Child, Youth, and Family Studies Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) Degree Program: Using this Guide for Your Research

The resources on this guide are designed to lead you through the research process for your course assignments.  

• Gathering Background Information:
  ​Use the the reference books and encyclopedias to gather background information and focus your topic by determining what aspects of it on which to focus your research. 
   
• Conducting Scholarly Research:
  Use scholarly (peer-reviewed) research articles to delve into your topic and find evidence. These articles can be very difficulty to understand, so consult the Reading & Understanding Academic Articles guide to help you break down their content and analyze their findings for your research.
   
• Incorporating Additional Evidence:
  Your research will most likely also include in-depth academic books, films, statistics and public policy, laws and regulations.  Use these resource pages to find the information and documentation you need from these sources.  
   
• Evaluating and Integrating Research:
  Finally you will want to make sure you ethically and effectively incorporate your research into your work to avoid plagiarism and ensure the integrity of your work.  Use the APA Citation Guide to properly cite your sources in order to credit their work and show your readers where you obtained your information and evidence.

This video presentation From Portland State University Library explains the way in which the different types of information are created and used individually and collectively to communicate news and knowledge.