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BIOL 10, Poffenroth: Getting Started

The Assignment

Understanding Your Assignment

Before you begin your research, you should make sure you understand your assignment. Some good questions are:

How many pages should it be?
How many sources do I need?
What kinds of sources? Books,
   articles, websites? Scholarly or
   popular articles?

In what format should it be
   written? APA? MLA? Chicago? CSE?

Assignment Calculator

San Jose State's Assignment Calculator is a good resource to help you determine how much time you have to complete various aspects of your research and writing, given your starting date and due date.

Selecting a Topic

If you are having problems selecting a topic, or narrowing a topic, the following library databases (NOT PEER REVIEWED) can help:

The following websites are also good sources of information for exploring topics.

Off-Campus Access

For off-campus access to the online databases and eBooks, you'll need your student ID. See our Off-Campus Library Services LibGuide for more information.

You can also renew your books online from home.