How To Research
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Transcript of How To Research
How to ResearchBy Gina Singh
English 101 – CuringtonJune 23, 2011
Research SourcesENCYCLOPEDIASProvide short entries/articles for an overview of the topic and its main ideas .
BOOKSGive more information for an in-depth exploration of one or more aspects of the topic.(Example: Case study books, textbooks)
SEARCH TOOL:LIBRARY CATALOG
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
JOURNAL ARTICLESLengthy scholarly research studies on an extremely focused aspect of a subject.
Research SourcesNEWSPAPER ARTICLESVery brief news reports that focus on current events or topics currently in the news.
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
MAGAZINE ARTICLESAs short as encyclopedia articles, but instead of an overview, magazines narrow the focus to one or two specific aspects of a topic.
Types of Resources Scholarly Sources
It has abstract in the beginning It may have a list of keyword Article has a research problem Mentions studies that have addressed the problem in the past Has a purpose statement Has research question and hypothesis Uses qualitative, quantitative or mixed method approach to conduct research Has a conclusion at the end Has a bibliography or reference list at the end
Popular Sources: Magazine articles like Style, Newsweek, Time etc. Newspaper sources: LA Times, Whittier Daily News etc. Primary Sources: Original writings created at the time when the event
occurred. Secondary Sources: Sources that evaluate, summarize, analyze written by
experts from that field after the event has occurred.
Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/sections/history/resources/pubs/usingprimarysources/index.cfm
Magazines vs. Scholarly Journals
Magazines
Audience: Large group of people
Brief, non-technical language
Author is journalist or freelance writer
Look: Graphics, images, advertising
No references Examples: Cosmopolitan,
Newsweek, Sports Illustrated etc.
Scholarly Journals
Audience: Experts in the field, students
Lengthy, technical language Author are experts in the field
& credentials are always listed
Peer-reviewed Look: Graphs, charts,
statistical data, plain cover References at the end Examples: Child
Development, Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology etc.
Background Research Background research is needed to understand your topic and
narrow it down. Research Source: Encyclopedias like
World Book Encyclopedia (in the library) and eBooks like Encyclopedia Britannica and Gale Virtual Reference Library for reference books online.
Go to Research Paper Topics on library homepage for topic selection
Go to The Research Paper: Ten Steps to Researching it Right for additional help.
Check out Library Catalog for books on topics for research papers.
Is the information relevant? Identify search terms Is the information from a legitimate source?
Additional Help
For more on primary & secondary sources:
http://lib1.bmcc.cuny.edu/help/sources.htmlSpotting Bias in news:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/broadcast_news/bw_bias_in_the_news.cfm
Tania Shabelnik Libguide: http://libguides.riohondo.edu/evaluatingwebsites
Narrow Your Topic
Background Research
Questions To Ask Yourself
Who?What?Which?When?Where?Why?
Source: OSU Tutorial from liblearn.osu.edu/courses/english110/old%20stuff/narrow_topic.ppt
Example
Topic : Cheating Who? : Age; Race; Gender What? : Types: Infidelity; students: Sports,
plagiarism; government Which? : Is justified? Or worse? Or Traumatizing? When? : Time period: Current, historical or
period of life? Where? : Place: College, school, home, work, in
sports Why? : Evaluate: Causes & Reasons and Results
& Outcomes.
Research QuestionMix and Match two elements together and
form a research question and form a topic of your choice.
Read the requirements of the assignment: How many pages? How many sources are required? What kind of sources are required?
What are the search terms and related terms that you would use? For example: Cheating: Dishonesty, fraud, deception, infidelity, lying, embezzle etc.
Two Search Tools to Find Good Sources
PROQUEST RESEARCH LIBRARY
(Journal Articles)
LIBRARY CATALOG(Books)
Start Research from the library homepage
FIND BOOKS
FIND JOURNAL, MAGAZINE,
AND NEWSPAPER
ARTICLES
FIND CONTROVERSIAL
TOPICS
Library Catalog
Checklist for Evaluating Websites Author: Credentials & professional affiliations, contact address, about
link Check the URL (Uniform Resource Locator or website address) because it
may be the name & type of organization sponsoring the webpage. E.g. .edu, .com, .gov, .net etc.
Reason for webpage: Its purpose Determine the origin of the document Timeframe: Current or past view. What time period does your topic
require? Objectivity : Point of View or Bias Bibliography: Citations and references to other sources Coverage: Relevance to the assignment. Is the source too narrow? Too
broad? Can you understand it? Format, Organization, Appearance: Is it Easy to read?
Source: http://libguides.uwb.edu/content.php?pid=103537&sid=778496Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/sections/history/resources/pubs/usingprimarysources/index.cfm#evaluating
Where to Search?
For Books: Library Catalog http://library.riohondo.edu/ For Scholarly Articles: Databases: Proquest, Gale Reference Library. Off Campus Users: Access Rio For Controversial Topics: Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context, Issues and Controversies Check out Controversial Topics Books Link on the library homepage http://library.riohondo.edu/ For Current Issues: CQ Researcher, Proquest, Gale Opposing Viewpoints, Issues and Controversies For Biographies: Gale Biography in Context For Historical Books : Google Books at http://books.google.com/ For Historical Newspapers: Google News Archives Search at
http://news.google.com/archivesearch For Statistics data & charts: Social Science Database For Population Stats: US Census Bureau database Legitimate sources: Google Books, Google Scholar For Periodical Holdings List: Access from our library homepage. Direct url at
http://library.riohondo.edu/Research_Help/Periodical%20Holdings%20List%20-%202010-2011.pdf (Check out the listings by subject in the end).
Acknowledgements
Thank you Stephanie Wells (Librarian) for sharing some of her slides.