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There are numerous sites to help students learn how to research and write papers while avoiding plagiarism. These are only some of our favorites.

How to Research, Document, and Cite

Homework Center: Writing Skills
Although the site is somewhat cluttered for a screen reader, it provides good step-by-step guidance for writing essays, research papers, book reports, bibliographies as well as providing a helpful section on basic study skills.

APlus Research & Writing for High School and College Students
This site, from the Internet Public Library, promises high-school and college students the know-how to "write an A+ paper without going totally nuts." It is an excellent guide as to the steps to follow as well as the places to look for information. As with everything else on the IPL, it is outstanding.

Research Paper Helper
While you will have to slog through a number of ads, you can find links with advice on writing everything from a love letter to a PhD dissertation. In addition, topics like library research, internet researching, writing the paper, editing the paper, crediting sources, and proper formatting are covered.

Guide to Research
This is one of the very best sites for high-school or college students on how to research and write papers. There is an extensive list of links to high-quality sites on how to research, document, and write a research paper.

Research and study Skills 101
This resource is "an interactive online tutorial for students wanting an introduction to research skills. The tutorial covers the basics, including how to select a topic and develop research questions, as well as how to select, search for, find, and evaluate information sources." While some of the information is specific to the University of Washington Libraries, this nationally- recognized tutorial has global utility.

Quick Study: Library Research Guide
This site from the University of Minnesota Libraries has eight modules designed to teach library research techniques. The modules include "the process of choosing a topic; designing a research strategy; finding different kinds of sources such as articles, books and internet sites; evaluating sources; [and] essential citation information." Although some of the information is specific to the University of Minnesota, much of it can be applied to research in any library.

Bowdoin College Writing Guide
This extensive guide to writing history papers is divided "into several categories: reading, writing, researching, and evaluating"; some topics about thesis writing are covered in depth in several different sections.

Plagiarism


The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers this page on how students can avoid plagiarism. It provides a brief overview of contradictions in academic writing, actions that might be seen as plagiarism, and guidelines for researching, quoting, paraphrasing, and deciding if something is common knowledge. Includes exercises and a brief bibliography.

Synthesis: Using the Work of Others
This tutorial explains plagiarism and its consequences and describes techniques for taking notes and quoting sources to avoid plagiarism. Includes a section on copyright, information about citing Web sources, and plagiarism and copyright infringement quizzes. From the University of Maine, Farmington.

Researching Tools

Bloomsbury.com - Research centre
This site is a free on-line database of reference books. Over 17,000 entries are cross-referenced providing a wealth of information all linked and all fully indexed. A search engine is available to search on a wide range of subjects including literature, art, myth, human thought, quotations and a thesaurus.

iTools
This site permits searching for people, biographies, quotations, dictionaries, newspapers, and translation services.

The Wise Guide
The Library of Congress introduces "the many fascinating, educational and useful resources available from the nation's library and one of the most popular Web sites of the federal government. The 'Wise Guide' is refreshed monthly, much like a magazine, offering links to the best of the Library's online materials. Each of these 'articles' is based on items contained in a collection, database, reading room or other area" of the site. Includes an archive.

You may also want to visit
Electronic Books and Bibliographies
Electronic Journals and Newspapers
Electronic References for Researching
Search Engines and Search Strategies
Grammar and Composition
on this site.

Press TV
"Press TV is the first international Iran-based news network to broadcast in English on a round-the-clock schedule." It "offers broad news coverage, specifically focusing on the Middle East," and aims to "tackle the controversial global news agenda and broadcasts cutting-edge documentaries with political, social and economic contents." The site features news articles and the opportunity to watch or listen to live coverage.

FactCheckEd
Collection of classroom materials focused on helping students learn how to research and examine messages and claims encountered in media and advertising. Provides lesson plans, websites recommended for research, answers to common questions about government and politics, a dictionary, and a discussion forum for teachers. From the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

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