mature woman at desk sipping coffee and confidently taking notes on a journal from her computer

Ace Your Next Research Paper With These Free Search Engines

Have you been assigned a research paper? Writing the paper is nothing short of a headache! Having the right resources could help you through this process. Choosing the right source material can also help set your work apart from your pee...

Have you been assigned a research paper? Writing the paper is nothing short of a headache!

Having the right resources could help you through this process. Choosing the right source material can also help set your work apart from your peers in terms of detail, authenticity, and unique point of view.

Let’s dive right in with free search engines for research paper writing that help you achieve the most out of your work.

Remember to join the Back to School Divas Facebook group for even more hacks from other Back to School Divas like you!

The Best Free Search Engines for Research Paper Writing

In order to access these free search engines for research paper writing, you only need an internet connection.

In some cases, the only other thing that you may need could be your local student email address/user ID.

Your personal info might be the key to help you access your university’s private search engines, which contain scholarly works and other resources for students only.

But the student ID is not required in all cases. For the free search engines outlined below, you won’t even need a university ID to access data to write your research paper.

Google Scholar

Google is the most popular free search engine for a reason. With specific algorithms returning relevant search results with each query, it is the Holy Grail of search engine technology.

That’s why it’s no surprise that the first name to make it on this list of free search engines for research paper writing is a sub-engine of Google.

We are referring to Google Scholar.

As a standalone service that curates academic journals, research works and other relevant contributions from academia from around the world, Google Scholar could be your one-stop solution to write your research paper under the virtual mentorship of experts from all over the world.

The only hiccup that you’ll experience here is an overabundance of content. Otherwise, Google Scholar has everything you need from free search engines for academic writing.

Microsoft Academic

Google and Microsift go hand-in-hand. From search engines to phone operating systems, these two entities are always head to head against each other.

It’s no surprise that Microsoft has its answer to Google Scholar ready in the form of Microsoft Academic.

Similar to what Bing is to Google search, Microsoft Academic functions in the same way as Google Scholar. It is the next best stop in free search engines.

The search function is a bit more cluttered than Google Scholar. However, it makes up for that flaw by providing a high number of valuable results.

Science.gov

What better database to trust for writing your science paper than one curated through experts hired by the government itself? Science.gov has all of your credibility and source issues resolved.

This resource includes peer-reviewed work that’s carefully selected by experts in various fields. Proven credibility makes it one of the best free search engines for academic papers in the field of science.

With several sources and various citations to check out, Science.gov will produce quality results. However, the selection here may not be as extensive as Google or Microsoft’s free search engines.

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is also curated by the U.S. government and provides academic search results from all over the web.

The sources that the ERIC uses are highly credible. A simple search could return hundreds to thousands of high quality results for your research paper. For this reason, ERIC remains one of the best free search engines for students.

Get better work completed, faster with the help of a large selection of sources and results.

Refseek

Refseek starts off with a simple-looking homepage. The interface is as simple as Google, and its search results are just as extensive in their offerings.

Refseek is a reliable source to pull data from several credible institutions and academia at once.

With a web-like search that uncovers even the most obscure works on the web, Refseek is an excellent option for finding unique sources.

These are some of the most widely used free search engines, but the list doesn’t end here. You may also look into these helpful resources:

You are now well on your way to becoming a research whiz!

Join the Back To School Divas Facebook group for even more hacks!

If you’re interested in receiving professional help with your essays, head over to UniversityWriting911.com and learn how we can help.

close up of three students taking a test

December 8, 2018

Final Exam Survival: Your Guide To Nail Your Final

You’ve been working hard the whole semester. You’ve put in the hours on your class assignments, tests, and reports. You’re well on your way to getting a respectable grade. There’s just one more hurdle to overcome – you need to survive your ...

How You Used To Do It

Exam time naturally comes with a lot of pressure. You’ve done the quick meals, lack of sleep, and cramming sessions route but they always leave you tired and the nerves don’t seem to subside. There has to be a better way to nail your final.

How It Should Be Done

There are plenty of top tips you can have in place to ensure that you’re well prepared and nail your exams. Here is our final exam survival guide:

Get Some Rest

This may come as surprise to you. Why on earth should you be resting when you could be studying? Well, besides the fact that studying for extended periods of time without rest will leave you exhausted, in order for your brain to remember all you’ve just studiedand transfer it to “permanent long-term memories”, you need to take frequent breaks. This includes getting some shut-eye and avoiding your smart devices while doing so as they stimulate the brain.

