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Presented by Megan LoweCoordinator of Public Services/Associate

ProfessorCommunication Liaison Librarian

RESEARCH AS PROCESS

To approach any research project without preparation is like deciding to make a cake without knowing what kind of cake you want to make and without knowing if you even have the right ingredients. This cake is likely not going to turn out the way you want it to (and there’s nothing sadder than cake-related disappointment).

When conducting research, you need to have idea of what you need or want to find before you start looking. You need to do a little plotting and planning in order to make the most of the process and in order to save yourself time, frustration, and unpleasant surprises (like realizing that the topic you picked is not well-researched AT ALL).

Therefore, the first step in the research process is to make sure you have a topic in mind before you start. If it’s a little broad, that’s okay, but if it’s too broad, you’re going to have problems. Make sure you have a manageable topic before you start.

RESEARCH AS PROCESS

A manageable topic is invaluable – too broad, and you’ll get too much information when you start searching.

I know what you’re thinking – “too much information? I need all I can GET!” Trust me, the first time you get 20,000+ hits (either in the Library’s resources or on the Internet), you’ll start sweating and realizing that the world is VERY FULL of information, and not all of it is relevant to your needs. You don’t want everything; you want what will serve your research needs.

It is important to understand that there are all kinds of information available to you, through both the Library and the Internet, but (1) not all resources are created equal, and (2) not all resources are appropriate for the kind of research you will be doing in college.

UNDERSTANDING RESOURCES

There are different kinds of resources:

• Books

• Individual chapters/essays in books

• Articles Newspaper articles Magazine articles Journal articles

• Government documents

• Websites and web documents (which may also be the aforementioned resources)

EVALUATING RESOURCES

Scholarly

Written by experts

Focuses on a particular field, topic, or discipline

Intended for others in that field or career

“Proper” language, technical vocabulary

No ads

RESEARCH ORIENTED

Popular

Written by journalists

Usually covers broad topics, fields, issues, or disciplines

Usually appeals to a wide audience

Everyday language, slang, even profanity

LOTS of ads

NOT RESEARCH ORIENTED

Resources generally fall into two categories:

JOURNALS are scholarly. NEWSPAPERS and MAGAZINES are popular.

ACTIVITY BREAK! LET’S DO THIS!

EVALUATING RESOURCES: INTERNET EDITION

Authority--who created the web page? Are they experts? What are their credentials? Do they provide contact information?

Accuracy--where did they get their information? Are the facts verifiable through another source? Do they list a bibliography of citations from where they obtained their information?

Coverage--how much of the topic does the resource cover? Does it attempt to cover all or most of the aspects, or is it vague?

Currency--when was the site last updated? Are the facts on the site up-to-date? Is the information current?

Objectivity--does the site have biases? Is the information presented in such a way to allow the viewer to make his/her own judgment, or does the site try to persuade you to adopt its viewpoint? What is the purpose of the site?

More about evaluating Internet resources can be found at:

http://www.ulm.edu/library/faqfiles/webevaluate.htm

THE LIBRARY’S RESOURCES

The great thing about the ULM Library’s resources is that the vast majority of them are scholarly – in other words, they are most assuredly appropriate for the kind of research you will do during your time in this class and in college.

When you start with the Library’s resources, the pool of resources you are drawing from is already quality-controlled, which is ultimately what distinguishes scholarly and popular resources: the amount of quality control.

When you start with the Internet, you are not guaranteed that quality. Anybody can say just about anything they want on the Internet; there is no true supervisory body who is moderating or fact-checking content. This is the danger of the Internet.

Starting with the Library’s resources is just good common sense. You may think it’s more time-consuming or harder to use, but that’s not true. This presentation will show you just how easy it can be to find what you’re looking for. And when you start with quality resources, you are

more likely to produce quality work. A house built with sub-par materials and cheap labor is not likely to be as enduring or beautiful as one built with quality materials and dedicated labor.

THE BEST WAY TO SEARCH: KEYWORD SEARCH

You need to develop keywords which are the tools you use to search the Library’s resources (and the Internet, too)

Creating a list of keywords can help you further refine your topic – it can serve as a brainstorming technique, too!

Keywords represent the most important concepts within your topic

You don’t use them alone; you use them with operators: AND, OR, and NOT

Keyword + operator = search string

Search strings are your BEST FRIENDS for finding the best possible resources

The better your keywords, the better your results!

ACTIVITY TIME AGAIN

LET’S TAKE A LOOK….

USING THE INTERNET FOR RESEARCH

Starting with Google is a bad idea because it gives you EVERYTHING, and remember: you DON’T want everything – you want scholarly stuff

Among its many products/search options is Google Scholar - Google Scholar is a scholarly-oriented search engine which searches for scholarly documents such as articles, books, book chapters, and reports

The catch is that you are NOT always guaranteed access to those resources

If you wish to find and use reliable websites, then Google is the place to start, but bear in mind the criteria we discussed earlier – you need to carefully evaluate the website you’re thinking about using, to make sure it meets the criteria

A good rule of thumb is to stick with sites whose urls end in gov, edu, and org

Be very mindful of those criteria – websites can be very tricky, especially org sites

Let me show you what I mean….

LIBRARY VS. INTERNET

Please note: there are some legitimate pros to using the Library’s resources as compared to the Internet

As you saw in the demonstration, many of our databases will create citations for you, something that Google does not do

Google Scholar can create MLA, APA, and Chicago citations for you, but they are frequently wrong, including missing information

The Library’s resources have filters which are much easier to use and edit as you go as compared to Google’s filters

When you start with the Library’s resources you are starting with a collection of resources that have already undergone much of the evaluation we’ve discussed – you don’t have to think about evaluating the resources the way you would if you start with Google

GETTING IT TOGETHER

And most importantly, remember: if you need help…

…JUST ASK A LIBRARIAN FOR HELP!

That’s what we’re here for – we want to help YOU!

All you have to do is ASK.

(Google can’t say that.)

Q & A TIME!

FYIULM Library URL: http://www.ulm.edu/library

Presentation URL: http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe/COMM3070.pptx

My website: http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe

Son of Citation Machine: http://www.citationmachine.net/

My email: lowe@ulm.edu

THANKS F

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