Panning for Gold

When we want to enjoy a day at the beach, we might first search for the right beach. When looking for a place to swim or surf, you might think about the right weather, the quality of the environment, how busy the beach is, or how far you might have to drive. This limits our choices to a manageable number so that we can make a good, informed choice about how to best enjoy a day at the beach.

When you’re searching for the right beach, you’re actively engaged in the research process. You’re exploring options, and then you’re managing those options until you’ve found the information you intend to use. When writing an essay, you will eventually need to bring in outside sources to prove your main point. The research process is meant to add credibility to your argument by using outside evidence, reasoning, and other information supporting your position.

Most instructors will usually expect you to utilize academic sources when you compose an essay. Academic sources will most often include scholarly books and journals, which are peer reviewed by experts in the field. In addition to print sources available in the library, some of these books and journals may be found on the Web or in online databases.

One good place to begin your scholarly research is EBSCO, which is freely available to all current students at the Del Mar College library’s web site. However, remember that there is a distinction between EBSCO (a collection of databases) and a singular database such as Academic Search Complete. When you cite an article in EBSCO, you must cite the individual database that you searched, and not EBSCO.

Another place to search is Google Scholar (scholar.google.com), which is Google’s search engine for academic sources. Google Scholar functions much the same as the regular Google search engine, except that it brings up only scholarly sources in its list of results. That said, make certain that you’re not only looking through the first page of results, since the placement of search results may not always provide the best information.

Finally, make use of the resources available at the White Library, located at the East Campus of Del Mar College. The library offers a wide collection of academic sources, including scholarly books and print journals. Not all scholarly journals are available online, and academic print publications are considered good, credentialed sources for scholarly research.

Although finding scholarly information for a research essay may seem like a daunting task, there are more options than ever for locating good, reliable information. Consider ways of finding the best information for your assignment, and dig carefully through potential sources until you find the best information to cite in your paper.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!