Step 1: Get Organized

Think about your assignment and the products that you will produce:

Begin your research by getting an overview of your topic so that you can focus it as a thesis or driving question.

Finding Reference Books in the Garver Room

The Home Front Encyclopedia: United States, Britain and Canada in World Wars I and II.

Japanese American Internment during World War II: A History and Reference Guide

Finding Reference Resources in Subscription Databases

American History Online

Step 2: Gather Information

Finding Circulating Books: Try these searches

Northwest fishing industry	Japanese internment camps
Japanese-Americans in World War II	German-Americans in World War II

Finding Magazine and Journals using the OWHL's Subscription Databases:

A to Z List of all OWHL Subscriptions and Remote Access links

Finding Newspaper articles using the OWHL's Subscription Databases:

Historical Newspapers

New York Times Archives

Finding Information on the Free Internet: ( Remember to evaluate web sites for authority and content.)

• The Japanese fought bravely for the United States in World War II. Click here to visit a website that describes the officers and enlisted men, thier duties and activities, and the history, of the 100th Battallion/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

• The Children of Camps: the Japanese American WWII internment camp experience, produced by the Public Broadcasting Service contains the project, the documentary, resources, and history. The history section contains related historical documents, a timeline, list of internment camps and the impact on Japanese Americans.

• The American Memory Project sponsored by the Library of Congress has "Suffering Under a Great Injustice" Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-Americans at Manzanar.

• Internet Public Library Literary Criticism Site for David Guterson.

• For demographic information on the state of Washington check the historical Statistical Abstracts of the United States

Step 3: Use the Information

Synthesize the information. Take notes. Organize your notes. Write an outline. Write a draft. Write the paper.	Capture the information you will need for your bibliography the first time you use each source and list it on source cards.
Make sure to avoid Plagiarism!	Use this useful guide to quoting and paraphrasing sources.

Step 4: Take time to Reflect

The paper is ready to be handed in. The bibliography is complete. Did you accomplish your goals? What else could you have done to guarantee a six? If you take the time to evaluate what you did you will become a better researcher.