Ethical Research
By Sam Pfeiffer
Identifying and Using Resources
To gather relevant information efficiently, you will need to use specific keywords in your search (online) by using related or common words to your topic, along with forming a research question that is detailed, yet broad enough that it is easily accessible. When searching physically in a textbook or other source, be sure to use the table of contents. In terms of resources, there are databases such as EBSCO Host available.
Credible Resources
In order to find a credible resource online, be sure to check the URL of any websites you use. If it has a .gov or .edu suffix, it can generally be considered official and credible. It is also very important to fact-check your sources to ensure that the information you are gathering is true and not made up.
Methods of Research
Plagiarism is a criminal offense; the act of stealing information from someone without giving credit. It can ruin a career or your attendance at a school. Fortunately, it can be avoided by crediting your sources.
Citations
Citation is the act of giving credit to sources you may have used for research. It comes in many formats, the most common being MLA. To cite sources, the MLA method is as follows: Author's name (usually last name), title of page, address (if online), and copyright year. To cite in-text, you will simply place the author's last name and page number of the book/source in (parentheses). Works Cited pages are also something to use. These pages consist of a full list of any sources used, covering everything from text to imagery.