STEPS TO BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH

Remember you need SIX (6) total sources for your Works Cited page:

  • At least 1 book/eBook
  • At least 1 magazine/newspaper (can be online)
  • ONLY 2 websites TOTAL
  • The remainder of your sources can be databases, additional books, additional newspapers, etc.

FIND A BOOK SOURCE:

  1. Examine the cart of books that have already been pulled on various Junior Project topics – these books CANNOT be removed from the library. Is there a book on the cart for your topic? Is there more than one book on the cart for your topic?

NO YES

Check to see if there are eBooks available.Use your works cited

organizer to write citation

information for the book(s)

and then RETURN them to the cart for other students to use. You can take notes on your source later. Move on to Step 2 to find an eBook.

  1. Search for an eBook on your topic. Follow these steps:
  1. Go to
  1. On the lefthand bar, click SCHOOLS->HIGH SCHOOL->LIBRARY
  1. The Library page has several links. Click POWER LIBRARY
  1. Locate “Find A Book” in Red. Under that heading, click “eBooks on EBSCO host”
  1. Search for your topic with BASIC terms. Try a few combinations to make sure you’re finding all available sources

(Example: If your topic is the NASA Space Program’s influence on the Environment, you could search NASA environment, then search Space Program air quality then search NASA health risks and so on)

  1. If there is/are book(s) on your topic, click “eBook Full Text” under the heading.
  1. The full book will come up with arrows at the bottom to turn pages.
  1. Copy the copyright information onto your Works Cited organizer the same way you would for a physical book.

IF YOU CANNOT FIND A BOOK IN OUR LIBRARY, OR AN EBOOK ON YOUR TOPIC, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER CHANGING YOUR TOPIC.

NOW, FIND A DATABASE SOURCE:

  1. Go to
  1. Click SCHOOLS -> HIGH SCHOOL -> LIBRARY
  1. Click “Facts on File Databases” (about the 5th link down)
  1. Scroll to the BOTTOM to “Issues and Controversies in American History”
  1. Search in the top left corner for your topic. Search for your topic with BASIC terms.

Try a few combinations to make sure you’re finding all available sources

(Example: If your topic is the NASA Space Program’s influence on the Environment, you could search NASA environment, then search Space Program air quality then search NASA health risks and so on)

  1. Is there something in this database on your topic?

YES NO

Click on the link and Go back to the Facts on File links and click

scroll to the bottom for “Issues and Controversies” in blue.

citation info. Write it underFollow step 5 above search your topic.

“Databases” on your organizer OR Is there information on your topic now?

copy and paste the citation into a

Word document. You MAY want to print

the article(s) DOUBLE SIDED to YES NO

take notes in the future.Click on the link See a librarian

and scroll to the bottom for help or

for citation info. Write move on to

it under “Databases”on to magazine/ your organizer or copy/ newspaper.

paste into Word document

TO FIND A MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SOURCE:

  1. Go to
  2. Click SCHOOLS -> HIGH SCHOOL -> LIBRARY
  3. Click POWER Library
  4. Look at the bottom right “Newspapers/Magazines” in red
  5. Click “InfoTrac Newsstand”
  6. Search keywords for your topic. If your term is TOO GENERAL (ex: “Vietnam”) it will prompt you to narrow it. If you still choose the broad topic, you can narrow it one you view results.
  7. Many results may come up. Scroll through articles and choose the ones that are relevant to your topic. Click the blue title.
  8. Make sure the article is detailed enough and RELEVANT to your topic. If it is, click “Citation Tools” on the right. A box will open – click the blue “Save” button under MLA 7th Edition to generate the citation. Then click “OK”
  9. Get the citation and copy it into your Works Cited Organizer OR copy and paste this citation into a Works Cited Word document.