Our student has a great question to ask about her topic. It is an interesting and important question. It's open-ended, and makes her want to learn more. It ties together a few ideas she found while exploring. Her next step is to try to find the answer to her question. Her teacher calls her answer to the research question her "thesis statement."
To find her answer, the quest continues. Now it's time to not only search for information, but to make sure the sources she finds are authoritative and useful. She must keep track of every valuable source she finds; she will need to provide evidence that her answer is correct and reasonable. She needs to carefully evaluate what she finds, all while allowing her question to guide and focus her.
Now that you have an interesting and important question, you need to dig deeper into information sources to help you address your question and discover a possible answer.
Keep your question at the front of your mind as you search for and read your sources. You will consult primary sources and secondary sources as you dig deeper.
Use NoodleTools to help you keep track of the sources you find, record important information, and make connections.
Books are important because they provide an in-depth treatment of your topic. To find books in the Edith Hamilton Library, search our library catalog using terms related to your topic. You can use reference sources (see left) to discover new key terms and synonyms. If your first search doesn't retrieve useful results, try broadening your terms and search again, use the "power search" feature, or consult a librarian for help!
Search for books in our library collection.
From the publisher: Ebook Central provides authoritative, full-text e-books in a wide range of subject areas along with powerful tools to find, use, and manage the information.
From the publisher: The Oxford History of Western Music online offers an unmatched account of the evolution of Western classical music by one of the most prominent and provocative musicologists of our time, Richard Taruskin.
From the publisher: The authoritative resource for music research with over 52,000 articles written by nearly 9,000 scholars charting the diverse history and cultures of music around the globe.
Presents reference information and topic guides in U.S. History, along with related news, magazine, and scholarly journal articles.
Presents reference information and topic guides in World History, along with related news, magazine, and scholarly journal articles.
Scholarly articles may help you in the same way that books might, but they are generally shorter with a much narrower focus. While many books are written for a general audience of readers, scholarly articles are written for scholars and professionals - that means, they might be a little hard to understand! Don't be discouraged - these writers have been at this a lot longer than you have. Give them a try!
From the publisher: ProQuest Research Library provides one-stop access to thousands of full-text periodicals from one of the broadest, most inclusive general reference databases ProQuest has to offer. Search from a highly-respected, diversified mix of scholarly journals, professional and trade publications, and magazines covering over 150 subjects and topics.
JSTOR provides access to a vast archive of scholarly work in all disciplines.