1. Rescue for the Technical Researcher & Writer

2. The Research Process 1.Planning the project 2.Selecting / refining a topic 3.Finding sources 4.Evaluating your sources 5.Organizing your findings 6.Writing & revising

3. Time Management http:core.lib.purdue.edu/plan4.htm

4. Tips for the Time Challenged Identify your deadline or other key dates, and work backwards to today Chunk up your research tasks, and spread them through your calendar Allow yourself a little more time than you may actually need

5. Understanding Your Assignment  Format of the project (research paper, oral presentation, technical report, design...)  Length  Audience  Assessment criteria  Citation style (APA, MLA...)

6. Exploring your Topic  Chosen for you, or choose for yourself  Refine your topic to something that is interesting to you  Too broad / too narrow dilemma  Your overall topic is computer security Do you write about all the security dangers that a computer faces? Too broad Do you write about the proper use of computer passwords? Too narrow Do you write about backup hardware and procedures? Just right

7. Keep Exploring Search Hint: Use quotation marks for phrase searches e.g. “backup procedures”, “backup plans” Brainstorm ideas for a topic Come up with keywords Create a Concept Map Expand your search using alternate keywords procedures (plans, actions, processes) hardware(equipment, tools, drives)

8. Concept Map - Web Backup Hardware & Procedures Procedures Manual vs. Automatic Company Policies Hardware Backup Servers Optical Storage External Hard Drives

9. Looking for Information  Check the Internet for:  Wikipedia (great source to get ideas)  Free Online Journals ( DOAJ)  Current information (online newspapers, articles, studies...)  Association/Organization pages for current research in the field  YouTube, TeacherTube etc.

10. Evaluate your Sources  Accuracy  Does the source seem correct? Do you need to check the information with a second source?  Currency  Is this source up to date?  Objectivity  Is this source unnecessarily biased?  Coverage  What is the purpose of this source?  Authority/Reliability  Who is the author / publisher of this source?

11. Going Beyond Google Holland College Library Holland College Library has licensed several databases that provide access to full text articles and current information. Other links to free access databases are included as well: Academic Search Premier CPI-Q (includes Canadian magazines and newspapers) Access Science SCIRUS - science-specific search engine ScienceDirect DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journals

12. Let’s Do a Search!