HOW TO DO RESEARCH

GET READY, SET, GO

GET READY

Choose a topic

List keywords, synonyms and concepts

Search the library catalog

Read background information

Choose a Topic

Of interest to you

Manageable

Specific

Brainstorm

List keywords, concepts, synonyms

Formulate a question or hypothesis

Search the Library Catalog

Find books and media: new titles, encyclopedias and reference books

Read for background information

Note sources in bibliographies

Check dates for recency

Check for availability in catalog

Search the Catalog

Library Catalog Search

Library Catalog Result

Read for Background

Get Set: Construct a Search Strategy

What are effective interventions for schools, parents and law enforcement to stop youth violence and juvenile delinquency?

Concepts/Keywords intervention prevention school parents law enforcement violence

crime youth

Related terms

programs strategies accommodations partnerships community police family teens young people

Slang or alternative forms

kids hits going down cops

AcronymsDEA FBI ATF ICE AAA ALA Teen

Use Advanced Searching Techniques

quotations “ “ to search for multiple terms as a complete phrase “youth violence” “law enforcement”

truncation * to include all variant endings: counsel* (counselor counseling)

Parentheses ( ) Sets the order of search. Terms in parentheses are searched first:

“school programs” AND (youth violence OR juvenile delinquency )

If more than one set is used the one on the left is searched first

Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOT

Combine search terms for a narrow result: “law enforcement” AND “youth programs”

Combine synonyms or closely related terms for a wider search: interventions OR partnerships

Excludes terms from the search result: “youth violence” NOT “juvenile delinquency”

Use Research Port

Select Databases

Research Port: Psychology

General Databases

Academic Search Premier

JSTOR

Project Muse

Academic Search Premier

JSTOR

Subject Related Databases

PsycINFO

Social Sciences Citations Index

SocIndex with Full Text

ProQuest Criminal Justice Periodicals

Violence and Abuse Abstracts

PsycINFO

Web of Knowledge

Web of Knowledge Result

ProQuest Criminal Justice Result

ProQuest Criminal Justice

Searching on the Internet

Search in Google but evaluate the site before using the information

Information is written by anyone

It is not authoritative or peer reviewed by experts in the field

It is not organized and is difficult to find. Popular items come up first.

Is flexible with search terms and recognizes phrases or natural languagae

Websites

Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention and Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors

Effective Intervention for Serious Juvenile Offenders

Prevention and Intervention Programs for Juvenile Offenders

Go

Read sources, take notes

Organize ideas

Make an outline

Write first draft

Document sources (footnotes or endnotes)

Write a bibliography

Revise first draft

Proofread final draft

APA CITATION FORMAT

Citing Sources Using the APA Publication Manual http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/citing_apa.html

APA Style Help http://www.apastyle.org/apa-style-help.aspx

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/bibliography/bibliography-text.shtml