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Common Research Issues

The number one issue that students encounter when performing research is also the most easily addressed.  Many students do not begin the research process early enough.  Don’t wait around after receiving the assignment. Start early and ask questions.  A research project that is completed the night before an assignment is due will rarely be a quality product.  The research process takes time – time to find resources, to read them, to take notes, to draft your paper, and to revise and edit. 

Mistakes in Performing Research

  • Not utilizing the resources available. We don’t want to assign writing to you and then throw you out to the wolves!  You have numerous resources electronically at your fingertips and physically on campus.

    • The library and our librarians – While our library may seem small, our instructors and librarians work together to make sure that we have resources that are specific to the various programs we offer here.  The librarians are there to help you find the sources that will be most helpful to you, and they are happy to help you at any time!  You simply have to ask.
    • NCLive – You are not on your own out there in the world of the Internet.  In fact, trying to locate reliable sources via Google or another search engine can be a shaky prospect at best.  NCLive gives you access to thousands of scholarly articles and resources on nearly any subject.  You have access to NCLive on any computer where you can log-in to your mySCC account.  Once you log in, select the Library tab along the gray bar at the top, and you’ll see a link to NCLive in the center box on the page.  Our librarians and learning consultants at the LAC are available to help you with NCLive as well.
    • The Learning Assistance Center (LAC) – The LAC, located in Oaks Hall on the Sylva Campus and in the Cecil Groves Center Room 203 on the Franklin Campus, is a free assistance service that doesn’t require an appointment.  Anytime the LAC is open, there is someone there who can help you with writing.  Again, all you have to do is ask.  LAC’s website
  • Using unreliable/non-academic sources – in an academic setting, you are expected to engage in academic practices.  When doing research, then, it is expected that the sources you use in your papers be scholarly sources (unless your instructor indicates otherwise).  This automatically eliminates many sources that seem, on the surface, to be fine (Wikipedia, about.com, ask.com etc.).
How can you know if a source is reliable and academic? You have to do a bit of sleuthing work and critical thinking.  You must question the source and see if you can discover critical facts about it. 
Ways of questioning:
  • Who is the author?  Is he/she a respected figure in the field you’re studying?
  • Who/what is the author connected to?  A school?  The government? What role does the author play in that institution?
  • When was the source published? Where was it published?
  • What is its purpose?  Is it original research?  Is it a summary of others’ research? 
  • Not locating enough sources – If you are assigned a certain number of sources, it’s a no-brainer to locate and use at least that number.  However, if a specific number is not assigned, a general rule of thumb is to locate and use one source per page.  So, a ten-page paper would have at least ten sources.

Mistakes in Writing Research 

  • Incomplete/Incorrect Citations – A critical part of any research paper is the way you show your reader where you found the information you are using to help support your thesis (the main idea of your paper).  You reader wants to see that you have consulted reliable sources to strengthen your arguments.  Therefore, be sure to use the correct citation format that your instructor requires.  If you aren’t sure which format your instructor wants to see, don’t just guess.  Ask!  Then, use your handbook or the links in this Style Guide to discover how to correctly use those citations.
  • Mistakes in incorporating source material – A research paper should primarily be your ideas/arguments about your topic.  The material that you find in your resources should be used to support or back up your ideas.  This means that the majority of the paper should be your ideas and your words.  Small portions of your sources should be incorporated to your writing.  When you use a short quotation or paraphrase from one of your resources, be sure to smoothly introduce it to your reader rather than awkwardly dropping random quotations into your writing.  Further, avoid using long passages from your sources.  Even if you correctly cite these passages, it isn’t an efficient use of the source material (and it looks suspiciously like you’re padding your paper to reach a minimum page requirement).
  • Incorrect list of Works Cited/References – Every research project requires that you list the sources you located and used to create the project.  You will need to format this list of sources in a very particular way that depends upon the research style you are required to use (MLA, APA, and Chicago have different rules for this format).  Be sure to follow the required format exactly as it is an expected aspect of academic research.
  • Incorrect paper format – Just as your reader expects to see certain types of citations and a certain format for the list of sources you used, he/she will also expect a particular paper format.  Again, don’t guess which format to use.  Ask your instructor what is expected and then strive to meet that expectation by using your handbook or the information in the links on the right hand side of this Style Guide.

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