These modules will help you understand different parts of the research process, remind you of something you learned in a library session or class, and help you make sure you get your assignments right. From brainstorming search terms, to selecting sources, to polishing your bibliography, these modules help take the guesswork out of academic research and writing.

Letting others know where your inspiration, ideas, and evidence comes from is an essential part of research and writing, but knowing when and how to cite your sources can be complicated. Correctly citing your sources helps your audience see all of the valuable effort and time you put into your research, and acknowledges the hard work of previous scholars. This module will help you:

• Understand when and why to cite sources
• Identify the parts of a citation
• Explore different citation styles
• Determine how to integrate citations into your own research

Explore the class banners created by Wheaton’s graduating classes since 1981 in this digital exhibit that offers a glimpse into Wheaton history.

Using a research plan will help you be organized and intentional throughout the research process. A plan can greatly reduce your stress and frustration—though it will not eliminate them all together. Completion of this module will help you:

• Explore the role a research plan plays in the research process
• Describe the parts of a research plan.

Sometimes condensing your topic into a few short words or phrases to use in your database search can be tough. Different orders, combinations, and small variations can get you totally different results. This module is here to help you:

• Understand what a keyword is and why we use them
• Identify how to brainstorm keywords
• Recognize how to combine keywords in a search

Sometimes when writing a paper you need to let your audience know what knowledge already exists about your topic. You might want to let readers know where your ideas fit in the existing scholarly conversation. This is where a literature review comes in. So you can craft an amazing lit review, this module will help you:

• Understand what ‘literature’ is and why you conduct a literature review
• Identify sources to use in a literature review
• Strategize how to organize your sources to write a literature review

Are you a student in a science class and want to learn strategies for reading scientific research articles? If so, this module will help you:

• Explore the different sections of scientific research articles.
• Understand the standard structure for scientific research articles that contain primary research.
• Recognize the purpose of each section and what to find within the sections.
• Learn strategies for reading scientific research articles.