Research
When you are clear about your task requirements and the position you will take on a topic, the next step is to:
- identify what you already know about your topic
- identify the thesis statement.
- consider what your audience may already know
- research information you need to find out.
Research organisers can be used to direct your research. Download and/or print the ones at the links below.
- As a class, select a topic to research.
- Form small groups.
- Allocate a different organiser for each group to use.
- Use the organisers to plan research into the topic.
- Evaluate how useful your organiser is in planning your research.
- Share your evaluation of these organisers with the other groups.
Or, ask your teacher about using brainstorm software like the ones at the websites below.
Acknowledging your sources
Be sure to acknowledge any information texts (print or digital) you use. These should be listed alphabetically in a bibliography at the end of your notes. Accurate details of the author/s and publisher should be included.
When referring to texts with one author, follow the layout and punctuation in the examples below:
Hardesty, B & Wilcox, C 2013, Sea turtles caught up in ghostnets' random harvest, ECOS, CSIRO Publishing, Victoria, Australia
Winton, T 2008, Blueback, Penguin, Australia
Ask your teacher for different examples.
