Transy Library: FYRS -- First Year Research Seminar (Winter 2025): Home

How to use this guide

This main page provides resources for all FYRS sections and the course pages feature resources that relate to your specific course content. Locate the page denoted by your FYRS professor's name.

FYRS Research Journal (2025)
This is the basic research template but your professor may have one linked in your Canvas course page you should use.

Quick Links to Library Tutorials

Below are tutorials on how to find library resources for your research project.

Brainstorming and Organizing Ideas

Brainstorming ideas is an important part of the writing process. Watch the video below to learn about creating a concept map.

What Is a Concept Map? (University of Houston Libraries, 2021)

Brainstorming Tools

Below are some online tools for making mind maps.

Bubbl.us
Canva (Select Mind Map)
FigJam (Sign up for a student account via your Transy email. Once verified, you will have access to all of the features.)
Google Drawings
Lucid Chart

Developing Research Questions/Topics

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Lateral Reading -- Evaluating Your Digital Sources

Retrieved from https://www.refme.com/blog/2016/04/19/the-craap-test-an-easy-fun-way-to-evaluate-research-sources/
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Elmore, Susan A, and Eleanor H Weston. “Predatory Journals: What They Are and How to Avoid Them.” Toxicologic pathology vol. 48,4 (2020): 607-610. doi:10.1177/0192623320920209

Scholarly vs Popular Periodicals

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Use this interactive page from NC State Libraries to see the different sections of a scholarly article defined.

Other Citation Styles

Different professional organizations, academic fields, and journals will have specific ways that they want you to present the information in a citation. Professors will pick one of these and ask you to follow it for your bibliography or works cited page.

Common citation styles include:

MLA - Modern Language Association; used above and in most FYS classes. Commonly used by scholars in the humanities (English, literature, philosophy and languages).
APA - American Psychological Association; used in social sciences and education.

Chicago Manual of Style online
The Chicago Manual of Style is commonly used by scholars in history, business, and fine arts. this searchable edition provides recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices for the digital age. The full contents of the latest edition of the Manual are available.

Get Additional Help

For additional help, schedule a meeting with a librarian or Writing Center tutor. Directions on how to do this are below.

Set up a research appointment with a librarian
Find time on our calendar to meet in person or on zoom.
Set up an appointment with The Writing Center
FIRST, set up your WC Online account, if you have never used the writing center. Click this link and follow the instructions under "How to schedule an appointment."