You can find useful biographical information in the library's databases.
Have you searched the library's databases before? If not, then I suggest watching this introductory video first.
Most of our library's databases have biographical information about famous people, but generally within particular fields. Credo Reference, however, is a database that crosses many subjects and disciplines. It's filled with reference books, such as specialized encyclopedias, on many different topics. As a result, it's often a great place to start biographical research. The video below shows you how to search it.
After searching Credo Reference, you may wish to consult databases for your particular topic. To which academic discipline, such as history or science, does your famous person, belong? Consult databases in that discipline from our list of categories.
We have two excellent ebook databases. These let you read full-text books online. The interfaces can be confusing, so I have included a tutorial video for each one.
Here are a few curated websites that provide credible biographical information about famous people.
Plagiarism is using someone else's work and giving the impression that it is yours. This video describes plagiarism in detail and how you can avoid it.
In addition to watching this video, you should look at this brochure about academic integrity from the college. It describes plagiarism and other forms of cheating as defined by the Lone Star College System.
You must cite your sources according to the MLA style of documentation.
This is our video that introduces MLA documentation. I urge you to watch the entire video carefully before starting to write your paper or annotated bibliography. It is much easier to cite correctly as you go along, rather than try to fix your documentation after you have written your paper.
This is our sample paper. When you're writing a paper, you can model the formatting of your paper after this one. If you are unsure how to set up the formatting in Microsoft Word so that it fits the requirements for MLA formatting, you could instead download this blank Word document that has the formatting already set up for you.
This is our 2-page handout that summarizes the MLA style. It includes most of the types of sources that students commonly use.
