What is a Research Paper?

A research assignment or a research paper begins with a “research question” – a question about a particular subject matter that a student wants to investigate and answer. To do good research students need to locate and properly use good sources.

• A research paper is an essay on a particular subject presenting your own interpretation or evaluation or argument, backed up by others' ideas and information.
• A research paper involves searching for the best possible information on the subject: the information should be accurate, up-to-date, and from authoritative sources.

Before you start researching try to make a research plan . The following six-step research plan will help you to decide how to use your time most effectively:

1. Locate and choose the sources
2. Evaluate the sources
3. Take notes
4. Incorporate source information into your paper: paraphrase, summarize, quote
5. Document and cite
6. Format the paper.

1. Locate and choose the sources available in a library

The Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) is the chief tool for finding resources in the library. A catalog can be searched by a keyword, author, title, and subject. All books in the library are cataloged according to the Library of Congress Classification System. To learn more about the Library of Congress please visit Library of Congress official website . Most academic libraries in North America use the LCC system . When you find the book you are looking for in the catalog, write down its Call Number (E.g. HD30.22 .B38 2005), and its location e.g. General Stacks or Reference.

A call number tells you where the book is located on the library shelves. Each book, periodical, journal, etc., has its own unique call number which is attached to the book's spine or bottom left hand corner of the cover. A book call number also appears in the catalogue entry in the library OPAC. The Library of Congress arranges materials by subject, or 'class'. The first section of the call number represents the subject of the book. The second section often represents the author's name, and the last section is the date of publication.

Reference materials – encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, atlases, maps, etc.

An excellent starting point is an encyclopedia, print or on-line. An encyclopedia print or electronic gives you background information about the subject, and a list of recommended books and articles for further reading.

Books – textbooks, manuals, fiction, non-fiction, etc.

Books give reliable, in-depth knowledge of a subject. Publication information such as date of publication, publisher, author, and editor are always clearly listed in print publications, which is very helpful for further citation of your research paper.

Periodicals/Serials – magazines, journals, newspapers, etc.

For more recent information and a greater selection of information it is always useful to refer to articles in periodicals. A large selection of periodicals may be found on the Internet.

Online Resources – online encyclopedias, databases, e-books, magazines, journals, dictionaries, etc.

The Internet is a source of information that easy to access and easy to search. However not all the information to be found on the Internet is reliable. You must be prepared to evaluate the sources you have chosen for your research.

Media – CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, Streamed Audio and Video, etc.

Libraries also have collections of materials in audio and visual formats.

Databases - digital collections of information on a particular subject.

Some databases provide just the title, author, and publication where you can find an article or other information. Other databases give this information and a summary of the article contents, or even the complete article. There are many online databases that provide full text articles, or abstracts. Most of these databases have restricted access to subscribers only. Since there are not many free online databases available on the Internet, your local public library may be of great help. Vancouver Public Library has a vast selection of online databases ( e.g. MasterFILE Premier Database ), which you can access using your library card.

2. Evaluate your sources

In order to evaluate your sources, you should ask yourself several questions:

• Relevance - does the information relate to your research topic and questions?
• Currency - is the information up-to-date? For print materials, look at the publication date. For websites check when the site was last updated.
• Accuracy - is the information true? The best way to verify accuracy is to find and check information in other sources.
• Reliability - Who is the author? What is his/her education/specialization? What other books has this author written? What organization is behind the website?
• Objectivity - What is the author’s purpose for writing? Make sure you choose information from authors who present information objectively.
• If you want to use an electronic source, remember that anyone with access to the Internet can register a domain, create a website or publish a document, and such a source may not be authoritative.

3. Once you have chosen and evaluated your sources start taking notes

Write down information of the source you are taking notes from. You will need this information for your citations and references.

• Author(s): name, last name, initials
• Title of the publication
• Publication title and article title – for magazines and journals (print and online)
• Page number for a specific quotation
• Page numbers of an article – for magazines and journals
• Issue, Volume Number – for magazines and journals (print and online)
• Publication information: Publisher, Publishing Location, Publishing Date
• URL – Universal Resource Locator  (website address) – for online sources
• DOI – Digital Object Identifier - for online article

DOI - Digital Object Identifier - is a unique alphanumeric combination assigned to a particular electronic article in order to provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. It is recommended by the APA to indicate the DOI, when it is available, for both print and electronic sources. The DOI is typically located on the first page of the electronic journal article. DOIs are assigned to articles in scientific publications. The publisher has to be a participant of a registration agency such as CrossRef (http://www.crossref.org). A digital object identifier (DOI) can be used to cite and link to electronic documents. A DOI never changes, so you can use it to link permanently to electronic documents.

