Do Some Preliminary Research
These links will be of great importance as you decide on a topic. Take some time to check out each section to find out if there is enough information on the Internet to successfully present your topic. Remember, some topics will be easier or more difficult than others on account of the amount of information out there.
CBC - The Greatest Canadian- provides a short write up of 100 prominent Canadians
CBC - 50 Greatest Canadian Inventions- profiles 50 made in Canada inventions
CBC - Seven Wonders of Canada- explores the many natural and man-made wonders of Canada
Canadian Patents Database- search patents issued in Canada
Wikipedia - Famous Canadians- another place to get started
Check out other resources as well. There are a lot of sites with good information.
Researching Your Topic
Use one of these forms to find out about your topic. You may not be able to answer all the questions. If necessary, include additional information you think would be necessary to successfully cover your topic.
Fact Finder Forms
You will need one of the following Fact Finder forms to help you complete your research for the project. They are in MS Word (doc) format. Right-click then select "Save Target As..." and save the file into your project folder.
Cite Sources / References
As with any other formal report, you are required to cite your sources. This is as simple as listing the web site where you obtained the information.
There are may reasons why it is important to cite your sources...
- To avoid plagiarism (taking from another source without giving credit).
- To allow the audience the opportunity to learn more (beginning with your sources).
- To add credibility to your presentation. You should always be able to answer the question, "Says who?".
- To cover your use of the material. To protect yourself from copyright issues, you should state who owns the images or other materials you are using. This is especially true for images, audio and video taken from the Internet.
When giving a reference, be as specific as possible. It should be possible to find the exact web site or page where your material came from by entering the address you provide into a web browser. Be specific; saying your information came from Google, Yahoo or some other search engine is as vague as saying your information came from the library.
