BHS Junior Inquiry Research Project Welcome! What concerns do you have at the beginning of the research process? Please write them down on an index card What are the basic steps of a research project? How do I find and evaluate resources?

Locate and use a wide variety of sources Now is the time to take your research skills to the next level. You are expected to: Locate and use a wide variety of sources Critically evaluate the information you find Synthesize information to construct your own original piece of work Present a balanced and well-informed argument leading to your own conclusions Review #1 in the handout Quickly show them website and where the resources are. Today we will go over the basic steps of the process and take a look at book resources in the library.

Inquiry Model of Research Look at ho Range of feelings Uncertainty at the beginning Optimism – topic selection Confusion / Frustration – information seeking stage – keep going! Then you will get clarity, Oh! I get it! Confidence in your direction Finally – satisfied, or not Stages of emotions, we are here to support you Work, confusing and can be hard

Choose a topic Guiding Questions: Do you have a strong opinion on a current social or political controversy? Did you read or hear a news story recently that piqued your interest, made you angry or anxious? Do you have a personal issue, problem or interest that you would like to know more about? What makes you angry? What breaks your heart? What topic might help you learn more about a career that interests you? You are going to spend a lot of time researching, learning and writing about this topic. So choose a topic you are interested in! We have a long list of topic ideas to help you. You could also browse the Opposing Viewpoints, Issues & Controversies, and SIRS Issues Researcher databases.

Narrowing your topic General Topic: health Facets of Topic: autism, cancer, depression, diabetes, eating disorders , health care Aspects: business, history, legal, physical, psychological, social Time Span: 1990s; current Population or Place (Demographics): African Americans, Hispanics, men, women, teenagers, United States Narrowed Research Question: Does the media’s portrayal of the ideal female body contribute to eating disorders in women?

Find & read background information Make sure this is what you want! No regrets! Make sure your topic meets the project requirements, Help you develop questions and a draft thesis statement to guide your research.   Good sources for summary information : Encyclopedias: library books, Grolier Online, or even Wikipedia (yes, this can be a good resource to begin learning about a topic, but it is NOT an authoritative source for research). Online databases: Opposing Viewpoints, Issues & Controversies, and SIRS Issues Researcher.

1. Choose topic 2. Background research 3. Draft your thesis statement 4. Gather sources

Types of Resources Nonfiction Books Magazine / Periodical articles Reference books Pamphlet file Public library Interviews Legal resources Statistical resources Magazine / Periodical articles Newspaper articles Social issues databases Online Databases eBooks Internet Why important to have a variety. Want you to learn about the variety of resources available and it is important to get different types of information and points of view.

Library Catalog – Destiny Finding library books, eBooks, reference books, pamphlet files in the library Library Catalog – Destiny There is an APP for that! Show where Destiny is,, catalog – where call number is, show pamphlet files

How do you determine the quality of a source? Have them provide some answers

Evaluating a source Credentials — Is the author qualified? Accuracy — Is the information accurate? Currency — Is the information recent enough? Viewpoint / Bias — Is there an opinion expressed? (example: newspaper editorial) Does bias affect the information’s accuracy? Audience — who is the information written for? A specific readership, level of expertise or age/grade level? Is the audience focus appropriate for a research paper? This are evaluation criteria that you can use for any type of source, books, magazines, online, etc. We are going to use these criteria to evaluate a library book today.

Steps 1. Get Started 2. Find and Evaluate Information Choose a topic Find & read background information Develop questions, draft a thesis statement 2. Find and Evaluate Information 3. Use Information – READ, THINK CRITICALLY, take notes and cite 4. Construct an original piece of work – your research paper!

Develop questions, draft a thesis statement to guide your research The thesis is a clear, concise statement of the position you will defend in your paper. Violent television shows are responsible for the development of personality disorders in millions of young children. Your draft thesis statement will guide your research. Be flexible! You may need to or want to refine or change it * The BHS library website has tools and information to help you develop your thesis statement! Keep going back to the thesis statement to make sure the research you are doing will help you answer your thesis!

Brainstorm search terms As you start searching for information, you need to choose keywords that represent your research topic. Keywords are significant words (usually nouns or noun phrases) that can be used as search terms in online catalogs, databases and the Internet. Example: Your research topic is: “Effects of media on women’s body image." The main elements of the chosen topic are “media" and “women“ and “body image” Think of synonyms that may also describe those concepts: Advertising Female Physical appearance Movies Woman Perception Television Girls Negative/positive body image Music Mental attitude Fashion Industry Effective researchers identify key words, concepts, synonyms, and related terms to help them find good information. Begin this process with your background reading. A thesaurus, a dictionary, search engines, and subject headings in the library catalog can also be helpful.

Slides for session 2

If your topic is too broad or vague you will find too much information and will need to narrow the focus. For example: impacts of global warming Better: polar bear adaption to global warming in the arctic If it is too specific/narrow or specialized or new, it will be difficult finding enough information. Environmental impacts of Hurricane Sandy

Broaden your topic Specific Topic: How has fishing in the James River in Richmond, VA affected the smallmouth bass population? Alternate focus: freshwater fish, saltwater fish Alternate Place: Southeastern United States, United States, rivers, oceans Brainstorm Focus on: Person or Group: fishermen, fish & wildlife government departments Brainstorm Focus on: Event or Aspect: fishery m anagement, fishery regulations, fishing licenses, fish stocking Broadened Research Question How has government fishing regulations in the United States affected the freshwater fish population?