E.g. Electronic Journal Article with DOI:

Langhorne, P. (2011). Stroke rehabilitation. The Lancet, 377(9778), 1693-1702. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60325-5

Electronic Journal Article without a DOI:

Kelley, M. (2011, May 17). Design institute explores changing place of libraries. Library Journal. Retrieved from

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890649-264/design_institute_explores_changing_place.html.csp

4. Incorporate source information into your paper

There are three ways of incorporating source information into your own writing: summarize, paraphrase, and quote.

5. Document and cite

Documentation means acknowledging source material. Citation means a quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work. If you use another person’s words or ideas in your paper, you must provide information about the sources of those words or ideas. There are many different formal systems of documentation. The two most widely used in academic settings are MLA and APA. To avoid plagiarism you must always cite your sources in an approved documentation style. Plagiarism means copying or imitating the language, ideas, or thoughts of another author and representing them as one’s own original work.

6. Edit and format your paper

After you complete your research, writing, documentation and citation work, it is time format your paper. You should follow the exact formatting instructions given by your instructor. These instructions will likely include creating a title page, table of contents, providing page numbers, and spell check.

APA CITATION STYLE

Dorset College follows Style Guides for APA citation style contained in recent (post-2000) edition of: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Recent edition of this publication is available in the Dorset College Library.

In the academic environment, to document means to acknowledge sources, or give credit to authors. It also means to provide information about the location of the sources. There are several formats or styles of documentation: MLA style, APA style, Chicago style, etc. APA (American Psychological Association) style is the most commonly used format for manuscripts in the social sciences.

For in-text citations and references examples download the APA CITATION STYLE HANDOUT .

The Two-Part Principle of Documentation

Documentation styles vary in their details, but all styles require an academic researcher/writer to:

1. Identify in a parenthetical reference in the text of the paper any information taken from a source;
2. List all sources for the paper on a separate page at the end.

IN-TEXT CITATION (PARENTHETICAL REFERENCE): GENERAL GUIDELINES *

• For APA style in-text citation of the source, type the author's last name and the year of publication in parenthesis:  (Fielding, 1998).
• A complete reference should also appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
• If the author’s name is part of the sentence include only the publication date in the parenthetical citation: According to Fielding (1998)
• Include a page reference for a quotation or specific piece of information -- e.g.: Grusk (1997) states that “all known societies are characterized by inequalities, with the most privileged enjoying a disproportionate share of the total wealth, power and prestige” (p.47).  OR: “All known societies are characterized by inequalities, with the most privileged enjoying a disproportionate share of the total wealth, power and prestige” (Grusk, 1997, p.47).
• If the source has no page or paragraph numbering (as with many online sources) or easily identifiable headings, just use the name and date.
• An electronic source should be cited the same way a print source is cited: author’s last name and publication date. If the document is in PDF format with stable page numbers, cite the page number as you would a print source. If the source has paragraph numbers instead of page numbers, use para. (Higgins, 2009, para. 4).

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*The guidelines used in this presentation are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth ed.

REFERENCE LIST: GENERAL GUIDELINES

APA documentation style requires a list of references where readers can find complete bibliographical information about the sources referred to in your paper. The list of references should appear at the end of your paper, beginning on a new page entitled: References.

• Your reference list should be on a new page.
• Begin with the centered title: References
• Do not bold or italicize the word References.
• Include a reference for every in-text citation, except for personal communication citations.
• Put references in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
• Give the last name and first or both initials for each author.
• Put the publication year in parentheses following the author or authors’ names.
• Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in titles. Also capitalize the first word following the colon in a subtitle.
• Use italics for titles of books but not articles. Do not enclose titles of articles in quotation marks.
• Include the city and publisher for books. If the city is not well known, include the state or province and/or country as well.
• Include the periodical name and volume number (both in italics) as well as the page numbers for a periodical article.
• Separate the author’s or authors’ names, date (in parentheses), title, and publication information with periods.
• Begin the first line of each entry flush left, and indent all subsequent lines of an entry one-half inch (1.25 cm). (see  MS Word -> Format -> Paragraph -> Indents and Spacing -> Indentation -> Special: Hanging, By: 0.5’’)
• Double-space within and between entries.

APA STYLE: PAPER FORMAT

The following guidelines will help you prepare your research paper in the format recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth ed.

