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MUS 160: Humanities Learning Community

Guidance for completing your annotated bibliography and research paper

Research is a Conversation

"...research is not just finding something that already exists, but an endless...process of discovery that creates knowledge...To 'research' is to encircle, and the object of that encircling is not to find but to define." - Reed Wilson

When you start a research project, you're entering into a conversation that, in many cases, has been going on for a long time. Other people have been thinking and writing about your topic, and your job is to listen to what they've said, and then to contribute something interesting back to the conversation. 

This video might help you understand how this conversation works. 

Getting Help

Librarians are here to help you with the challenging process of research. There are many ways you can get help from a librarian:

  • You can contact me directly via email or phone (my contact information is in the sidebar to the left). 
  • You can chat with a librarian online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 
  • You can come into the library and ask for help at the Information/Check-Out Desk