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HNRS: College Honors Program Thesis Guide

Research sources and strategies for the College Honors Program

Collecting Research

Notetaking

It's very important to keep track of your resources and findings throughout your research process. There are many ways to do this -- the most important thing is to find a process that works for you, and that allows you to share your findings with others. 

Whatever your process, make sure that you find a way to: 

  1. Keep track of which notes (and especially quotations) came from which source;
  2. Note detailed directions like page numbers, where included, so that you can find the information again later; and
  3. Record all of the information needed to cite each source that you consult, even if you aren't sure yet whether you will use it. 

 

Citation Managers (for traditional "published" sources)

RefWorks isn't the only option -- if you prefer, you can use one of these third-party citation managers (but note that your use of them is governed by their terms of service, and that we have limited control/troubleshooting ability!)

Collecting Unpublished and Multimedia Sources 

For "non-traditional' sources like interviews, images, social media, websites, etc. -- traditional reference tools don't always work particularly well. However, there are other tools available which are better suited for storing and organizing these types of sources. As with note-taking, there are many possibilities beyond this list -- these are just a few suggestions.

As a note: it's generally a good idea to save screenshots of web sources that may be temporary, especially social media posts, since they can be deleted, edited or taken down at any time! 

Suggestions: 

And of course, you can also organize saved files in programs/apps like...

Citation Resources

APA Style Examples 

Journal article from an online database

(Dentith 2019, 2250).

Dentith, M R. X. (2019). Conspiracy theories on the basis of the evidence. Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science 196(6), 2243-2261. doi:10.1007/s11229-017-1532-7.

Book with a single author

(Olmsted 2009, 10). 

Olmsted, K.S. (2009). Real enemies: Conspiracy theories and American democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

APA Style Resources

Chicago Style Examples (Notes-Bibliography) 

Journal article from an online database

Footnote: M.R.X. Dentith, "Conspiracy Theories on the Basis of the Evidence," Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methdology and Philosophy of Science 196, no. 6 (2019): 2250. doi:10.1007/s11229-017-1532-7.

Bibliography: Dentith, M R. X. “Conspiracy Theories on the Basis of the Evidence.” Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science 196, no. 6 (2019): 2243-2261. doi:10.1007/s11229-017-1532-7.

Book with a single author

Footnote: Kathryn S. Olmsted, Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), 10. 

Bibliography: Olmsted, Kathryn S. Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Chicago Style Resources

Chicago Style Examples (Author-Date) 

Journal article from an online database

(Dentith 2019, 2250).

Dentith, M R. X. 2019. “Conspiracy Theories on the Basis of the Evidence.” Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science 196, no. 6: 2243-2261. doi:10.1007/s11229-017-1532-7.

Book with a single author

(Olmsted 2009, 10). 

Olmsted, Kathryn S. 2009. Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chicago Style Resources

MLA Style Examples

Journal article from an online database

(Dentith 2250).

Dentith, M R. X. “Conspiracy Theories on the Basis of the Evidence.” Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, vol.196, no. 6, 2019, 2243-2261. doi:10.1007/s11229-017-1532-7.

Book with a single author

(Olmsted 10). 

Olmsted, Kathryn S. Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11. Oxford University Press, 2009.

MLA Style Resources

Legal Citations (Bluebook Style)

If you need assistance with citations for legal documents or government publications (for example, Congressional proceedings), these guides will help!  The Chicago Manual of Style defers to the Blue Book style for this type of citation. 

Don't see your citation style here? 

Visit our Citing Your Sources guide for guidance on other style manuals, including

journal-based citation styles.