Garfield Campus | Student Success Center (ABSE)

Assignment

This guide will help you find sources from books and articles to answer your research question. Below, you can begin to explore the GCC Library's various databases to search for information on your topic. You will also find additional resources to help you with your assignment.

The databases featured on this page will help you find credible, authoritative information on the topic of technology. All of these sources are FREE to registered GCC students in the high school programs!

Select from the menu on the left to learn more about:

How to Get Started With Your Research
How to Evaluate Sources
How to Create Google Slides
How to Cite Your Sources Using MLA format

Choose Your Topic

One of the most difficult things when getting started on a research project can be coming up with a strategy to begin exploring a topic. Some topics are too broad and need to be broken down into smaller parts, which can help a lot. Some topics are too narrow and need to be expanded.

A just-right topic will take into consideration the following:

• Length of research project: How many words, slides, or minutes are you required to produce? 
• Amount of time you have to complete project: When is the project due?
• Number of sources you are required to use: Are you required to use a specific number of books, articles, websites, or a combination of all three? 

Background Research

One way to come up with a topic is to do background research. Another term for this is pre-search.

A good place to begin pre-search is with encyclopedia articles, which provide a broad overview of a subject. Once you know more about a subject, you can begin making connections between topics and sub-topics. After making these connections, you can get started writing a short summary of what you've learned from your background research.

When searching background sources, it's often helpful to start by using the broadest keyword. Some examples include "artificial intelligence," "technology," or "social media."

It helps to think of your main topic as a starting point for your research, not a destination. 

The infographic below illustrates how to conduct pre-search.

Image created by Aisha Conner-Gatten

Research Ideas

Below are some ideas for topics that may be suitable for your project. Feel free to ask your instructor about choosing a slightly different topic.

• The Future of Artificial Intelligence

• Social Media and Youth Happiness

• Professional Video Gaming

• Video Games and Learning

• Technology Addiction

• Cybersecurity

Essential Questions

Use an essential question to narrow your topic and develop your paper's thesis. Here are some examples of essential questions.

• How will/does ____________ (main topic) affect/change/be used to ___________  (sub-topic)?
• What are the factors that lead to ___________ ?  

Sample Questions to Get You Started

• How will Artificial Intelligence be used in the future of work?
• What are the factors that lead to technology addiction?
• How does social media affect youth happiness?

The databases listed below are FREE to students enrolled in classes at Garfield Campus!

Databases are frequently the best place to begin your research and often have more reliable and authoritative information than what you'll find in Google. 

Databases can have a specific focus, such as psychology, history, science, or technology. There are also general databases that offer sources on a wide variety of subjects.

When searching in databases, it's important to use the right keywords or phrases to describe your topic. A keyword is a single word that defines what you are seeking. A phrase is two or more words that define what you are seeking.

Depending on your topic, you can combine keywords and/or phrases to narrow or broaden your search. Here are a few examples related to your assignment using technology as your main topic:

• artificial Intelligence AND future AND work

• social media AND youth happiness

• video gaming AND learning

• technology AND addiction

Below are several databases to consider when seeking background information from a variety of sources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, articles, reports, and more.

See How to Get Started with Your Research for tips on how to select a topic, develop a research question, and identify related subtopics.

The How to Create Google Slides page provides instructions to help you get started using Google Slides to create your presentation.