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Learn to Research

A guide that will teach you the basic steps to completing research for your assignments.

About this Guide

NorQuest College Library would like to thank Camosun College Library for sharing their Information Literacy Guide created by Jennifer Lambert; the guide you are using was based on their guide. Portions of this guide were also inspired by the Bucknell University Information Literacy Guide.

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Do you have a research assignment? 

Where do you start? Wikipedia? Books? Articles?
This guide will teach you how to:

  • select your topic and develop your research question
  • choose keywords
  • find the right resources 
  • evaluate and use your resources
  • cite and give credit to your sources properly

Where Do I Start?

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Getting started on your research assignment can feel overwhelming.
Think of your assignment as a recipe that gives you the directions and ingredients you will need to write your paper.

Read the assignment instructions carefully – more than once!

Highlight: 

  • topic guidelines and restrictions
  • required length and format
  • the kinds of information sources allowed and how many are required

Research Essay Checklist