First things first: I'd like to say that I'm honored and thrilled to have been asked to write a paper about virtual education. Virtual education has been a great experience and -- Alright, enough joking.
To answer the question, I would start by determining [a] research question(s). I'd ask myself what I want to know about the topic I've selected and look for subject headings that correspond with my topic.
Once I have come up with [a] research question(s), I would conduct preliminary online searching. Preliminary research is conducted to provide a basis for my research; it allows me to find basic info to guide me through my paper.
Next, I would evaluate online sources. Not all sources are credible, so in order to evaluate and validate an online source I would ask these 4 questions:
Does the website express a specific opinion?
How recently was the website published?
Is the author credible?
Does the website provide documentation?
Once these questions are answered then I would be able to determine whether or not I can move onto the next step of my research.
Getting dirty and doing a bit of digging at my library would be the next essential step in my research. I'd look for books that are linked to my topic; asking a librarian for tips would vital also.
While I'm still at the library I'd move onto the next step and evaluate a few of the sources the librarian recommended to me. (Actually, I really was just checking to see if she was wrong.) Once again, not all sources are credible, so in order to assess and affirm the library source(s) I would ask these 4 questions:
Was this document (book, newspaper, journal, etc.) written by an authority on the topic?
Does the document express a specific opinion?
How recently was the document published?
Does the publication provide documentation?
Once these questions are answered then I would be able to determine whether or not I can move onto the next and final step of my research.
Last but not least I would complete my research by organizing the information I had gathered. I'd have to choose which information to put in the paper, and if any of it is from a book or a website etc., I'd have to cite the info from it/them to avoid plagiarism. Once all the organizing is done, my research would be finished, and I could move onto writing my response.
