Are you about to do your first research project? At the Â鶹Դ´ Essex County District School Board, we've got to tips to help you every step of the way.
Stage 1 – exploring
Before you begin researching, you need to pick a topic. Check out these resources before you start.
Prepare |
Do you have a topic? Here is a Simple Web Worksheet to help you decide on a research topic. |
Brainstorm |
Start brainstorming ideas. Here are some questions to ask to help you get started:
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Question |
You need to create questions about your topic to help guide your research. Here are some tools that you can use to come up with research questions: Try asking yourself these questions before you begin your research:
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Stage 2 – investigating
During the investigation phase of research, you will start finding resources to help you learn more about your research topic. You'll want to look at a wide variety of resources, such as:
- Books
- Magazines
- Websites
- People
- Newspapers
- Encyclopedia
- Pictures or images
A great place to start your research, is through the GECDSB Virtual Library. You can also review the following tools and worksheets to help:
Stage 3 – processing
It is now time to review your research to make sure you have everything that you need.
Evaluate |
Here are some worksheets that you can use to help you evaluate your research: You can take research notes in a variety of ways, including:
Here are some questions to ask to help you evaluate the sources:
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Question |
While processing your research, you'll want to make sure that no information is missing to help you complete the project. If you haven't answered all of your research questions, you can do more research through the GECDSB Virtual Library. |
Make connections |
Visit to help with your research. Here are some questions you can ask to help you make connections:
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Stage 4 – creating
Once you finish your research, you're ready to start creating your report or presentation. Check out the resources to help you develop and edit your draft.
First draft |
Here are some resources you can use to help create the first draft of your research project:
Here are some questions you can ask to help you create your first draft:
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Revising and editing |
After you've finished the first draft, you'll want to edit your work before you submit the final copy to your teacher. Here are some questions you can ask to help guide you through the editing process:
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Presenting and reflecting |
Complete the Student Reflection Sheet to find out if there are ways that you can improve your research skills in the future. Here are some questions to ask while reflecting on your research:
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