Once you've found sources that fit the criteria of your assignment, your instructor expects you to:
Read sources with an open mind.
Think about what they mean.
Draw conclusions based on all of the sources you've read.
Discuss what you've discovered in your paper or presentation.
2. Use What You've Learned
What you learn from your sources should be in your paper or presentation. Asking yourself these questions as you read is a technique that can help you focus:
What is the author(s) of the source telling you about the topic?
What new information did you learn from it that you did not know before?
How does that change what you think about the topic?
How does what one source say about the topic compare to what other sources say about the topic?
3. You're Ready to Write!
If you have read your sources with an open mind, thought about what you've discovered from your sources, evaluated how they compare or differ from each other, and can now draw conclusions on the topic then you are ready to write!
