RESEARCH AND

INFORMATION LITERACY

Professor Susan Acampora

Gill Library

The College of New Rochelle

(914) 654-5353

sacampora@cnr.edu

Getting Started:

Finding a Topic

Asking Questions

Selecting Search Terms

CHOOSE A TOPICWhat interests you

• Something in the news?• A personal or professional experience• Something you have always wanted to know more

about

Find out more about your topic:• Starting places: Google, Wikipedia, Blogs, News,

Magazines, Conversations, TV, anywhere and everywhere. EXPLORE!

Then, approach your topic of interest from a

scholarly perspective.

For example:

“Norman…while watching news reports of the Iraq

War, noticed dry and barren land, yet history had

taught him that this land between the Tigress and

the Euphrates rivers was formerly a land of fruit and

honey….What happened to it?

Norman’s interest = water - or - the world’s water

supply

Excerpted from Lester and Lester. Writing Research Papers. Page 10

Browsing in National Geographic or online Norman finds an

article

He learns from the article above:

Satellite technology shows:

Over the last 40 years

30 + large dams have been built

Reduce available water

Eliminate nourishing floodwaters

Resulting in damage to the marshlands and

devastation to wildlife

And reducing the water supply to the residents

This ancient land is not what is once was!

He also learns that:

1. Before satellites it was up to individual countries whether

or not to assess and report environmental damage

2.With Satellite technology now all nations can see what is

going on

3. “Everyone has a clearer and more accessible picture on

environmental damage.

Norman’s questions have multiplied

His topic has expanded to include many

considerations

SCHOLARLY FOCUS

1. The ethics the world’s distribution of water

2. The history of the global water shortage

3. The global water crisis

4. The environmental implications of progress

5. The impact of global water crisis on

individuals and communities

6. The impact of water distribution on the poor

Norman started with an interest in Water

He chooses the scholarly focus on:

Water Distribution and Shortage as the Next

Global Environmental Crisis

NEXT STEPS

After perusing popular sites and articles consult an

academic source such as:

CREDO Reference• Search under your topic for a general overview • Ask questions about the research• Read and begin to develop your ideas into a draft

thesis statement

GALE ACADEMIC ONEFILETERM CLUSTERS

CREDO MINDMAP

YOUR TURN

Pick a topic based related to the Social

Sciences• Personal interest• Recent News• Conversations in person or through a

social network• A subject covered in another class• Something you have always wanted to

know about

USE TOOLS TO FIND AND DEVELOP IDEAS

Academic One File

Credo

Wikipedia

Google Search Keyword

WIKIPEDIA

Check the See Also Section

And References

EXPLODING AN IDEA THROUGH CONCEPT

MAPPING

Session 2 Video on Concept Mapping

EXERCISE ON CONCEPT MAPPING

SEE HANDOUT