Research proposal assignment
Your research proposal is an important step toward writing your final research essay. Your proposal should:
Four steps to choosing your topic and research question
Primary sources usually give us a first-hand account or description of an event witnessed. Primary sources are not just for studying the past; they also help us understand and make meaning from current events.
Common examples of primary sources include: photographs; newspapers; audio recordings (e.g., radio broadcasts); video recordings (e.g., newsreels, films, bystanders); diaries and letters; government or legal records; speeches; autobiographies and memoirs; creative works; and more.
Before you start your search for primary sources check out the following resource.
When you're ready to jump into current and historical news from Canadian and international sources, I recommend the following:
Using these sample searches as a starting place, but adapt them for your topic and research needs:
| Original search string | Peer-reviewed articles | Books/ebooks |
| hindu* AND transnationalism | link | link |
| hindu* AND (diaspora OR migration) | link | link |
| hindu* AND (hybridity OR identity) | link | link |
| hindu* AND multicultural* | link | link |
| hindu* AND generation* | link | link |
| hindu* AND adaptat* AND (cultur* OR relig*) | link | link |
| hindu* AND gender | link | link |
You can also check the Resources by Religion: Hinduism section for specific types of resources..
We tend to trust websites published by universities, research groups, governments, and non-profits, but it's always important to evaluate your sources. You can then power up your Google searches with these search tips:
So you plan to use sources you found on the web?
There are plenty of primary and secondary sources available online, but your job is to separate the good from bad. The CRAAP test helps us check the quality of our sources. This acronym is a reminder of some key questions to ask about your source:
| Currency | How current is the information you're looking at? |
| Relevancy | Does the information address your research needs? Does it stay on topic? |
| Authority | Is the author an expert? Do they know what they're talking about? How much can you trust the author/publisher responsible for the website? |
| Accuracy | Is the information accurate, and in agreement with other reputable sources? Can you find the same facts elsewhere? |
| Purpose | What is the website's purpose? Is it trying to inform or educate? Or maybe to entertain you or sell you something? |
These resources might help you understand what to ask when evaluating the credibility of a source.
