Library Tutorials

What is ProQuest Research Companion?

ProQuest Research Companion is a intuitive and self-guided product that supports information literacy, writing, and research skills instruction occurring in today's libraries, classrooms, and online learning environments.

(Information from GALILEO)

Direct Link to ProQuest Research Companion

Learning Modules with Video Titles for ProQuest Research Companion

Find Information

Where do I start?

• Feeling Overwhelmed?
• Ten Basic Terms
• Scholarly Arguments
• Pep Talk

How do I choose a topic?

• Finding a Topic You're Curious About
• The Trouble with Strong Opinions
• Asking Questions
• Finding a Gap in the Research
• Narrowing Your Topic
• Marijuana Legalization Example
• No Easy Topics

Where do I find information?

• Finding Information
• Places You Can Go
• The Open Web
• The Physical Library
• The Digital Library
• Beyond the Internet and Library
• Searching the Open Web
• Searching Your Library Resources

Evaluate Information

How do I evaluate sources?

• Evaluation
• Identifying Source Types
• Primary and Secondary Sources
• Peer Review
• Scholarly Journals
• Scholarly Books
• Non-scholarly Periodicals
• Non-scholarly Books
• Websites
• Publications from Governments, International Organizations, and NGOs
• Social Media

What counts as evidence?

• What information will prove your claim?
• Confusing "Evidence of" with "Consistent with"
• Confusing Feelings of Certainty with Evidence
• Confusing Anecdotes with Evidence
• Finding Evidence
• Expert Testimony as Evidence
• Statistics as Evidence
• Scientific Studies as Evidence
• Matching Data to Claims

Use Information

How do I write a thesis statement?

• Thesis Statements as Debatable Claims
• Provable
• Difficult to Refute
• Addresses Competing Claims
• Educates Readers
• The Mechanics of Writing a Good Thesis Statement
• Relevance Test

How do I organize my argument?

• Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay
• Two Audiences
• Introduction
• Context
• Definitions
• Subclaims and Evidence
• Refutation of Counterarguments
• Conclusion

How do I avoid plagiarism and find my own voice?

• Balancing Act
• Plagiarism
• Two Kinds of Ciations
• Things to Cite
• Finding Your Voice
• Introducing Sources
• Summarizing 
• Paraphrasing
• Quoting
• Rules for Citing

What do I look for when I revise?

• Why revise?
• The Hard Work of Global Revision
• Basic Ideas 
• Organization
• Cutting
• The Benefits of Local Revision
• Paragraphs
• Sentences
• Words and Phrases
• Formatting
• When are you done?

How can I do better next time?

• A Time for Reflection
• Reflecting on Your End Product
• Reflecting on Your Process
• Making Your Argument Your Own

ProQuest Research Companion Overview

ProQuest Research Companion LibGuide