Library 10 – Information Competency

Library 10 – Information Competency
The Research Process Welcome to the Library 10 Research Process presentation. Library 10 – Information Competency

Five steps to research success:
In this presentation you will learn: Five steps to research success: Select a topic Plan your research strategy Locate and evaluate information Produce your paper/speech/project Cite your sources In this presentation you will learn *the five steps to research success: 1. select a topic, 2. plan your research strategy, 3. locate and evaluate information, 4. produce your paper/speech/project, and 5. cite your sources.

Select a topic Your instructor may provide the topic for you, or a list from which you can select. You may be free to choose something of interest to you. Select a topic Your instructor may provide the topic for you, or a list from which you can select, or you may be free to choose a topic of your choice. Either way, try to select a topic that has some relevance or interest to you. If you are free to choose your own topic and nothing immediately comes to mind, you may try browsing the online catalog, magazines, newspapers, online databases, or reference sources such as encyclopedias and almanacs.

Define what is needed A need is a problem that must be solved, a question that must be answered, or a task that must be performed. Define what is needed Once you have decided on a topic and before you launch into finding sources, you need to clearly define what is needed. A need is a problem that must be solved, a question that must be answered, or a task that must be performed.

Think about your topic Formulate a research question.
Effective research question: What effect does divorce have on academic achievement in elementary school children? Ineffective research question: What effect does divorce have? Think about your topic. One way to communicate this need clearly is to formulate a research question as a starting point for your research. The main research question should include the key terms or concepts that are relevant to your topic. An effective research question will not be too broad or you will have too much information to sort through, and will not be so narrow that you are confined in your research. It should focus your research appropriately for your topic and your audience. Time and effort spent on developing an effective research question will save time and effort later. Let’s look at an example of an effective research question, and an ineffective research question. An effective research question is: What effect does divorce have on academic achievement in elementary school children? An effective research question poses a question that can be answered with verifiable facts. It is phrased in a way that avoids subjective responses or opinions. It is sufficiently specific to address the real need or purpose of the research. The answer to this question can be formed by searching the library and other information resources to find verifiable facts. By contrast, an ineffective research question is too broad to be useful in directing the research process. What effect does divorce have? The best answer to this question depends on the purpose of the information. This question is too broad. If you are collecting information on how divorce affects income, this question will not help you as it does not address your need. Until the question is narrowed, you cannot search effectively for information.

Judgment vs. opinion Judgment is supported by facts and verifiable data. Opinion is your personal view. Judgment vs. opinion I am going to stop for a minute to offer a note concerning a judgment versus an opinion. Judgment and opinion are different. Both are subjective in nature, in that both require your ideas and thoughts. Judgment, however, is supported by facts and verifiable data, whereas opinion is not. Opinion is your personal view. In college and in the workplace, you may be asked for your judgment on a topic or issue. An example in school is a position speech in which you are asked to state and support your stance on a topic. At work, you may be asked to provide a recommendation for a course of action. In both cases, you are being asked, in a sense, for your opinion. To be considered a reliable researcher, you must use relevant facts to support your stance. Doing so distinguishes judgment from opinion and gives you credibility. It is also important to determine if a source is judgment or opinion as it will determine how you use the information.

Think about your topic 2 Formulate a research question.
Effective research question: What effect does divorce have on academic achievement in elementary school children? Ineffective research question: What effect does divorce have? Narrow or broaden your topic as needed. Okay, we are back to thinking about your topic. You may need to narrow or broaden your topic. Keep in mind that narrowness or broadness of your research questions will also depend on your assignment. For example a research question for a 20 minutes speech will be narrower than a research question for a six page paper. Finding the right balance is an on-going process as you may not discover until you start your research that your topic is too narrow or too broad.

Narrowing your topic Cars Toyotas Toyota Camry Narrowing your topic
Here is a visual illustration of narrowing a subject – from thinking about the broad subject of cars — to narrowing it down to one brand of cars, Toyotas — to finally the topic of one model of Toyota—the Toyota Camry. Toyota Camry

Broadening your topic Red Rose Roses Flowers Broadening your topic
Here is a visual illustration of broadening a very narrow subject –- from thinking about the narrow subject of a red rose — to going broader to encompass a variety of roses, then finally to encompass a variety of flowers which may include roses. Flowers

Broad topic to focused question
broad topic: illegal immigration restricted topic: border fences narrowed topic: border fence between Mexico & US focused research question: Has the portion of the Mexico-US border fence already completed helped decrease illegal immigrants from entering the US? Broad topic to focused question Here is an example of how to develop a focused research question from the broad topic of illegal immigration. When you are assigned a broad topic, take a few minutes to think of a restricted topic or subtopic, then a narrowed topic, which will lead you to a question. For this topic, a restricted topic or subtopic would be border fences, it can then be narrowed to the border fence between Mexico and the US. And this leads to the focused research question: Has the portion of the Mexico-US border fence already completed helped decrease illegal immigrants from entering the US?

