I need to research an Education topic for my English 101 class.
Here are a couple first steps to try:
1. Start exploring your topic by using scholarly encyclopedias that live in library databases.
Why?
- You'll get an idea of how easy or hard it may be to research your topic.
- You'll find background information (definitions, statistics, history, major researchers, other sources to explore, etc.).
- You may discover other terms or narrower topics which might interest you.
How?
a. Go to the library's EDUCATION Research guide.
b. In box named encyclopedia, choose any database or encyclopedia.
c. Experiment with different broad search terms.
Example searches:
-
- gender AND education
- inequality AND education
- at risk students
What do I do if I find an encyclopedia entry that has information I may want to use in my paper?
- Email it yourself or otherwise save it.
- Make sure you click the CITE link and copy or otherwise capture the MLA citation. You may paste the copied citation onto your Works Cited page.
2. Other good starting sources
Here are a few more Education resources to explore at this early stage in your research process:
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias (ORE): Education - Browse through topics. If none interest you, move on. (Several ORE entries are free, full-text.)
- ERIC (A free database from the US Dept. of Education) - Try different search terms, and use filters to narrow your search.
- Google - Yes. You may use sources you find in a Google search. If you can't decide if a source is credible or not, discuss it with a librarian or your instructor.
Want help?
Research is a complex process. It's OK to ask for help and learn as you go.
- Contact a librarian and ask for help any time: 24/7 chat research help
- If you like to learn on your own, the library has lots of tutorial videos for ENGL 101 and other students too.