Writing a research paper can be challenging. With the right tools and resources, the process can be less complicated. The resources below have been developed to help improve the process. Remember the first rule of using a library: Help is Always Available!
Writing Tips:
-
-
- Writing a Research Paper. Planning Your Project. Develop a research question. Pick a topic that you care about; Find a question,
- Analysis. Summary vs. Analysis. Summarizing – How Do You Know if You’re Doing It?
- Editing-finding exactly the right word to express a thought can result in writing that is really worth
- APA Format and Citation
- Avoiding Plagiarism. Discussion : What is plagiarism? What does plagiarism look like? How do we plagiarize? How do we avoid?
- Transitions. What is a transition ? Transitions are words, phrases, sentences or even paragraphs that relate.
- Annotated bibliographies assist writer in the early stages of research gathering. By taking the time to write a brief summary and evaluation of each source you
- Passive Voice
- Grammarly – Software for writing
-
Finding Material:
-
-
- Find Books – The John B. Coleman Library Online Catalog – Books and other materials you may check out.
- Find Journal Articles – Search the EBSCO Discovery Search for abstracts and full-text.
- Find Articles when you have the Journal Title – E-Journals
- Find Databases A to Z by subject
- Find Government Documents – John B. Coleman Library is a U.S. Depository – Located in the Periodicals Area.
- Find material on Reserve – Your instructor may have placed items on Reserve, located at the Circulation Front Desk.
- Find material on the history of Prairie View – Special Collections/Archives is located on the fifth floor of the Library. Call or email for the availability of material on your topic.
- Interlibrary Loan allows you to order books and articles we do not own. Look for the “Request from ILL” link when searching for articles and books.
- Google Scholar at https://scholar.google.com/ is a convenient site to search for your topics. It links the search results to the PV full text available. How to set up.
- WorldCat at https://worldcat.org/ is an open source for everything around the world. Try the new and improved interface.
- Library course/subject guides created by the librarians are good sources for research.
-
Evaluation & Preparation
Copyright – John B. Coleman Library observes United States copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). If you need help in interpreting copyright, please see the Copyright Office Website for assistance.
Library Subject Guides:
Evaluating Webpages: Is Your Website Credible? – Finding information on the World Wide Web is one thing, trusting it is another. You must be a critical consumer of materials you find on the Web. Quality and validity are not guaranteed when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review. Use this guide to analyze the websites you find.
Help
Ask at the Reference Desk for assistance or for an appointment with a Subject Specialist.
Ask a Librarian – By phone – (936) 261-1535 or by email askalibrarian@pvamu.edu
Writing Center – The Prairie View Writing Center is here to assist you!
Getting Feedback – Feedback from someone else about your writing.
Assistance from the Northwest Houston Center – (713) 790-7282 by email at ejbrumfield@pvamu.edu
Access from home and off campus:
All Faculty, Staff, and Students are required to enter their network ID and network password to access the Library’s electronic resources from off campus.
Learn about how to access library resources remotely.