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COMM23385: Research for Writing and Publishing

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This guide provides help for students completing their creative writing assignment in the Research for Writing & Publishing course. Find lists of library and web resources as well as research tips to help you complete your assignments.

Tips for Doing Research

As you get started on your research, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Start by brainstorming:

  • Review your assignment criteria. What topics are acceptable? How many sources do you need? What types of publications are acceptable?
  • Plan your Research. Decide on a topic, research question, and keywords.
  • Consider Types of Sources. What type of publications would have information about your topic? Books? Journals? Websites?
  • Choose a Database. Decide on the best place to look for sources on your topic.

Pay attention to the results:

  • Were there too many results? Too few?
  • Where did your keywords appear? What keywords did you use that are working? What keywords are confusing your results?
  • What vocabulary are the authors are using? Are there any new words that you could add to your list of keywords?

Modify your search strategy and search terms as needed.

Reflect on your search:

  • Did you find enough sources to meet your assignment requirements?
  • Were you satisfied with the relevance and quality of the sources you found?
  • What strategies worked well? What strategies were not helpful?

Be sure to Chat with Us if you are still struggling to find sources for your assignment.

If you're struggling to find useful results, try a few different search strategies.

Pre-writing

Having trouble coming up with a creative writing topic? Try these exercises to get you started.

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