. This helps keep sources visually separated on the page.

Remember:  As you begin to gather information, you may not know what sources you will need  or use for your final essay. The goal of a research journal is to keep track of the sources and information you have looked at and to be able to easily incorporate the information into your essay as needed.

Below is an example of a research journal for an essay on the health benefits of community gardens.

Another way students are often asked to record their research is a more detailed annotated bibliography. In an annotated bibliography, as in a research journal above, a writer includes information about each source that was found in research. The annotated bibliography should include the following:

• The correct citation of the source as it would appear in the reference or works cited page
• A summary of the source
• An evaluation of the source–this includes information about how the source adds to the author’s understanding of the topic and/or how the author might utilize this source in the final paper, as well as thoughts about the reliability, credibility, etc of the source.

Notice that the research journal and / or annotated bibliography contains all the information necessary to easily incorporate quotes and citations properly within your final essay and can therefore save a great deal of time!  These sources are meant as a place to gather and keep track of research information; again, all of the sources listed in a research journal or annotated bibliography may not be used in the final essay.