Research Resources

Citation

Works Cited

At Brighton Area Schools, we use Noodletools to cite our sources for projects. Access Noodletools through the apps in your Gmail.

Why is citation important?

It assists other researchers by directing them to the source of your information.
It makes your research stronger because it shows that other people agree with you (or that you have valid arguments against those who disagree).
It helps you avoid plagiarism.

Click here to learn the basics of Noodletools - use the side navigation bar of the site to learn about its three basic features.

In-text Citation

Need to know how to use in-text parenthetical citations? Go to the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Noodletools also has a feature that will automatically generate an in-text parenthetical citation for you!

Hand being held up to indicate stopping plagiarism.

Image Source: The Innovative Instructor Blog

Plagiarism is using another person's work and claiming it as your own. One of the best ways to avoid plagiarism is to give credit to the sources that you use for a project. To find out more about plagiarism and how to prevent it, visit Scranton's plagiarism website.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a type of public copyright license in which the creator of a work (picture, music, etc) gives permission to the public to use that work. The license will tell you how it can be used. In addition to the resources below, you can search for Creative Commons images on Google Image search and Yahoo Image search by doing advanced searches. Please remember, images and music should always be cited in a project. To find out more about Creative Commons, click here.

You can also generate Creative Commons image search results from Google Image Search. Use this QuickGuide slideshow to learn how!

Search for copyright-friendly images and music from various sources.

Databases

Databases can be accessed from the computers in the media center or labs at school, or through the Brighton District Library if you are at home. Many of these can also be accessed from the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) website if you're at home, though some may require a driver's license or state ID number.

MeL Databases

Click on MeL.org to access the databases listed in this column.

Your source for magazine and newspaper articles. Use this to access databases in this column from home.

Homework help and discovery learning. Explore maps, photos, articles, famous people and places, compare countries, and tour the U.S.A.

Reference books, magazines, biographies, primary sources, maps, images, and more! Provided by MeL. If clicking on this link doesn't work, go to the MeL link above for access.

For persuasive and argumentative research.

Scranton Databases

BDL Databases

Brighton District Library's page of databases. Remember to have your library card handy!

Search Engines

Alternatives to Google.

Reference & Directories

Online reference source.

Online dictionary, thesaurus, and rhyming dictionary.

The online library reference desk.

Newspapers from the U.S. and around the world.

Reference site for students, teachers, and parents.

Librarian created topic pathfinders.

Research Advice

From Cambridge Rindge and Latin School

Raise your awareness of media bias. Check out this site to see the bias of multiple news outlets. Take that bias into account when doing your research.