ACADEMIC RESEARCH and WRITING Peter Paolucci, Ph.D.

TWO APPROACHES 1. Searching with purpose takes amounts of time takes HUGE amounts of time 2. Exploratory (relying on serendipity) takes STAGGERING amounts of time –more than you have in any course takes STAGGERING amounts of time –more than you have in any course

INTENTION Not always to narrow down your data, but to open up possibilities and generate choices

SOLUTION The “answer” is NOT in the library or on the Internet … It’s in your head ! in your head !

PREDICT ! Speculate as specifically as possible about what you find and what you are likely to find Speculate as specifically as possible about what you could find and what you are likely to find Even if you are wrong, it is better to approach your research with some specifically articulated assumptions

OBJECTIVES 1. Thoroughness While you’re at it, research more than you need Explore more than is necessary Bring home (copies of) everything you come across 2. Accuracy & Meticulousness Record all meta information (a uthor, title, journal, URL, date, call #, page #, editor, which library) Where you were What the date is

OBJECTIVES 3. Balance & fairness Choose a variety of sources, opinions and viewpoints Choose a variety of sources, opinions and viewpoints Always choose current sources, but older ones are not always wrong or outdated 4. Clarity in complexity Retain paradoxes, dilemmas and inconsistencies Don’t oversimplfy

IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDER ESTIMATE … The time and trouble it will take (power of bad luck) The power of serendipity (power of good luck)

SCRUTINIZE SOURCES The key is TRANSPARENCY Who wrote it? Credentials? When? Why? Are sources used documented and traceable?

TWO TYPES OF LIBRARIES PUBLICUNIVERSITY Housing two very different kinds of materials

TWO TYPES OF SOURCES POPULARACADEMIC Neither necessarily has truth but one is more legitimate See for more examples and (+/-) of both

ACADEMIC PUBLISHING 1. Books 2. Journals (published monthly) 3. Peer review process a.Sent to several 3 rd party experts for scrutiny b.Returned with: rejected, publish with minor revs, major revs, or as is

PUBLISHING SCANDALS The Scandal of Poor Medical Research (1/7) The Scandal of Poor Medical Research (1/7) About the Peer Review Process About the Peer Review Process Sokal's HoaxSokal's Hoax (see next slide) Sokal's Hoax The Abuse of Science The Abuse of Science

ALAN SOKOL Published an article through peer review process that was “BS” –Only one article by one journal BUT –Made critical world wonder about the whole process –Where does truth live? –What is the relationship between truth and legitimacy?

PROBLEMS WITH SEARCH ENGINES Research and promotion = 2 sides of same coin Sometimes what you find has nothing to do with your research skills Promotion can be Passive (meta tags in the code) Active (submitting abstracts or buying ads which are measured in CPMs)

MORE PROBLEMS WITH SEARCH ENGINES Librarians standardize everything, incl. booleans (and, or, adj, not) but engines do not

(STILL) MORE PROBLEMS WITH SEARCH ENGINES 3 kinds of engines: generic, dedicated, meta. Each –collects –filters –stores –eliminates –serves data … differently differently See (old by now) or

EVALUATE SOURCES 1. Thoroughness 2. Accuracy 3. Balance 4. Clarity = TRANSPARENCY

KNOWLEDGE / WISDOM Knowledge = –Mere data (who, where, what, when) Wisdom = data that’s been 1.scrutinized 2.labelled 3.categorized and clustered (linked relationally and to other data) Wisdom = Why and how

MAP IT! Try to locate data in a schematic or map showing its relation to –other data –other problems –other concepts –other ideas

PROCESS Predict Search (gather more than you need) Evaluate Document / record Cluster/group/categorize

SOME GOOD SOURCES ! 1. How to do research How to do research How to do research 2. Advice on Research & Writing Advice on Research & Writing Advice on Research & Writing 3. Determining reliability of sources (Strong – student developed) Determining reliability of sources Determining reliability of sources 4. Scott Library resources (York) Scott Library resources Scott Library resources

SOME GOOD SOURCES II 5. Style, formatting documentation (Monash U) Style, formatting documentation Style, formatting documentation 6. Academic Integrity (avoiding plagiarism) Academic Integrity (avoiding plagiarism) Academic Integrity (avoiding plagiarism)