1. In Search of Background Literature
Get a packet

2. But First …
Assign project topics
Introduce student guide

3. Why do background research about your topic?
To obtain evidence that your project will address a community problem; to answer “who cares”?
To have a basis for your hypotheses

4. Phase I: This Week Start Broad and General
Use your general sources to create a rationale for your project – a reason to do it
The project needs to address a (community) problem
The data you gather should facilitate some kind of improvement in the world
You need a foundation; avoid sources that are overly complex. Good beginning sources include
Reputable websites
Textbooks
News periodicals
Popular science journals like Psychology Today, Nature, and Science
Local experts, including teachers
Google is your best friend

5. Demonstrate

6. APA Format
We will use until/unless you pick a field that consistently uses a different format; then you will learn that.
Better to learn it than to trust websites that do it for you; your errors are your errors.
Questions: Consult the Research Guide online or Google it

7. Citations, References, Plagiarism
APA format = Citations in the text of your writing to provide the source of information (Author(s), Year).
References = A listing of all sources arranged in alphabetical order based on first author’s name that also includes more information than the citations – URL or journal name, article title, etc.
Plagiarism
Stealing words
Stealing ideas
The point: put things in your own words!

8. Citing Online Sources
General rule – follow APA format for articles but add Retrieved, the date and from the URL at the end

9. In Text Citations
Much research has shown a positive effect of early exposure to the research process (Oggeri & Weseley, 2014; Weseley, Morin, & Oggeri, 2013; Weseley & Oggeri, 2014).
Studies have shown that students who did well in Research Seminar tended to be successful in college and in their careers (Oggeri & Weseley, 2014; Weseley & Oggeri, 2014).
In a follow-up study, Weseley et al. (2013) found that research students tended to enjoy higher self esteem and better mental health, and another study (Weseley, 2015) has even shown that research can increase longevity.

10. References
Oggeri, D., & Weseley, A. J. (2014). High school research as a predictor of later life success. The Journal of Wishful Thinking, 18(2), doi: xx Weseley, A. J. (2015). Research prolongs longevity. Retrieved October 17, 2016 from Weseley, A. J., & Oggeri, D. (2014). Yet more reasons to do research in high school. The American Journal of Education, 4(3), doi: xxx Weseley, A. J., Morin, A., & Oggeri, D. (2013). Surprising benefits of early academic experiences. Psychological Science, 12(6), doi: xxx 9347y47478

11. Homework
Let the General Background Research begin! Each team member is responsible for finding, reading and taking notes on 1 article before class tomorrow. Articles must be different from one another’s so group to claim
Bring notes and articles to class tomorrow

12. Next 5 Slides = Next Group Lesson

13. Synthesizing what you read
What does synthesis mean?

14. Example: Should We Have the Death Penalty?
Your group gathers background from 12 sources.
Each person types of a short description of what they read.
Your Team Captain pastes those all together into one document and turns it in.
Critique

15. Example: Should We Have the Death Penalty? A SYNTHESIS Approach
Your group gathers background from 12 sources.
Each person types up a short description of what s/he read in his/her own words.
Your team then gets together to look at all the notes on the sources and groups them based on content; a source can be used to support more than one point.
The team decides how best to present the background research – what order will take you from your research question to your hypotheses?

16. The Point
Background research should be presented in a logical order; it should move the reader from the research question to the hypothesis.
Logical order is important both between and within paragraphs.
Good topic sentences are somewhat specific
Research shows that the death penalty leads to a decrease in crime
Research shows that the death penalty affects the crime rate

17. The Sources
3 show that crime rates decreased after the institution of the DP
4 show that the DP costs the nation millions of dollars annually in court costs
3 present data about cases in which ppl who were executed were later proven innocent
2 talk about the eye-for-an-eye morality behind the DP
How should we order these and why?

18. Phase 2: Academic Articles
Academic = Peer Reviewed
Try Google Scholar
Use search engines that are relevant to your field (See instructions in Student Guide)
PsycInfo
ERIC
PubMed
Science Direct
Use your academic sources to understand how researchers in your field have carried out studies on related topics. Take notes on their methods and findings (results v. discussion).

19. Searching Tips Experiment with different search terms
Avoid articles that seem overly long, complex or specific
Read the abstract carefully
Ask us top approve your abstracts before you invest the time to read the article
Once you find a good article, use the “cited by” feature – show example
Look for the classic study in the field