Step 4: Identify Sources

In my years as a student and working with students, I’ve watched many students find sources by searching a set of keywords, choosing the first few responses that make sense, and then finding a way to fit them into the project (which could be a paper or presentation). It seems easy to find sources this way, but it makes the work more difficult AND takes more time. -Dr. Lepore

A careful search process takes planning but leads to sources that will be much easier to work with.

Before you begin, make sure you are clear about your question. By the time you write your question, you should have enough background knowledge to identify 3-5 things you need to learn about to answer your question.
For our example on procrastination:

Question: How does procrastination affect happiness in college students?

I know I need to understand:

• What happiness levels are and what affects happiness in college students
• How students procrastinate and how it affects them
• Specific studies related to procrastination and happiness
• Specific studies related to the factors that affect happiness (ie: stress or time management) and how they are affected by procrastination

Steps in identifying sources:

1. 1. Generate keywords for each of the searches (the 3-5 things you need to learn about)
   2. Review the guidelines from your professor on what types of sources you should use
      • For this project, you should use a minimum of:

■ 3 scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles (from the library)
■ 3 encyclopedia/reference entries (from the library); you may want to use more sources from the internet
■ 3 popular media source (such as the New York Times) which can provide context and more recent information
■ 3 entries of your choice NOTE: You can add to this, but need to have AT LEAST these sources

1. • Determine where you need to look for sources (for example, library databases, an internet search engine like google, a periodical like the New York Times, etc)
   • Spend time searching, looking for sources that:
   • Meet your requirements
   • Help you answer your question
   • Are written in a way you can read and understand them (even if it takes effort)

For more information on finding and using sources:

• • Library guides: library research for students Library Resources for Students – Research Guides at CUNY Lehman College
  • Writing Research Papers (Lehman Library Research Guide) https://libguides.lehman.edu/writing-research note: Although you are not necessarily writing a paper, the same principles apply for finding sources and organizing them.
  • You can also talk to a reference librarian physically in the library (they like it when you ask for help!) or get advice via the chat, which is staffed 24/7 by librarians from across CUNY.