Narrowing a research question
Use who, what, where, when to narrow a question Original question: Should fast-food companies be held responsible for obesity? Who? Children; men; women; families What? Sued; court cases; calorie intake Where? United States; California, McDonald’s When? Today Narrowed question: Should a parent be able to sue McDonald’s or other fast food companies if their child has been diagnosed as obese? Narrowing a research question Here is a way to narrow a question that you determine is too broad for your needs. Remember that you may need to focus a question based on your project requirements. A question this is not too broad for a 10 page paper, may not work for a three page paper, and many times you will not know if a question is too broad until you start your research. If your question turns out to be too broad, then use who, what, where, when to narrow it. For example, if you determine that the question: should fast-food companies be held responsible for obesity, is too broad for your needs, try asking yourself who, what, where, and when questions about your topic. Then use your answers to create a narrower research question. For example: who is affected? What is being done? where is it happening? when is it happening? Look at your answers to see if you can come up with a more focused question. For this question it may be: Should a parent be able to sue McDonalds or other fast food companies if their child had been diagnosed as obese?

Think about your topic 3 Identify the main ideas and their synonyms or related terms. Should marijuana be legalized like alcohol and tobacco? marijuana legalized pot allowed weed legal lawful We are still thinking about your topic Once you settle on a research question, you need to identify the main ideas or key search terms, then think of their synonyms or related terms. For example, for the research question - Should marijuana be legalized like alcohol and tobacco? - the key search terms are marijuana and legalize. Remember that you are not picking all the keywords out of the question, but rather the main ideas. Possible synonyms or related terms are: pot and weed for marijuana and allowed, legal, and lawful for legalized.

Think about your topic 4 Break the main question into detailed questions Should marijuana be legalized like alcohol and tobacco? Who benefits from legalizing marijuana? What about medical marijuana? Where is marijuana legal? Why is marijuana considered more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco? How would legalized marijuana be regulated? The next step is to break down the main question into more detailed questions, called focused questions. These questions break down the main question by asking who, what, where, when, why, how. These questions keep the research directed to the specifics of the topic and purpose of the question. They allow you to make a plan for researching the main question. They give you a start on identifying specific resources you can use to find the information. By answering the focused questions, you can begin to organize your thoughts, back up your ideas with information, and logically and credibly answer the main research question. Here are some examples for the question: Should marijuana be legalized like alcohol and tobacco? Who benefits from legalizing marijuana? What about medical marijuana? Where is marijuana legal? Why is marijuana considered more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco? How would legalized marijuana be regulated?

Plan your research strategy
How much information do you need? What kind of sources do you need to use? Plan your research strategy Once you are finished thinking about you topic, you need to plan your research strategy. *How much information do you need? This will be determined by the length of your project and the number of sources required. Be sure to read your assignment before beginning your research. Is it is a 20 minutes speech, a 40 minutes speech or a 5 page paper? For most of your assignments you will required to use a minimum number of sources. *What kind of sources do you need to use? Primary or secondary, current or historical, scholarly or popular? Again, this will be a requirement set forth by your instructor.

What are primary sources?
Eyewitness accounts Laboratory data Interviews Original manuscripts or original research What are primary sources? Many times your instructor will require you to use sources that are primary sources, but what are primary sources? Primary research presents original research methods or findings for the first time, so primary sources are eyewitness accounts, laboratory data, interviews, and original manuscripts or original research. Primary sources are those that are closest to the actual event, time period, or the person who is the subject. The information in these sources has not been edited, interpreted, condensed, or evaluated. Primary sources present original thinking and observations, such as the original research used to write journal articles. Examples are diaries, letters, autobiographies, speeches, minutes of meetings, scientific research reports, photographs, works of art, artifacts, and news footage.

What are secondary sources?
Works that report about or interpret primary sources Reviews Criticism Editorials Analysis What are secondary sources? Secondary sources are sources that are removed from the primary source. They do not present new research but rather provide a compilation or evaluation of previously presented material. They are works that report about or interpret primary sources, including reviews, criticism, editorials, and analysis. Authors of secondary sources examine, interpret, or reflect on the primary source information to restate or reuse the information. These sources also act as pointers to the primary sources by referencing the original sources. Secondary information are much more available and sometimes easier to use, but they should be critically evaluated to ensure that care has been taken to maintain the integrity of the original information and that the author of the secondary source has not misinterpreted or altered the original information to support a specific opinion or viewpoint. In other words, you must ensure as much as possible that you use information that is accurate, credible, and complete. Most magazine articles are secondary sources because they provide analysis, interpretation, or evaluation by the writer. Further examples of secondary sources are: encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, textbooks, commentaries, technical reports, handbooks, and edited multimedia.

