Steps to Effective Research
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1. Define your topic
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2. Ask for help
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3. Develop a research strategy and locate resources
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4. Use effective search techniques
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5. Read critically, synthesize and seek meaning
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6. Understand scholarly communication process and cite sources
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7. Critically evaluate sources
Choosing a Topic
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Choose a topic that interests YOU
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Topic should be broad enough to find material but narrow enough for a Capstone
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Do test searches: can you find information on your topic?
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General databases to try:
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Europa World PlusCombines Europa World Yearbook and Europa World Regional Surveys; covers politics, government, history, economics, statistics and directory data.
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Google ScholarOn the Scholar Preferences page, enter "Tufts" under Library Links. This will allow you access to the full-text of the article through one of our subscriptions.
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Policy FilePolicy papers from major think tanks and research organizations.
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Web of ScienceCitation indexes - including Journal Citation Reports and Data Citation Index
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