Using the Library catalog to locate books and government documents on this topic. Designing a research assignment in stages helps students learn the steps of a research strategy and provides them with feedback before they write their paper. For example, a preliminary assignment may include a summary of an encyclopedia article, a bibliography of proposed sources, and an abstract of a key article or book. This process also provides you the opportunity to make sure students are choosing appropriate sources for their assignments. Alternatives to the Research Paper Depending on the course, it may be more appropriate to assign something besides the traditional research paper.
Students compare a popular magazine article with a scholarly article on the same topic.
Students compare two or more scholarly book reviews on an important book in the subject area of the course. Provide a list of books and have each student choose a different book. Last updated Monday March 05 2001.