How to Find, Evaluate, Write, Cite

Find Evaluate Write Cite

Step 1: Find

• Choosing a topic - Choosing a topic for a paper can be challenging. Discover how Yavapai College Library databases and books can be useful to find, narrow down or expand topics of interest.
• Tips to find magazine, newspaper and journal articles - Search our library databases more effectively by using these tips and techniques. If you need help, ask a friendly librarian for assistance.
• Primary Sources Library Guide - It's not always easy to find primary sources. Use this guide to search for primary sources in Yavapai College Library's collections. If you need help, a friendly librarian is always available.
• Guide to Literary Research @ Yavapai College Library - Techniques, tips, resources and tools to assist you in researching literary topics.
• Finding Books using Library of Congress call numbers - Learn how to use Library of Congress call numbers. A useful guide from the Chalmer Davee Library at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls.
• Understanding Call Numbers - Follow this step by step guide that breaks down how to read call numbers used at Yavapai College Library.
• Quality Research... Guaranteed! - Discover reliable resources that will improve the quality of your research. Research definitions such as “peer-reviewed” and “primary source” are included.
• Study Guides and Strategies - Extremely valuable tips for college students on reading, studying, writing, preparing for tests and participating in class. Worth exploring are the tips on multiple choice, short answer, essay, true/false and math tests.
• Magazines, Journals, Newspapers & Articles Available at YC Libraries - Instructions on how to find which journals, magazines and newspapers are available at YC libraries.
• Bare Bones 101 - A basic tutorial on searching the web with helpful quick and easy lessons.
• Finding Information on the Internet: A tutorial - An introduction to the Internet, searching, recommended search strategies using both search engines and subject directories.
• The Search Process - Useful for developing the search process using the Web.
• Electronic Resources at YC Library Databases - A description of the various databases available at Yavapai College.
• Yavapai Library Network's Online Catalog - A guide to using Yavapai College Libraries' catalog

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Step 2: Evaluate

• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet - Guidelines for evaluating information on the Internet including the authorship, publisher, currency, bias and more.
• Evaluating Magazine, Journal and Newspaper Articles and Print Resources - This document created by Yavapai College Library will teach you how to assess print resources for their relevance and reliability.
• Evaluating Websites - See how to analyze web page content for accuracy, objectivity, currency and reliability.
• Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources - Guidelines for evaluating the reliability and value of resources found on the Web.
• Internet Detective - A tutorial that offers practical advice on evaluating the quality of a website.
• Types of Periodicals Defined - This guide created by Yavapai College Library points out the distinguishing characteristics of different periodical types including newspapers, popular magazines, trade journals as well as scholarly and research journals

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Step 3: Write

• YC's Academic Integrity policy - Review Yavapai College's student guidelines to academic integrity which includes cheating and plagiarism.
• Avoiding Plagiarism - Useful examples and guidelines on how to avoid plagiarism from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL).
• How to do research - A brief guide to help you identify and research your topic.
• Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Avoid It - Guidelines on avoiding plagiarism from Indiana University.
• The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing - A college-level guide providing an extensive array of topics (structure, quotations, works cited, grammar, plagiarism, and research writing styles).
• Online Writing Lab - Sponsored by Purdue University, the Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides student/teacher handouts for punctuation, parts of speech, research papers, business writing, resumes, cover letters, and exercises for practicing the basics. There are plenty of links for more help.
• Online Writing Tutor - If you are a YC Student and need a quick guide to the writing process or help with your drafts, this resource is for you. Any student who is currently enrolled in a class and who needs help with any writing-related activity may use this resource.
• University of Wisconsin Writing Center - A writing site that offers helpful guidelines for academic writing including developing a thesis statement and citation formats.
• The Writing Center - Sponsored by Capital Community College, this site provides assistance in grammar and writing, editing and proof-reading, style guides for research papers, and various other links to writing centers in the U.S.

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Step 4: Cite

• APA Style Guide(OWL) - Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides APA style guide in-text citation examples, as well as examples for the Reference(s) List of a research paper.
• Various Citation Styles - This easy to use color coded guide gives examples for APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago and AMA. It was created by the Long Island University (C.W. Post Campus).
• Citation Machine - An interactive Web tool designed to assist teachers in modeling the proper use of information property. Part of the Landmark Project.
• MLA Style Guide (OWL) - Purdue University 's Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides MLA style guide parenthetical citation examples, as well as examples for the works cited portion of a research paper.

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