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Grinnell College > Libraries > Research & Instruction
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Return to the Guide to Academic Research
By completing this short exercise, you'll gather background information on your topic and then draft two questions to guide your research.
1) In no more than ten words, state your preliminary topic:
2) Next, search at least two of the following online encyclopedias to locate and read background material on your topic:
Encyclopedia Britannica, Oxford Reference Online, or AccessScience.
Now, list at least 10 words or short phrases you found in these online encyclopedias that could be used to search for information on your topic:
3) Next, please write a short paragraph explaining why you're interested in this topic. By providing a bit of detail here, you'll be able to form useful research questions.
4) Finally, write two concise questions you'd like to answer through your research.
Example: How has Frank Lloyd Wright influenced modern architecture? Example: What were Lloyd Wright's contributions to the prairie school of architecture?
i)
ii)
Enter your Grinnell username to email this worksheet to yourself:
@grinnell.edu
Email this worksheet to a librarian: Julia Bauder Kevin Engel Richard Fyffe Phil Jones Cecilia Knight Amy Roberson Catherine Rod Rebecca Stuhr Librarians
Prove you aren't an evil spambot by answering a simple math question:
2 + 2 =
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Last modified by Phil Jones on 6/19/09 .
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