Using Google Docs Research Tool in Mrs. Carlson's 8th Grade Science Classroom

The 8th graders in Mrs. Carlson's  science class are in the process of completing a research project for their geology unit. On Friday, I had the opportunity to show the 8th graders how to use the research tool that is available through Google Docs. I love how Google has made researching and citing much, much easier for users!
To use the research tool, you need to open up a Google Document and go to the tools option on the toolbar. Click on the Research option.

The research tool will appear on the right hand side of your screen. If you would like to set your citation format, click on "settings" that is located toward the bottom of the research tool page. You can set the citation format to whatever format you are needing. Our 8th graders were instructed to use MLA.

Next, you can start your research. Enter your keyword/s into the search box and start your search for relevant information on your topic. Once you locate a website, you can preview the website by hovering over the source you are wanting to preview. 

If this is a source that you would like to open up and use, you can insert the link into your Google Doc by hovering over the source and clicking on "insert link". 

You can also cite the source that you have been using for your research by hovering over the source on the right hand side of your Google Doc (where you first started your search) and then by clicking on "cite".  A number will be added to your source (number 1 for your first source, number 2 for your second source, and so on.) A footnote will also be added at the bottom of your Google Doc with the correct citation that you will use for your bibliography.

Our 8th graders were instructed to insert the links to the sources they are using for their research, copy and paste relevant information below each website that their information goes with, and then pull the important information out and put it into their own words. The information that has been copy and pasted should be in BLUE font and the information that has been put into their own words should be in RED font.

Our 8th graders will follow this same format for all topics that are included in their research paper.

Thank you Google for making the research process a little bit easier for us!