• Use standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”).
• Use 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides.
• Double-space your text throughout the paper.
• Use 12 pt. Times New Roman.
• The first page of your paper should be a title page. The title of your paper should by typed in the upper half of the title page and centered.
• Put your first and last name a few lines below the title.
• All pages including title page should include running head. The running head is a shortened version of the paper’s full title. The running head cannot exceed 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation. The running head should be in capital letters. The running head should be flush left, and page numbers should be flush right. On the title page, the running head should include words “Running head”. E.g. Running head: THE UNRECOGNIZED GLOBAL CRISIS
• For pages following the title page, repeat the running head in all caps without words “Running head.”
• All pages, including the title page, should be numbered in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
• Indent the first word of each paragraph one-half inch (see  MS Word -> Format -> Paragraph -> Indents and Spacing -> Indentation -> Special: Hanging, By: 0.5’’).
• The primary headings should be centered and all words in the heading should be capitalized.
• The secondary headings if needed should be italicized flush against the left-hand margin.
• Visuals – are tables, charts, graphs, and images.
• Place visuals close to the place in your text where you refer to them.
• Label each visual as a table or figure, and number each kind consecutively: Table1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2
• Provide title of the visual. Note that the title of the table should be on the nest line: Table 2. General Rules in Technical Writing.
• Cite the source of the material used in the visual, use the word Note: Note. From “Innovative Roles”, by M. Meyer, 2000, Business Communication, 37, p.338.

For full list of accepted abbreviations see APA Publication Manual, 6th ed., p.10.

SERVICES

Dorset College Library provides its patrons with a quiet space and environment for study and research.  Students can use library computers for their research or bring  their own laptops as there is wireless access in the library. College Librarian is available to assist students with  their research  and  finding  library resources. The sessions offered by the library are designed to introduce students to the academic library and cover the following topics:

• Introduction to an academic library: resources, organization, classification, online catalog;
• Use of library resources for an academic research;
• Online information retrieval and database search;
• APA style documentation.

POLICY

In-library use of library materials is welcomed at all times. Reference materials including dictionaries and encyclopedias are for in-library use only. Although the Library is a Reference Library, students are allowed to borrow course material for their studies. To borrow an item from the library a student or instructor should always have it checked out at the librarian’s desk. All Dorset students must present their valid Dorset Student ID card. Before graduating from Dorset programs students must have their Library Clearance Form signed by the librarian and present the form to the Registrar. Students will not get their program credentials until they return all due library items and have the form signed.

Loan

The loan period should not exceed 3 weeks, after that the loan can be extended by 3 more weeks if the item was not put on hold by other student. A book can be borrowed for the period of one semester if there are enough copies available in the library. No more than 3 textbooks at a time could be borrowed by a person for the same period. Instructors can borrow library materials for the period of 1 semester.

Fees

Late fees ($1/day to a maximum of $10 per item) are charged on an overdue library material for every day that the item is overdue. Failure to return an overdue item and/or unpaid fines of $10 maximum will result in the deduction of the fine and the actual cost of the book from the student’s account balance for that semester. The student will not be allowed to register for the courses for the following semester until this fee remains outstanding.  For more information see the Library User Manual available in the library.

Code of Conduct in the Library

In order to maintain a quiet, respectful environment, the students are asked to speak on their cell phones outside the Library.

No food or drink is allowed in the Library.

Print Materials and General Copyright Guidelines

Dorset College respects user and creator rights relating to the use of copyrighted materials, including the moral and economic rights of creators and content providers. Dorset College currently holds an Access Copyright license.

Access Copyright is a non-profit, national organization, representing tens of thousands of Canadian creators and publishers. Private academic institutions sign an agreement with Access Copyright and pay an annual fee that authorizes much of the photocopying which is required by students, faculty and staff and permits limited copying for personal use and for teaching and research purposes.

Copyright, including implied copyright, is held by the creator of a work, unless and until the creator signs the copyright over to another individual or body. In the case of published works, copyright is usually held by the publisher. No other individual may copy protected works without permission from the copyright holder, regardless of the use for which the copies are intended, except within the limitations permitted by the Access Copyright agreement.

All members of the Dorset College community are responsible for informing themselves about the parameters of both Canada's Copyright Act and Dorset’s Access Copyright agreement, and for ensuring that any copying they do in connection with their Dorset activities complies with these guidelines. The print and digital copying guidelines  are posted above and/or adjacent to every photocopier. Visit the Access Copyright website for a complete listing of guidelines.

access copyright print and digital copying information

Fair dealing guidelines