Step 1: Creating a Researchable Topic
A good topic for a research project is specific and answerable or arguable. "Climate change" is an idea, but not a fully fledged topic.
Ask yourself: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How?
- Climate change = climate change + Louisiana + coastal erosion + efforts to solve
Step 2: Background Research
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Google and Wikipedia are also good places to find background information!
Note: Literati, Google, and Wikipedia should not be used as sources in your annotated bibliographies. These are sources to help you develop ideas, angles, and keywords to apply to resources on the Databases tab.
Step 3: Generating Keywords
Research requires you to carefully consider the words you use when you search to get the most effective results.
Reverse engineer it! Here's an example topic and what keywords you might use to search for sources on that topic. Hint: consider words that are synonyms, are bigger or smaller ideas than your topic, and/or are related to your topic.
Why Louisiana French is on the decline and what’s being done to bring it back
|
Louisiana French |
Decline |
Bringing it Back |
|
French language |
Loss |
Preservation efforts |
|
Cajun French |
Ban |
Council for the Development of French in Louisiana |
|
Francophone |
Assimilation |
Laws |
|
Acadiana |
Endangered language |
Inclusion |
|
Creole |
Extinct language |
Language education |
Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-3330