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Keeping a Research Folio
Worksheet #002

Overview of Learning Activity

Lathop and Foss (2000) argue that “A student’s grade for a research assignment should be based on an evaluation of all steps in the research process rather than only on the content and organization of the written report, or product.” Other authors support this conclusion as a way to promote student learning as well as a technique to help students avoid plagiarism (Harris, 2002; McKenzie, 1998; Fain and Bates, 2003). Your folio for this class is an organized collection of all of the work you complete in the course. In addition to teaching organizational techniques, your folio will also help you focus on learning the research process; a process that you will use in other classes and in your career.

Objectives of Activity

At the conclusion of this learning activity, you will be able to:

    blue bullet used to denote item in a listUnderstand some specific techniques used to organize research materials.

    blue bullet used to denote item in a listEasily find materials necessary for writing your final paper and other course activities.

Directions for Activity

There are many acceptable ways to organize a research folio. The important thing is for you to be able to easily reference all of your class and research materials. The layout described in this worksheet is arbitrary and should be viewed as a guideline as to how you might organize your materials. However, if you make significant modifications, you might want to discuss them with your instructor. Your folio will consist of three parts: three ring binder, file folders, note cards.

Part 1:
blue bullet used to denote item in a listThree Ring Binder

Part 2:
blue bullet used to denote item in a listFile Folders

Part 3:
blue bullet used to denote item in a listNote Cards

Assessment of Learning Activity

At the end of the semester, you will submit your folio to your instructor for evaluation. It will be graded either “A” for complete or “E” for incomplete.

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Avoiding Plagiarism

Many students worry about accidentally committing plagiarism in a class; often because they are unclear on the concept (Shaw 2003; Love and Simmons 1998; Thompson and Williams 1995; Ashworth and Bannister 1997). Well organized research materials make it nearly impossible for unintentional plagiarism to occur.


References and Resources

blue bullet used to denote item in a listAshworth, Peter, and Philip Bannister. "Guilty in Whose Eyes? University Student's Perceptions of Cheating and Plagiarism in Academic Work and Assessment." Studies in Higher Education 22.2 (1997): 187+.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listFain, Margaret and Peggy Bates. Easy Steps to Combating Plagiarism. 2003.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listGibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listHarris, Robert A. Preventing and Detecting Plagiarism. 2002.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listLathrop, Ann and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listLove, Patrick, and Janice Simmons. "Factors Influencing Cheating and Plagiarism Among Graduate Students in a College of Education." College Student Journal 32.4 (1998): 539+.

blue bullet used to denote item in a listMcKenzie, Jamie. “The New Plagiarism: Seven Antidotes to Prevent Highway Robbery in an Electronic Age.” The Educational Technology Journal 7.8 (1998).

blue bullet used to denote item in a listRoth, Audrey J. The Research Paper: Process, Form, and Content. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999.


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This page was last updated on November 28, 2004.