Many classes include some kind of research assignment or literature review that requires students to seek out evidence in support of an argument or thesis. A well-designed evidence-based assignment can help students develop research skills, critical thinking, and subject knowledge; however, without some guidance from instructors, students often limit their exploration to a small number of familiar sources and approaches. In this issue of the Bulletin, we discuss ways that instructors can help students develop effective research skills.

• Terminology Fluency: Students may have difficulty understanding what instructors mean by "literature review", "peer-reviewed", "empirical studies", and other academic language.
• Search strategy know-how: Students need to know which databases or print resources might be helpful, how to search them effectively, and when it would be appropriate to use them.
• Summarization skills: Students may find it challenging to recognize an author's thesis or summarize the content of a source.
• Evaluation abilities: Students may have difficulty judging the quality, authority, or currency of sources.
• Documentation proficiency: Students often need help with properly citing sources, documenting their research via notes, selecting quotes, and managing their references.

• What skills and experiences do my students already have?
• What skills and experiences do I want my students to gain from the research process?
• What sort of research-based assignment will best develop these skills and experiences?
• How will I introduce, explain, and demonstrate the research process?
• How will I evaluate the quality of sources selected by students?
• How will I recognize when students have difficulties?
• How can partners on campus, such as libraries and writing centers, suppport my students' needs?

• Scaffold assignments to keep track of student progress at each stage of development (e.g., literature review, annotated bibliography, paper outline, preliminary drafts).
• Offer and model examples of effective research practices.
• Design assignments that involve peer work at the library or online that allow students to explore resources (e.g., have students research a specific problem in small groups or build a collaborative annotated bibliography online).
• Describe the specifics of the assignment - length, citation format, acceptable types of sources - in writing and orally. Let your students know the purpose of the assignment and your evaluation criteria. Define any potentially unfamiliar terminology.
• Consider scheduling a workshop with your subject librarian. The workshop can be tailored to your class and introduce students to research strategies and tools needed for the assignment.
• Direct students to other sources of support: office hours, writing centers, drop-in library workshops, online tutorials, and library research help (available in person, via email, and 24/7 via online chat).

At CIDR, we can consult with you to plan your research assingments and assess their effectiveness.  Call or e-mail to arrange an appointment with a CIDR consultant.