RESEARCHING & EVALUATING

1. RESEARCHING & EVALUATING Melanie Wilson Academic Success Center MSC 207 Summer 2008

2. Introduction • Researching is a key component of academic success. • Understanding how to research, find, and evaluate information will help you in all of your classes and in life! • Objectives: • In this presentation, I will: • Identify different types of resources • Identify where to search • Identify how to evaluate information

3. Truths about Researching • Researching is a multi-step process • Researching takes times • The SUCCESS of a research paper is based on the quality of the information and sources you use. • It is nearly impossible to write a good paper with weak sources. • If you use strong resources – you’ll have a strong end product.

4. Types of Resources • Primary Sources • First hand materials & documents • Examples: photographs, first hand newspaper articles, letters, diaries, speeches • Where can I find primary documents? • Example: • Library of Congress • Secondary Sources • Explain and comment on first hand sources • Examples: books, articles, editorials, reviews

5. Types of Resources • Peer-reviewed journals • Articles from a peer-reviewed journal are reviewed by a panel of experts before they are published for quality assurance. • Peer-reviewed articles can be found in research databases, such as Academic Search Complete. • Government documents • The government publishes a wealth of information, including legislation & statistics– most of which can be found online

6. Where to look for good info? • Government websites: • U.S. Department of Heath & Human Services • Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA • Newspapers • Lexis-Nexis Academic • Research Papers • Academic Search Complete

7. Searching the Net • The internet contains a wealth of information • Benefits: • Easy to use • Quickly updated & current • Hub of multi-media • Weaknesses: • Quality control • Always changing

8. Internet Search Tools • If you must use the internet for research, these tools will help lead you to more reliable sources • Google Scholar • Benefit: connects directly to Ohiolink • Google News • Google Uncle Sam (Government Documents) • Google Books • Wikipedia

9. Evaluating Resources The most important part of research, especially on the web, is evaluation. As a researcher, you need to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. • Scope • What area does the site cover? Does it go into an appropriate amount of depth? • Currency • Is the site recent?  Does it have a date listed? • Authority • Who is the author or institution publishing the site?  What are their credentials? Do they have expertise in the area? • Accuracy • Does the information have an obvious bias? Does the information contain citations? • Quality • Are there errors or spelling mistakes on the site? Is it well written?  Is it edited or peer-reviewed?

10. Building Good Research • Quantity • Make sure you have enough resources to: • support your argument • Include a variety of viewpoints and material • Diversity • Include a variety of sources • Primary sources: contemporary accounts of an event and original documents • Examples: letters, diaries, audio-recordings, newspaper articles • Secondary sources: retrospective sources based on primary resources; include scholarly & scientific analysis • Examples: books, articles, editorials, reviews, scientific studies • Date of Publication • For currents events research use current sources that reflect current attitudes • For historical research use a variety of resources from different time periods Source: http://library.duke.edu/services/instruction/libraryguide/evaluating.htm l

11. Web Resource Caution • When using the internet --- BE CRITICAL! • Find out who is behind a site? • What is their motive? • Who is sponsoring it? • Who published the material? • An expert, a professor with a PhD, a professional?

12. More questions to ask… • What is the tone? • Who is the intended audience? • What is the purpose of the publication? • What assumptions does the author make? • What are the bases of the author’s conclusions? • Does the author agree or disagree with other authors of the subject? • Does the content agree with what you know or have learned about the issue? • To verify this information look over the source’s documentation & citations. Source: http://library.duke.edu/services/instruction/libraryguide/evaluating.htm l

13. Evaluating Websites • Are these websites… good or bad sources? • http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/ • http://www.martinlutherking.org • http://www.disasterplan.com/ • http://www.disastercenter.com/ • http://www.redcross.org/

14. 5 Tips for Research Success • Start early • Choose a strong topic • Choose an appropriate database for your topic • Break you topic into main ideas when searching • Evaluate potential sources • Cite any information that you use!

15. Links to Research Tools Tutorials of Researching: • Online Tutorials: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10773 • College Research: Transitioning to College: http://www.transitioning2college.org/ Resources & Databases for Research: • Online Reference Shelf: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10113 • Databases Alphabetical: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10078 • Subject Guides: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10114 Resources for Evaluating: • KSU library Evaluation Sheet & Criteria: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10475 Resources for Citing: • REFWORKS: http://www.refworks.com/refworks • Academic Success Center: http://www.kent.edu/asc/Cite.cfm • Citing Resources: http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10603 Materials from today’s lecture are available at: http://www.kent.edu/asc/research.cfm

16. GOOD LUCK! • Remember to start early and take advantage of the library. • FIND, EVALUATE, USE, CITE If you have any questions e-mail me at mawilson@kent.edu.