What are scholarly sources?
Sources that: Are written by a scholar or a professional in the field. Cite their sources of information. Give research results. Include specialized vocabulary. Are aimed at a scholarly audience. Are published by professional organizations, associations, scholarly groups or universities and colleges. What are scholarly sources? Most academic work requires scholarly sources. Scholarly sources are sources that are: written by a scholar or a professional in the field. The authors are always named and their institutional affiliation is given. They cite their sources of information, usually in a bibliography or footnotes. They give research results and include specialized vocabulary and are aimed at a scholarly audience. And, they are published by professional organizations, associations, scholarly groups or universities and colleges. You’ll will learn more about scholarly sources as this course progresses.

Plan your research strategy 2
How much information do you need? What kind of sources do you need to use? What kind of formats do you need? Okay, we are back to planning your strategy. The last thing you need to note is what kind of formats you need. Many instructors require specific formats such as books, periodicals and online databases, while other may exclude certain sources such as Websites.

Types of sources Books Periodical articles
Online subscription database articles Web sources Types of sources. Books- Even though most students think of the Web, when they think of research. Books still play a big part in academic research. Books provide a depth of coverage that is not usually available in other sources. Also, books printed by reputable publishers go through a rigorous editorial process, which means that facts must be checked and sources of information confirmed. There are two main types of books in a library, circulating books, that can be checked out, and reference books, which are to be used in the library. Reference books will be discussed in a later lesson. Periodical articles – Periodicals include all publications that come out on an ongoing basis, including newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Print periodicals will be discussed in a later lesson. Online database articles – These are the databases to which a library subscribes and they include periodical articles, as well as reference book articles and television and radio transcripts. The articles in these databases already appeared in print, but are now being made available via the Web. They have gone through an editorial process. Subscription databases will be discussed in a later lesson. Web sources – The Web includes two types of sources: those that were originally published in print, and sources that are published on the Web – they are unique to the Web. When we refer to Web sources in this course, we mean free Web sources. We do not distinguish between where the information was first published. Note that an online subscription database is not a Web source because it is not free, the College or public library that hosts it pays the subscription fee. Free Web sources are sources that anyone can access, for free, on the Web. Remember that anyone can put anything on the Web, so you have to be careful when using free Web sources for academic work. Evaluating Web sources will be discussed in a later lesson. Your lesson material includes a link to a Know Your Sources Guide that includes the traditional sources I just discussed, plus various social media sources you may encounter when doing Web research. You should have already read it, but if you have not, please do so as it does a great job of pointing out what to consider when selecting a source. Your lesson also includes a link to a short video and a quick guide that discuss the Information Cycle. The Information Cycle is the progression of media coverage of a particular newsworthy event. Knowing and understanding the information cycle is critical to doing research as it helps you figure out what types of sources are available for your topic.

Locate your information
Go “fishing.” Focus your searching Continue to refine your search by narrowing or broadening your topic as needed. Locate your information. Once you have decided on a research question and figured out how much and what type of information you will need, you need to start your research. Start your research by fishing for basic information on your main idea or ideas. Use the key terms you identified in your research question to find broad information on your topic. For example, for the question: Should marijuana be legalized like alcohol and tobacco?, you may want to start with a broad search on legalized marijuana. Use a library catalog to locate sources in a library, then try your key words and synonyms to search the online subscription databases. This is a great way to determine what type of information and how much information is available on your topic. Once you reviewed some of the information from your broad search, start focusing your search to your specific needs. This is when your who, what, where, when, why, and how questions will come in handy. They will help you direct your searching so that you find the information you need to answer your research question. And, of course you will need to continue to refine your search by narrowing or broadening your topic as needed.

