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First Year Instruction: RWS, LING, and GEN S

A guide for librarians

Learning Objectives

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  1. Understand research assignment parameters and determine the information need 

 

Understanding the assignment

Remind students to carefully review their assignment.  If they have questions, they need to ask their instructor for clarification early on.  It is important not to wait until the last minute to review the assignment details.  If the instructor has provided the assignment to you ahead of time you can share this on the projector or copy relevant sections onto one of your slides. Students can use the following checklist to review their assignment.  

  • What topics can you choose from?
  • Do you need to write a research statement or question?
  • What is the purpose of the assignment? Look for words like: persuade, compare, perspectives
  • What is the minimum number of sources required? What types of sources can you use? (books, magazine articles, websites, peer reviewed articles, videos, etc.)
  • What citation style do you need to use? (MLA, APA, Chicago...)
  • Is there a minimum page requirement?

 

Example assignment:

Research Question or Thesis Statement?

Question markA research question is the main question you are trying to answer with your research.  It is helpful to think of your initial question as a draft.  Developing a research question takes time, and your question may change during the course of your research.   

Example:

How do female managers' work-life balance decisions affect their opportunities for promotion to upper-level management positions in Fortune 500 IT companies?

exclamation pointYour assignment may require you to write a thesis statement. The main difference between a thesis statement and a research question is that the thesis statement begins with a claim that your research seeks to validate or prove.  

Example:

Female managers encounter a glass ceiling in upper-level management positions in Fortune 500  IT companies.