Researching the Personal Project

• Before you start your research, think about where you might be able find useful information for your topic. Don't just go straight to Google!

• Write down the types of sources you could use in your project and how you will try to find them in your plan.

• Record your research in your process journal throughout the project.

Make sure you:

• visit the VSA library and see if there are any books or magazines that would be useful for your project

• check the VSA eLibrary (Pressreader, Credo)

• ask me (Mr Mac) if you need an help finding anything in the Library or eLibrary

Make sure you use a variety of different sources. which of these might be useful for your topic?

Secondary	Primary
Books	interviews and discussions with people inside/outside school, or experts who are knowledeable about your topic
Newspapers and magazines	Conduct experiments
Websites	Collect your own data
YouTube and other videos	Send out surveys
Visit museums	Observe and analyze a similar product

Note: what is considered a primary source or secondary source might vary depending on your topic. If in doubt, check with your supervisor or Mr Mac.

You will also need to evaluate the sources you use, using a method such as OPVL.

At VSA we use MLA 9 to document all of our sources. You need to include both a works cited list and a works consulted list.

The Process Journal

• Use your process journal to record the research process..

• Record how sources have shaped your project and your thinking

• Identify the research skills you have at the beginning of the research process, and use the process journal to show how your research skills develop, with evidence.

• Document the search strategies, interview and survey techniques that you use.

• When writing your report, use extracts from the process journal in your report to provide evidence.

• If you copy anything from a website or other source into your process journal, make sure that you clearly identify what you have copied by using "quotation marks" or highlight the text you have copied in a different colour. Note the URLs too, or add the source to MyBib so that you can find it again later when creating your works cited/consulted list.

Documenting the research process in your process journal will help you to:

• organise your research

• document your sources

• avoid plagiarism

• help you to reflect on your research ATLs