Before you jump online to find sources for your assignment, make sure you know what kinds of sources your professor requires. Does she say that you need at least three peer-reviewed journal articles? Or maybe she says that you need to pull information from books written for an academic audience. You won't find those sources by casually Googling your topic.
Good search terms are essential to quality research, so generate a list of keywords before you start researching.
To do so, ask yourself two questions:
List the answers to those questions using single words or simple phrases. These will become your keywords. This brief video (0:59) from the libraries at UNC Greensboro explains how to turn your research question into useful keywords.
PATH: Lighting Your Way From Research to Writing (UNCG Libraries) CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Sometimes you need sources other than books or articles. Here are a few examples that might appear in your assignment requirements:
A librarian can help you find these sources. Simply ask!
