BIO128/BIO399/ENS399

Do you need one-on-one writing help? Bethel's Writing Center offers tutors to help you organize your paper, develop your ideas, define your thesis, and more.

Check the writing center support for times tutors are available or to schedule an appointment. 

Remember, it is important to cite the sources where you have gotten your ideas. This is especially true when you are using someone else's exact words in your paper. To avoid plagiarism, check out this handy online guide from the OWL at Purdue. 

Now that you have a pile of books, journal articles, and other resources, how do you put them to work? These guidelines will help you to make the best use of the information you've gathered.

Reference Works (Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.)

• Use for beginning research to get general background information on a topic.

Books

• Use to get the "big picture." Books offer more information about a topic than a journal article.

Journal Articles

• Use for specific information on your topic written by an expert.

Newspaper Articles

• Use when you need extremely current information on a topic.

• Use when you need a primary source for historical research.