Research

Menu Research Process Research Process Research Process Research Process Website Credibility Website Credibility Website Credibility Website Credibility Citing Sources Citing Sources Citing Sources Citing Sources Note-taking Process Note-taking Process Note-taking Process Note-taking Process

Research: Where do I begin? Before you begin your research, you should ask yourself some questions. These will help narrow your search parameters. Where would be a likely place to look? I Internet Magazines Encyclopedias Newspapers Non-fiction Literature How much information do you need? How many sources of information are you looking for?

What does it mean to “Research”? Research used to mean spending many hours (over many days) searching through books, encyclopedias, magazines, etc. in the public or school library. Research used to mean spending many hours (over many days) searching through books, encyclopedias, magazines, etc. in the public or school library. Research now means finding internet access on your laptop at a coffee shop or an evening of surfing the web (with time for /myspace and a game or two). Research now means finding internet access on your laptop at a coffee shop or an evening of surfing the web (with time for /myspace and a game or two). Remember: The internet is a great resource, but it doesn't contain all of the information that you can find at a library or through library online resources. Don't expect to limit your search to what is on the Internet.

I need to use more than just the internet to find information. A. True B. False

What is the internet and how is it organized? Why is it called the internet? Why is it called the internet? The internet connects computers worldwide. The internet connects computers worldwide. It has information on every topic. It has information on every topic. It is called the web because the number of connections it makes looks like a spider web. It is called the web because the number of connections it makes looks like a spider web. New websites are added every day. The Internet grows and changes which makes finding information on it thoroughly difficult. New websites are added every day. The Internet grows and changes which makes finding information on it thoroughly difficult.

Searching the World Wide Web Searching the World Wide Web can be both beneficial and frustrating. You will find a lot of information online, but not all of it will be useful or of the highest quality or you may not find the kinds of information you're looking for. This is where search engines come in such as Google or Yahoo. These store and retrieve relevant website results based on keywords or phrase searches.

IMPORTANT:Google and Yahoo are NOT websites, and CANNOT be cited as sources! They are search engines used to find websites which are sources!

Google and Yahoo are websites. A. True B. False

I can cite Google and /or Yahoo on a work cited page. A. True B. False

Searching with a Search Engine When you do a search through Google or Yahoo, the search engine will return any and all sites that mention the keyword you typed in without evaluating the importance of the site. Example: R R R R R oooo cccc kkkk

Search engines are good for finding sources for well-defined topics. Typing in a general term such as "education" or "Shakespeare" will bring back far too many results, but by narrowing your topic, you can get the kind (and amount) of information that you need. Example: ssss r r r r oooo cccc kkkk b b b b aaaa nnnn dddd ssss

Which keyword(s) would be most beneficial when researching? A. Monkey’s diet B. Monkeys like to eat

Which keyword(s) would be most beneficial when researching? A. Animals B. Dolphins C. Ocean Animals

Database A better source of information is a database, which is: A collection of previously published articles from books, magazines, journals, and other printed resources available in an online format. You need a password for a database, but not for a website. LHMS Library has a list of databases provided for you under the ‘destiny’ link. h h tttt tttt pppp :::: //// //// dddd eeee ssss tttt iiii nnnn yyyy.... mmmm eeee rrrr iiii dddd iiii aaaa nnnn ssss cccc hhhh oooo oooo llll ssss.... oooo rrrr gggg //// cccc oooo mmmm mmmm oooo nnnn //// wwww eeee llll cccc oooo mmmm eeee.... jjjj ssss pppp ???? ssss iiii tttt eeee ====

A database is the same as a website. A. True B. False

Evaluating Sources: VALIDITY Not all information found is valid, accurate or useful. Not all information found is valid, accurate or useful.

Evaluating Sources: VALIDITY The amount of information available is huge. The amount of information available is huge. For example, it's estimated that anyone attempting to research what's known about depression would have to read over 100,000 studies on the subject. For example, it's estimated that anyone attempting to research what's known about depression would have to read over 100,000 studies on the subject.

Evaluating Sources: VALIDITY You don’t rely on the tabloids at the checkout counter for news; do you? Of course not. Did you know that the web can be just as unreliable? You don’t rely on the tabloids at the checkout counter for news; do you? Of course not. Did you know that the web can be just as unreliable? People want to convince you to accept them as experts without providing you with their information to support their intelligence. People want to convince you to accept them as experts without providing you with their information to support their intelligence.

Evaluating Sources: VALIDITY Evaluating sources is like detective work. Decide: Where to look What clues to search for What to accept The temptation is to accept whatever you find first, but don’t be tempted to do so. Keep looking!!! When writing research papers, you will be evaluating sources as you search for information. You will need to: Make decisions Know where to look Decide if the found material valid and useful

When checking for validity, you need to know: A. Where to look B. What clues to search for C. What to accept D. All of the above

Print Sources: Traditional print sources go through an extensive publication process that includes editing and article review. The process has fact-checkers, multiple reviewers, and editors to ensure quality of publication. These are printed materials like books, magazines, etc…, and have editors, fact checkers, or reviewers. Internet Sources: Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can publish a website or electronic document. Most web documents do not have editors, fact- checkers, or reviewers. Publication Process

Authorship and Affiliations Print Sources: Print sources clearly indicate who the author is, the publishing company and date the information was written. Internet Sources: Some sites may have author and sponsorship listed, but most do not.

