Here are some tips for your teen on how to be more successful when looking for information for a paper:

• Leave time. Other students may check out a book your teen needs. The computer could crash. Websites may take a long time to download. Be sure your teen builds in some time for the unexpected.

• Don’t get sidetracked. While doing research, your teen may be tempted to check the latest sports scores. Then he sees a story about a favorite athlete...and then it’s time for the library to close.

• Be aware of the limits of your resources. A book on outer space that was written in 1959 will not be of much use. But a book on the Civil War written in that year might still include helpful ideas.

• Ask for help. Librarians often can give helpful tips on other places to look for information.

• Use one resource to find another. Follow links on websites. If an author cites a book, check it out.

• Keep track of sources. A good quotation is useless if your teen can’t remember who said it.
  

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