Argumentative Research Essay
Helpful Resources
In the course of this project, you will need to utilize a number of resources. A list of potential resources is listed here for your reference. Some of these will be referenced again in other parts of this packet. On the library website, you have access to smart search features, a number of online databases for finding sources as well as guides, tutorials, and instructional videos on a number of topics related to research.
Santiago Canyon College Library
SCC Library
Using the Santiago Canyon College (SCC) Library will be a required, valuable resource as you move forward with this project.
- You can access the library by clicking this link SCC Library Homepage
- The library itself has physical access to books and other resources that you will need. In order to check out materials from the library, you will need to have a student identification card which you can obtain at no cost in the Counseling Office at SCC U80 or at CWPC.
- Reference librarians are available to help you whenever the library is open.
- There are many instructional videos which may be helpful as you work through this project. Links to a number of these videos will be provided later in this module.
- There are also ongoing research workshops held almost every week on a variety of topics, such as finding articles, evaluating internet sources, etc.
- Access the current schedule by going to the SCC Library homepage and clicking on the “Library Workshops” link the lower left hand corner of the page, or by clicking this link Library Workshops Calendar
- You are strongly encouraged to attend some of these workshops; they are free, but do require advance registration.Sign up by clicking on the link on the calendar page for the workshop you plan to attend.
- NoodleTools – as an SCC student you have free access to this tool which can help you create citations (a notation of the source that you will use- more information on this will follow). The library also offers workshops on how to use this valuable tool (see calendar for specific dates).
- You can access this resource by clicking on the Noodle Tools link on the library homepage, or by clicking here: Noodle Tools
·
OWL Purdue Online
This site is a great resource to learn about all phases of writing a research paper, including the research, outlining, writing, and the proper format for writing your paper. For this paper, you will be learning MLA formatting. You may want to come back to this reference later for more information on a variety of research topics.
Access this webiste by clicking this link OWL Purdue Online
Google Advanced Search
Almost everyone knows how to do a basic google search, but did you know that google has more advanced searching capabilities to help you narrow down the results that you receive. If you were to do a basic google search for the words "how to write an essay", you would receive 92, 600,000 results! No one could possibly look through all of these websites, so most people choose one of the websites that shows up at the top of the page. While this might work, you may not receive very accurate or thorough results. A better way to search is to use google advanced search to narrow the focus of your search which allows google to provide you with better results. This tool will be useful as you begin the research process of your paper. This resource will be covered in more detail later, but here is where you can access the resource:
21cif.com
This website offers interactive “search wizard” tools that will assist you in finding good search terms, evaluating sources, or creating citations. Access the resource by clicking here:
Additional Resources
These are only a few of the numerous resources that you can use in the completion of this project.As you progress through the module, you will be presented with video clips and other websites that may be helpful to you. Additionally, feel free to explore and find other resources, and if you find something that you find to be useful to you, please share it with an instructor. We always welcome great resources to share with other students!