Starting Your Research Educational Psychology and Counseling 602: Research Principles Library Instruction

What is the assignment?  Paper, Presentation, Annotated Bibliography?  Due date: Inter-Library Loan deadline?  Citation Style? APA? MLA?  Types of publications?

Educational Psychology Research

Basic Search Strategies: Information Need & Resources  Recent events or research? Newspapers, magazines, journals, or the Internet  Current, general information? Popular magazines and newspapers  Current, in-depth information? Scholarly journals, conference proceedings  Overviews, background or definitions? Encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, or reviews  More detail? Books

Types of Periodicals: Scholarly Journals  Authors are authorities in their fields.  Articles are usually reports on scholarly research.  Articles must go through a peer-review or refereed process. Scholarly/academic articles that are read by academic or scholar "referees" for advice and evaluation of content when submitted for publication. Referees recommend to the editor/editorial board whether the article should be published as is, revised, or rejected. Also sometimes know as "peer-reviewed" articles.

Types of Periodicals: Scholarly Journals (cont.)  Authors cite their sources in endnotes, footnotes, or bibliographies.  Articles use jargon of the discipline.  Individual issues have little or no advertising.  Illustrations usually take the form of charts and graphs.

Types of Periodicals: Trade Publications  Authors are practitioners  Authors often mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies.  Intended audience are fellow practitioners.  No peer review process.  Articles give practical information.  Some illustrations are included  Authors use jargon of the field.

Types of Periodicals: Popular Magazines and Newspapers  Authors are magazine staff members or free lance writers.  Authors often mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies.  Issues contain numerous advertisements.  No peer review process.  Articles are meant to inform and entertain.  Illustrations may be numerous and colorful.  Language is geared to the general adult audience (no specialized knowledge of jargon needed).

Reference Works: Subject vs. General  When enough information about a research track has been accumulated, it will begin to be integrated into reference books. For example: Subject encyclopedias: Encyclopedia of Psychology  Places important research projects or tracks into a disciplinary perspective, identifying the role each plays, historically and intellectually, in the psychology professions.  General encyclopedias: Encyclopedia Britannica Takes a broader view, attempting to articulate the impact of the most important research projects on society as a whole.

Reviews  A research review, or literature review, is a piece of writing that summarizes and evaluates the significant research to date on a given topic. Contrast this with a research report, which emphasizes the methods and results of one particular study, not a whole area of research. Publications such as the Annual Review of Psychology compile articles that summarize a topic and provoke discussion that will lead to new research activity. Occasionally, an entire book may serve as a review for research tracks especially rich with activity.Annual Review of Psychology

Conference Proceedings  Published papers presented at conferences, meetings, etc. Conference papers are not always published, or published in a timely manner!  Peer-review process similar to scholarly journals  Presenters can be scholars or practitioners  Use the jargon of their discipline  Intended audience are other scholars or practitioners  Often the first formal report of someone’s research  Authors cite their sources  Papers are often revised and published later in journals or books.

Evaluating Print Resources  Every book, periodical article, or other published resource should be evaluated to determine its quality and its relevance to your topic and the nature of your assignment.  Use the criteria below to help you evaluate resources.criteria Authority Content & Coverage Timeliness Accuracy Objectivity

Evaluating Internet Resources Types of Web Sites: the URL is a key.gov.edu.org.com Apply the same criteria:  Authority  Content & Coverage  Timeliness  Accuracy  Objectivity World Wide Web sites come in many sizes and styles. How do you distinguish a site that gives reliable information from one that gives incorrect information? Below are some guidelines to help.guidelines

Internet as Interface vs. Internet as Source  Internet Explorer or Netscape Interface: Access databases and online journals  E.g.: PsycINFO, ERIC  Usually require subscription Exception: ERIC Wizard  Usually have print counterparts Equivalent authority and reliability  Source: Access using free search engines  E.g.: Yahoo, Google, HotBot Originated on the Internet Anyone can put up a Web page! Critical evaluation more important

Basic Search Strategies: Use Databases to Find Resources  Books – Online catalog CSUN Library Online Catalog  Articles – Indexes, abstracting services, or full-text databases Find Articles and More  Web pages – Search engines Internet Search Tools

Basic Search Strategies: What Is a Database?  Collection of records composed of fields which are searched for words and phrases using Boolean Logic. For example:

Basic Search Strategies: Words to Search by  Keyword = natural language  Subject terms/descriptors = controlled vocabulary

Keywords Controlled Vocabulary

 OR  AND  NOT Basic Search Strategies: Boolean Logic

Basic Search Strategies: Boolean “OR”  Where either term (or both) are present  Broadens the search teenagers OR adolescents

Basic Search Strategies: Boolean “AND”  Where both terms are present  Narrows the search teenagers AND academic achievement

Basic Search Strategies: Boolean “NOT”  Where first term is present but second term is not  Narrows the search counseling NOT therapy

Basic Search Strategies: Truncation  Symbol: *, !, ?, etc. (varies by database)  Replaces one or more letters at the end of a word or root word  Truncation = OR Example: teen! retrieves teen OR teens OR teenager OR teenagers However: cat* retrieves cat, cats, but also cataclysm, catacomb, catalepsy, catalog, etc.  Use OR instead to maintain meaning: cat or cats

EPC Librarian  Stephanie Ballard