Sources and Quotations Sources and Quotations Print Sources: The author of a print source will document where he/she got his/her information by citing. Print Sources: The author of a print source will document where he/she got his/her information by citing. Internet Sources: The author of an internet source will not always document where he/she got his/her information. Internet Sources: The author of an internet source will not always document where he/she got his/her information.

Determining Validity Reliability: The website was created and is maintained by a reliable institution or a reputable company. University and government sites are your best bets. Data Triangulation: This means finding the same information on at least three different websites. The chances of all three of them being wrong is much less than just one.

When determining validity, you need to find the same information on two different websites. A. True B. False

Practice Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction

Citing Sources To avoid plagiarism, you must cite! Each type of source is different: One author More than one author WebsiteEncyclopediaDatabase

One Author Author’s last name, first name. Title of book. Publishing city: Publishing company, copyright date. Medium of Publication. EXAMPLE: Fremon, David K. The Great Depression in American History. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, Inc., Print.

Let’s Practice: Here is the information. Here is the information. Christmas After All by Minnie Swift Christmas After All by Minnie Swift Published in 2001 by Scholastic Inc. in New York. Print. Author’s last name, first name. Title of book. Publishing city: Publishing company, copyright date. Medium of Publication.

More Than One Author First author’s last name, first name, and second author’s first name last name. Title of Book. Publishing city: Publishing company, copyright date. Medium of Publication. EXAMPLE: Smith, John, and Linda Smith. The 1930’s. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc, Print.

Let’s Practice: Here is the information. Here is the information. We Want Jobs by Robert J. Norrell and Alex Haley We Want Jobs by Robert J. Norrell and Alex Haley Published in 1993 by Raintree Steck- Vaughn in Austin. Print. First author’s last name, first name, and second author’s first name last name. Title of Book. Publishing city: Publishing company, copyright date. Medium of Publication.

Web Site Author’s or Editor’s last name, first name. Title of Web Page. Version Number or Date of Publication or Last Update (if no date is given, you must include n.d. in your citation). Publishing Organization or Sponsor. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed the page.. EXAMPLE: Rogers, George. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Site. 3 Oct National Park Service. Web. 1 May

Practice Time: Here’s the information. Here’s the information. There is no author or editor mentioned. There is no author or editor mentioned. Humanities-Interactive: The Dust Bowl. I looked at the page on October 12, 2006 and the sponsoring institution is Texas Council for the Humanities Resource Center. The URL is: interactive.org/texas/dustbowl/ interactive.org/texas/ interactive.org/texas/ Author’s or Editor’s last name, first name. Title of Web Page. Version Number or Date of Publication or Last Update (if no date is given, you must include n.d. in your citation). Publishing Organization or Sponsor. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed the page..

Encyclopedia Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Editor of the entire book. Volume Number or edition. Copyright Date. Medium of Publication. Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Editor of the entire book. Volume Number or edition. Copyright Date. Medium of Publication. EXAMPLE: “Hilda Doolittle.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Paula K Byers. 2 nd ed Print. “Hilda Doolittle.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Paula K Byers. 2 nd ed Print.

Let’s Practice Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Editor of the entire book. Volume Number or edition. Copyright Date. Medium of Publication. Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Editor of the entire book. Volume Number or edition. Copyright Date. Medium of Publication. Here is the information. Here is the information. World Encyclopedia, Edited by: Kramer Wilson, Vol. 3, 2005, Title of article: Hurricane Hazel, Print. World Encyclopedia, Edited by: Kramer Wilson, Vol. 3, 2005, Title of article: Hurricane Hazel, Print.

Online Database Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Original Publication: Date of Original Publication. Pages of Original Publication. Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed site.. Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Original Publication: Date of Original Publication. Pages of Original Publication. Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed site..EXAMPLE: Lord, Lewis. “Mysteries of History: Mortal Secrets.” U.S. News and World Report 24 Jul. 2000: SIRS Researcher. Web. Apr Lord, Lewis. “Mysteries of History: Mortal Secrets.” U.S. News and World Report 24 Jul. 2000: SIRS Researcher. Web. Apr

Let’s Practice Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Original Publication: Date of Original Publication. Pages of Original Publication. Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed site.. Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Original Publication: Date of Original Publication. Pages of Original Publication. Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Date you accessed site.. Title of Article: Aircraft Mechanics, Date of Original Publication: 2004, Name of Database: eCIS, Web, Nov. 3, 2009, Title of Article: Aircraft Mechanics, Date of Original Publication: 2004, Name of Database: eCIS, Web, Nov. 3, 2009,

Note Cards Last name-Teacher Question Letter-Source # 1 “quote” or piece of information paraphrased/summarized. (page #)

Example: Jones-Smith A-1 Partly caused by the lack of human knowledge; meaning farmers did not rotate their crops. (p. 4-5)

The End!