Developing Research Strategies Pat McDougall Teacher-Librarian Dartmouth High School

Locating & Extracting precise information for a position paper Choose a topic Do some basic research to help decide your position Take a position & develop a thesis statement Formulate factual, interpretative and inquiry questions. Formulate factual, interpretative and inquiry questions Begin with general sources Library catalogue EBSCO Web Sites Individuals and Organizations Works cited page

Choose a Topic Soviet Communism as a stabilizing force in Eastern Europe The effect of the forces of nationalism on Yugoslavia The role of the US in policing the world NATO peacemaking and the goals of collective security Next task

Basic research If you know nothing about your topic you may have to check out some basic reference books like encyclopedias, your textbook to find some facts about your topic before working on your thesis statement. So start with Step 2 if you need to find out basic information on your topic. Next Task

Thesis Statement Take a position and develop a thesis statement. Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence. Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief. Sample

Thesis Statement Example “NATO should be enlarged to take in former Warsaw Pact nations” Next Task

Formulate factual questions. These concern the who, what, when, where, why and how of your topic. For our NATO example, you may want to ask ”What nations currently want to join NATO?” “How have their governments changed since they were members of the Warsaw pact?” Interpretative Questions

Formulate interpretative questions. These delve deeper into the meaning of the uncovered facts. For example, “What are the characteristics of a genuine democratic society?” May have different answers. Must be supported with reliable evidence. Inquiry Questions

Formulate inquiry questions. Look for connections between facts to draw together arguments in favour of a particular viewpoint For example, “What would be the advantages to global collective security if NATO were expanded?” Next task

General Sources If you haven’t already done so, check your textbook and encyclopedias for general factual information about your area of study. This should help you answer the factual questions you composed on page 1. It may also lead you to more probing questions. Next task

Library catalogue How to search – if screen has a list already hit F7 to start a new search Enter your keywords Hit enter twice A list of books will be shown, note the ones that say Dartmouth High Write down the Dewy number and find the book on the shelf Hit Page Down to see more pages Next Task

Searching EBSCO At DHS – automatic logon At home Username: DHS Password: spartan Click on EBSCOhost WebEBSCOhost Web Canadian Reference Centre is already checked off Also Check off Middle Search Plus Hit Continue Click on Full text Next Task

Search Engines AltaVista Search Engine an excellent search engine that allows phrase and boolean searching as well as required and prohibited terms. Be sure to use AltaVista Advanced with its "Sort by" feature. AltaVista Search Engine AltaVista Advanced Google. Remember results are based on popularity. A good search engine for sports teams and music groups. Google has an Advanced Google Search. GoogleAdvanced Google Search

Meta Search Engines IXQuick One of the top meta-search engines IXQuick Metor An excellent meta search engine. It will do a meta search for encyclopedias, science sites, music, movies, downloads, search sites for kids, and even a meta search on recipe sites. Metor KartOO – a visual search engine, organizes your results into subheadings. KartOO Next Task

Individuals and Organizations We are not going to contact people for this part of the research material gathering but when you are doing your actual project, there may be authorities on your subject that you can contact. How would you find these experts? Where would they be located? Next Task

Works cited page A Sample Works Cited page in MLA format is included as page 8 of your handout. A more detailed sample page is located at: pleworks.html Summary

Summary – Each item is worth 2 points Choose a topic Thesis statement Two factual Questions One Interpretative question One Inquiry Question General Source Worksheet Library Catalogue worksheet for book EBSCO worksheet Website worksheet – two of these Works Cited page