Evaluate your information
Authority Accuracy Content Objectivity/Bias Currency Evaluate your information You must evaluate every source you intend to use for academic research. Evaluation focuses on five main criteria: Authority – What is the authority of the author and/or publisher? If you cannot determine the authority of the author or publisher, then you should not use it. 2. Accuracy – Is the information correct? Does it include a bibliography or list of sources? Can you determine where the author got his information? If there is no method for you to determine if the information in the source is accurate, or that the author/publisher has expertise in the subject, then you should not use it. 3. Content – Does the source adequately address your topic? Does it answer the main questions you have about your topic? Content is important, but it should never be the only reason you select a resource when you are doing academic research. 4. Objectivity/Bias – Can you determine the objectivity of the source? Is there a slant, or bias? Is its intent to promote a product, cause or organization, or is its only purpose to provide information? If it is not objective, it may still be okay to use; it will depend on the purpose of your research and your ability to find other sources that present the opposing viewpoint. 5. Currency – When was it written? Is currency important to your topic? If you are doing research on Abraham Lincoln, then currency is not an issue, but if you are doing a speech on the current state of immigration in America, a book from 1965 is not an appropriate source. Evaluate your sources based on your information need. For schoolwork, your information need is determined by your assignment. You may get to pick your own topic, but your instructor indicates the type of information that is required. For example, whether or not you can use Web resources. You may find a Website that you think is perfect based on the five evaluation criteria, but if your instructor does not allow you to use Websites, then it is inappropriate for your project. Evaluation is an on going process. You evaluate your information the first time while you are selecting it, but once you have more time, or the item in hand, you will need to evaluate it again. Your material for this lesson includes a handout titled “Evaluating Books and Articles.” Starting with the next lesson, you will need to evaluate either a book or an article for almost every lesson. Please read the handout and either print it or bookmark it as you will need to refer to this criteria when you are writing your evaluations.

Record your information
Take notes and record your findings. Develop a working outline. Record your information Take notes and record your findings. Find a system that will help you organize your research. Include a complete citation for each source. Take the time to do it at this time because it is difficult and time consuming to go back and try to find the same sources later. * Develop a working outline. A traditional outline is often too detailed and can become frustrating to try to fit all the gathered information that may or may not prove useful at this point. Try making a “working outline” that blocks in the main parts of your paper with transitions that show the relationship between the parts. Then you can revise it as you find more information.

When is your research due?
Be sure to allow sufficient time for your project. Starting early eliminates last minute stress. Starting early allows time to retrieve good research material. Starting late you may find material already checked out. The quality of your work is a reflection on you. When is your research due? The due date is key to your research process as it will set the pace? *Be sure to allow sufficient time for your project. *Starting early eliminates last minute stress. *Starting early allows time to retrieve good research material. *Starting late you may find material already checked out. Starting early gives you the option to reserve material -- Finding good research material takes time and effort, sometimes more time than you originally had in mind. *Remember, the quality of your work is a reflections on you.

Produce your paper/speech/project
Carefully follow any guidelines your instructor has given you. Find visual aid materials, if needed. Begin to write a tentative draft of your paper or speech from your notes and outline in your own words. Read through your paper or speech for content and language. Seek outside help for writing or grammar. Produce your paper, speech, or project. Once you are finished with your research, it is time to produce your paper, speech or project. *Carefully follow any guidelines your instructor has given you. If you have questions, ASK your instructor, not your classmates. They too might not understand the directions correctly. *Find visual aid materials, if needed. If your assignment requires a presentation, gather the visual aids that you will need for a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or handout. *Begin to write a tentative draft of your paper or speech from your notes and outline, in your own words. Then add significant new material to make a more complete and coherent text. *Read through your paper or speech for content and language. Revise where it is needed. *Seek outside help for writing or grammar. If you are enrolled in an English course at Mission College you will have access to the English Department’s Writing Center. Ask your instructor for details. Mission College also has a Tutoring Center open to all students.

Tutoring Center The Tutoring Center is part of the Academic Support Center. They offer academic support in a variety of formats, including online help. If you are not familiar with this service, I suggest you either stop by the center or check out their Website, which is listed under Student Services on the Mission College Website.

Cite your sources A complete citation should include enough identifying information so that a reader can locate a copy of the item if he wishes. Use the style recommended by your instructor. Lastly, you need to cite your sources. Remember, a complete citation should include enough identifying information so that a reader can locate a copy of the item if he wishes. And you need to use the style recommended by your instructor and be consistent throughout your project.

Five Steps to Writing a Research Project
The Five Steps for Writing a Research Project The Library Research Portal is your portal to research assistance, subject guides, and useful resources complied by the Mission College Librarians. It includes a link to the “The Five Steps for Writing a Research Paper” which includes tips and links to help you write a research project. This is the Five Steps guide. There are tabs across that top that represent each of the five steps. The open tab is gold. This is the Plan page. It is hard to see but there is a down arrow on the tab next to the word Plan. That means this page has at least one subpage. The subpage for Plan is Types of Sources. This guide has gathered everything you need to help you with the research process and put it in one place. Please take the time to explore this valuable resource on your own.

The five steps to research success
Select a topic Plan your research strategy Locate and evaluate information Produce your paper/speech/project Cite your sources Just to recap one more time, here are the five steps to research success. 1. Select a topic, 2. Plan your research strategy, 3. Locate and evaluate information, 4. Produce your paper, speech or project, and lastly, 5. Cite your sources. Don’t forget to ask your instructor or a librarian for help with any of these steps. This concludes the presentation. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your instructor.