Get in that Vitamin B

A study conducted by scientists from Boston University revealed that learners who had good exam performances, had a lot of Vitamin B in their system.

You can find it in foods such as chicken, broccoli, pumpkin, lentils, and eggs, to name a few.

Don’t Procrastinate

The last thing you want to do is have an all-night study session the night before a major exam. Besides the fact that this will hinder your brain from remembering all you’re trying to get in, cramming also doesn’t help with the nerves. And we all know that nerves are the enemy of trying to get a good grade.

So do yourself a favor and prepare well in advance. Put together a study time table that includes resting times and try to stick to it as best as you can. You’ll be glad you did this one.

On Exam Day

When it comes to the day of your exam, it’s often true that the most basic advice is the truest.

Multiple Choice Exam

Most exam papers will have a multiple choice section. In order to nail this part, make sure that you follow the following steps:

Read the entire question
Use the process of elimination
With the remaining possible answers after the process of elimination, select the answer that makes the most sense to you
If you find that 2 or 3 answers seem like the correct answer and the other options may also be correct, then choosing the “all the above” option might be the correct choice.

Essay Exams

No need to be intimated when you come across an essay exam. Here’s how to nail it:

Read the question and instructions carefully
Draft your essay by outlining the important points you want to focus on
Also draft your evidence, quotes, or studies that will support your statements
Time yourself carefully. Make sure you’re not spending too much time on the essay, and neglecting the rest of your exam questions.

Take A Deep Breath!

Now that you have our final exam survival guide, go out there and nail your finals! For more useful tips to use at school and at home, be sure to join our email list.

October 20, 2018October 29, 2018

Must-Follow Life Do’s & Don’ts For Women Going Back to School

The Internet is full of “life hacks” for juggling it all, Diva. Maybe you’ve heard of some th...

Must-Follow Life Do’s & Don’ts For Women Going Back to School

The Internet is full of “life hacks” for juggling it all, Diva. Maybe you’ve heard of some them:

Wake up at 5 AM every day (and never hit snooze!)
Study while you workout so you can knock out two things at once
Forget about music and listen to motivational speeches on your commute

But is all that waking up early and multitasking every aspect of your life really going to help you juggle it all?

As women who have been where you are, we put together a list of real-life do’s and don’ts for going back to school as a woman with enough already on her plate.

DO Wake Up Earlier

Sorry about this one, Divas. It is true: waking up earlier can help you be a better boss at life! In fact, according to Forbes, a 2008 Texas University study showed that “college students who identified themselves as ‘morning people’ earned a full point higher on their GPAs than those who were ‘night owls’ (3.5 vs. 2.5).” The data is in, and it pays to wake up even an hour earlier each day.

DON’T Drink Caffeine All Day

It doesn’t matter if it’s coffee, Red Bull, or pre-workout: having caffeine after about noon is just a no-go.

Researchers from the Sleep Disorders & Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital and Wayne State College of Medicine found that having caffeine even 6 hours before bedtime affected sleep amounts by over an hour. Skip the caffeine and try an energizing 7-minute workout to give yourself a mid-afternoon power boost.

DO Try A Block Schedule

Ever felt like you’re checking email, texting friends, reviewing social media notifications, listening to a lecture and completing an essay all at the same time? You may feel like you’re doing it all, Diva, but multitasking can lead to feelings of overwhelm.

Instead, try a block schedule! With this simple method, you set up blocks of time (in your actual calendar or phone) for certain activities. Here’s an example:

3-3:30 check email
3:30-4:00 draft essay
4:00-4:30 listen to a lecture
4:30-5:00 text, call, and check social media

Everything has a chance to be done at its own time and place! You can relax knowing you’ll get to everything you need to do so that you can focus on one thing at a time.

DON’T Procrastinate

This one’s easier said than done, but there is hope! Waiting until the last minute begs for trouble, stress, and less-than-your-best performance. Set aside even 15 minutes each day before a big deadline to complete one task on a project. Pretty soon you’ll be done!

Let’s say you have a paper due in a week. On Monday, you can find 3 sources. On Tuesday, you can take notes on key points you can use in the paper. Then, on Wednesday, write the thesis and build an outline. On Thursday, write a draft. By Friday, you’ll be breezing through the editing process and hitting “Submit.”

DO Give Yourself A Break

Literally and figuratively speaking, remember to cut yourself some slack! If you know you’re doing your best, try not to feel negative about your productivity. You are worth more than just how much stuff you get done!

Take a break from time to time to watch Netflix, get some sun, or just take a nap. You’re doing great, Diva.