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MESA: Putting Your Research Together

Research skills for MESA students.

Putting Your Research Together

Now that you have done extensive research, you will want to put it together in a clear and informative manner. 


Citations are important as they help you keep track of your research, give credit where it is due, and direct your audience to your sources. The library's citations guides can help you create your citations. It is also good to review information about how to create in text citations to prevent any inadvertent plagiarism. Watch the following video to learn when and how to cite information as well as various forms of plagiarism. 


You will want to write a clear and direct thesis statement even if you are creating a poster, as your thesis statement will inform your audience of your main argument. Watch the following short video to get help drafting a thesis statement. 


Need more help? The library has many other short video tutorials to help you with the research process. You can also contact the library or a librarian by finding the contact information on the "Get Started" page of this guide

What Makes a Good Poster?

Putting a poster together can be tricky. You need to succinctly communicate your ideas in a visually engaging manner. Thankfully there are guides to help you through the process. The following resources have some helpful tips on creating posters. However, you will want to make sure you follow the guidelines of the conference/organization that is hosting the poster session.