Auraria Library Research Modules: Home

What is Research, Anyway? 

In this module, students will be able to: 

• Get a brief overview of what we typically mean when we talk about “doing research.” 
• Receive some tips for thinking about the process and getting started. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate 
Best Supports: Introductory research assignments of any kind; introducing a new type of research process within a discipline 

Topic Development Module 

In this module, students will be able to: 

• Generate a list of ideas to explore in order to identify a potential topic.   
• Describe existing knowledge of a topic in order to identify potential gaps in their knowledge. 
• Differentiate between research questions and regular questions in order confirm the feasibility of a research question. 
• Generate a list of protentional research question in order to select one that fits the scope of the assignment. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate, Graduate 
Best Supports: Any information gathering project that requires students to develop and refine their research topic. 

Finding Information Module 

In this module, students will be able to: 

• Develop contextual knowledge of a topic in order to identify potential keywords. 
• Identify where to search in order to strategically look for the information they need. 
• Apply filters in Start My Research in order to maximize relevancy of results. 
• Perform citation chaining in order to trace the scholarly conversation around a topic. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate, Graduate 
Best Supports: Learning outcomes or assignments that require students to gather information of any type. 

Evaluating Information Module 

In this module, students will be able to: 

• Identify their information needs in order to evaluate a source for fit.
• Identify markers of credibility in order to evaluate a source. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate, Graduate 
Best supports: Assignments and learning outcomes that require students to think critically about the information they are gathering; make judgments about information sources; and determine the relevancy a source has to their topic. 

Reading Scholarly Articles Module

In this module, students will be able to:

• Apply scholarly reading strategies in order to interpret and select sources pertinent to their research project. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate, Graduate 
Best Supports: Assignments and learning outcomes that require students to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize scholarly journal articles.

Citation Basics Module

In this module, students will be able to:

• List reasons why citation is an important part of the scholarly conversation.
• Identify components of a citation when they skim a results page/digital source.

Using Information Module 

In this module, students will be able to: 

• Recognize their role as part of an ongoing conversation around their research topic.
• Integrate sources into their research project in order to contextualize their main ideas. 

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate  
Best Supports: Assignments that require students to synthesize the information they have found or use information to support a research topic or thesis.

• Locate citation guides and help for a variety of citation styles.

User Level: Lower-Level Undergraduate, Upper-Level Undergraduate, Graduate 
Best Supports: Assignments and learning outcomes that require students to cite sources, create an annotated bibliography, or otherwise document their sources.