Part 8 of "How to become a super star student"

Michael Geisen offers junior high and high school students some pointers on research work they do in school. It is that time of year when many of you have already begun some research projects and will have more as the school year progresses.

Your critical thinking skills, covered in the last how-to article, are crucial in research because you have to sift through the junk to find the gems you are looking for on your given topic. Evaluating the items and using them effectively are key to good research projects.

Decide on your purpose for the research – are you going to inform, persuade or write...