For this class, you want to choose a topic that is interesting. Not just interesting to you, but interesting statistically. You can find good examples of this in the magazines CHANCE and Significance below. If you would like more help on focusing in on a topic, there are some great techniques in the University Libraries "Choosing a Topic" tutorial.
When using information from another source you must give credit to the original author or you are plagiarizing. You give credit by citing the source. Make sure your citation contains everything you would need to backtrack and find the information again. It is best to pick one citation style and be consistent.
When working on extensive research projects, you will need to collect, organize and format all those citations!
The following tools are appropriate to use at Penn State. They all allow you to store and search for your references, as well as link with MS Word to easily create in-text citations and bibliographies.