Research. We all use it, we all need it, we all do it- whether we realize it or not. But are we conducting research effectively? Do we know the BEST way to conduct our research? Herein lies the contents of this class.

In this class, students will be taught the basics of conducting relevant, reliable research. Students will learn how to use various online tools to research a topic, how to identify credible sources of information, how to pick out relevant details that support a research topic, and how to synthesize details and main ideas. Additionally, we will review creating a reference list and/or Works Cited page so that students are familiar with citing the sources that they find and use.

Throughout this class, students will be provided with thorough explanations and examples of how to use the internet to find and identify reliable sources, as well as practice recognizing credible sources and taking notes on the information found on them. This class is geared to not only teach students how to conduct research in an effective way, but also to touch on evidence analysis in order to identify and take notes on key information that should be written down during research.

All in all, this class will be jam-packed with information in a highly interactive way, with the majority of the work happening in the here-and-now of the class session. By the time this class is over, students should be comfortable with conducting online research, as well as have an increased ability to successfully use technology to find sources using credible databases and websites.