Now that you have identified a topic for your research paper, you have narrowed your subject to a point here you can start gathering sources through research.

The most common sources used in a research paper are books. Although the texts of books may be found increasingly on the Internet, books are still located primarily in libraries. So it will be important for you to become familiar with the location of the Rio Hondo Library as well as other libraries that may be more convenient for you to use in your area.

You will be able to locate the books you need online through a computerized book catalog. The computerized book catalog used by Rio Hondo Library is called WebCat. Other catalogues for libraries in your area may be found on the Rio Hondo Library page.

In the next assignment (Assignment 1D), you will be asked to locate the names of two books related to your Research Paper Topic. Before you try to locate your two books, you should construct a "Synonym List" that will help you come up with possible search terms. You will need a wide range of search terms because you never know which terms have been used by librarians in cataloguing the books you need.

Also in the next assignment, you will be asked to document your books in proper MLA format. After all, you may eventually read these books and borrow information from them for your research paper. So it is not too early to learn how to list books on a Works Cited page. Better to learn now than later when you are in the middle of writing your research paper.

First, let's learn how to search for two books related to your Topic.