Research Skills for Academic Writing
Find sources, evaluate credibility, read with purpose, take structured notes, synthesise, avoid plagiarism
6 lessons · evidence-based · undergraduate · no account required
Each lesson covers one stage of the research process. Exercises are designed to apply directly to your current assignment — completing the course should produce real research material you can use in your essay.
Research tools
Use these tools alongside the course exercises for maximum impact.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I search for academic sources?
Google Scholar is the best starting point for most disciplines. Your university library database provides subject-specific access (JSTOR for humanities, PubMed for medicine, PsycINFO for psychology). Lessons 1 and 2 cover the full research toolkit and source evaluation in detail.
How do I access papers behind paywalls?
Several legitimate routes: your university library (most provide off-campus access via your student credentials), the Unpaywall browser extension (finds legal open-access versions automatically), author pages on ResearchGate or university websites, and email to the corresponding author (academics almost always share their own papers on request).
What is the difference between paraphrasing and patchwriting?
Paraphrasing means restating the source's idea in your own words and sentence structure, with a citation. Patchwriting means keeping the original sentence structure while substituting synonyms — this is a form of plagiarism even when every word is changed. Lesson 6 covers the difference with examples and a step-by-step paraphrase protocol.