CICS 305 Social Issues in Computing
- Hello!
- Get Ready to Research
- Anatomy of a Research Paper
- Lateral Reading
- Search Strategy
- Helpful Databases to Search
- Document Your Research Process
- Frequently Asked!
Need Help? Ask Me!

Lederle Graduate Research Center, A273
Document Your Research
Use a Research Log to document the choices you make during your research process. A Research Log can be as simple or complex as you need it to be, but it should collect the following basic information to help you track and think critically about your research.
- Your research question and keywords
- The databases that you searched
- Criteria used to refine your search
- The sources you've identified and their characteristics
You can also use this tool to keep notes on your progress. Write about what's been successful and what's frustrated you, or take notes about what you're reading. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, elaborate, or even academic -- just a way to keep a log of your thoughts and what you've found.
-
Research Log Template (Google Doc)Download or make a copy to use for your own work.
Citation Management Tools
What can I do with a citation management tool?
Create bibliographies and references automatically
Check for and remove duplicate citations
Add annotations, subjects, and descriptions to your citations
Re-use your research over time
Embed footnotes, end notes, and in-text citations in a document
What can't it do?
Correct errors present in the original database records
Create a perfect bibliography or Works Cited list, you must still check them for accuracy
Create legal citation formats
Can not import citations from a text file, Word File, or sheet of paper automatically
- Last Updated: Apr 9, 2025 12:15 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.umass.edu/cics305
- Print Page