Welcome to Research Skills and Referencing!

Welcome, Year 3 students! Have you ever wondered how people know what they know? Or how you can prove that what you are saying in an essay is actually true? That is where research skills come in. Think of yourself as a detective. Research is about finding clues, checking if those clues are real, and then showing everyone where you found them.

In this chapter, we are going to learn how to find great information, how to tell if a website is lying to you, and how to give credit to the people whose ideas you use. Don't worry if this seems a bit "academic" or "heavy" at first—once you learn the steps, it becomes a habit that makes your writing much stronger!

1. Academic Integrity: Being an Honest Scholar

Before we start searching for info, we need to talk about Academic Integrity. This is a fancy way of saying "being honest in your schoolwork."

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you use someone else's words, ideas, or images and pretend they are your own. It’s like taking a cake your friend baked, putting your own frosting on it, and telling everyone you made it from scratch. It isn't fair, and in the world of IB, it's a big no-no!

Why do we need to reference?
1. To give credit to the original creator.
2. To show your teacher that you have done your homework and found expert opinions.
3. To help your readers find the information if they want to learn more.

Quick Review: Being an honest student means always admitting where you got your information. If it didn't come out of your own brain, you must say where it came from!

2. Evaluating Sources: The "CRAAP" Test

Not everything on the internet is true (shocker, right?). To be a good researcher, you need to filter the "trash" from the "treasure." We use a simple memory aid called the CRAAP Test to check if a source is good.

C - Currency: How old is the info? If you are researching "Modern Technology," an article from 1998 is way too old! Check the date.
R - Relevance: Does this actually answer your research question? Don't use a source just because it looks cool; it has to fit your topic.
A - Authority: Who wrote it? Is it a professor, a doctor, or just "CoolGuy27" on a random forum? Look for experts.
A - Accuracy: Can you find this same information on other websites? If only one person in the world is saying it, it might be a lie.
P - Purpose: Why was this written? Is it to teach you (Good!) or to sell you something (Be careful!)?

Analogy: Choosing a source is like choosing a teammate for a sports game. You want someone who knows the rules (Authority), is ready to play right now (Currency), and actually wants to win the game (Purpose).

Key Takeaway: Always ask "Who wrote this and why?" before you trust a website.

3. How to Use Information: Quotes vs. Paraphrasing

Once you find a great source, you have two main ways to put it into your work: Direct Quoting and Paraphrasing.

Direct Quoting

This is when you copy the author's words exactly as they wrote them. You must put these words inside quotation marks " ".

Example: As the author states, "The moon is a cold, rocky place."

Paraphrasing

This is when you take the author's idea but explain it in your own words. This is usually better because it shows you actually understand the topic.
Common Mistake: Just changing two or three words is not paraphrasing. You need to rewrite the whole sentence structure!

Memory Trick: Imagine you are telling a friend about a movie you saw. You don't repeat every line of the script (Quoting); you tell them what happened in your own way (Paraphrasing).

Quick Tip: Even if you paraphrase, you STILL have to say where the idea came from!

4. Referencing: Giving Credit

In MYP Year 3, we usually use the MLA Style (Modern Language Association). There are two parts to referencing:

A. In-Text Citations

These are tiny notes inside your paragraph, usually at the end of a sentence. They usually include the Author's Last Name and the Page Number (if there is one).

Example: Space is very large and mostly empty (Smith 12).

B. The Works Cited List (Bibliography)

This is a list at the very end of your essay that gives the full details of every source you used. It should be in alphabetical order. A basic website entry looks like this:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Article." Title of Website, Date published, URL.

Did you know? There are free websites like Citation Machine or BibGuru that can help you build these lists, but you still need to check that the information they put in is correct!

Key Takeaway: Referencing is a two-step process: a short note in the text and a long list at the end.

5. Summary Checklist for Success

Before you turn in your next assignment, use this quick checklist to make sure your research is top-notch:

  • Did I use the CRAAP test to make sure my websites are reliable?
  • Did I use quotation marks for words I copied exactly?
  • Did I rewrite ideas in my own words when paraphrasing?
  • Do I have in-text citations (Name, Page) for every piece of info?
  • Is my Works Cited list at the end and in alphabetical order?

Don't worry if this feels tricky at first! Referencing is a skill that takes practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. You're not just doing schoolwork; you're joining the global conversation of learners and experts!