Thank you for visiting the Library Research Guide for CIED2050: Foundations of Bilingual & Multicultural Education. This guide will connect you to library resources and services to help you in this course.
Use the tabs at the top of the guide to navigate to different types of information.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me using the information on the right. I am happy to assist!
Your comments are welcome! Please let me know if this guide meets your needs.
By phone
Call 973-720-2116
The Reference Desk is staffed until 10PM Sunday-Friday and until 8:00pm on Saturday.
By e-mail
Send your question to the Reference Desk via email - refdesk@wpunj.edu Allow 24 hours for a response.
Schedule a Research Appointment
Contact the library for an appointment with a Reference Librarian: Schedule Research Help
Searching works best when you have a research question in mind. You should be able to identify key concepts related to your research. These concepts form the basis for your search terms.
Know your topic. Exploring general sources (a chapter in your textbook, an encyclopedia article or other background reading) is a good way to start. The better you understand a topic, the easier it is to evaluate sources.
What is your purpose? Are you writing an argumentative or persuasive paper? Or, are you analyzing the research on a topic? Perhaps you are developing a slide presentation based on your evaluation of key sources.
Start early. Until you have done some searching and reading, you might not recognize if your topic is too broad or narrow.
Don't wait until the last minute. Good resources may not be available locally. Allow yourself time for an interlibrary loan.
Select resources appropriate for your topic. Your professor may ask that you use only peer-reviewed journals. Other professors may want you to use a combination of texts and articles, or news sources. Perhaps you will be doing primary research using interviews or observations.
For example,
Topic keywords: Sheltered instruction
Your Research Question/Interest might be: Do English language learners students learn better in sheltered instruction?
Thesis Statement: English language learners who receive sheltered instruction learn content as well as Native English speaking students.