1 / 13

Research Process & Strategies

Research Process & Strategies. Library 150 Week 3. Research Process. Get assignment, check: number and type of sources required length type of citation style that should be used (e.g. APA) paper focus: required/suggested topics or open-ended Think of research statement or question

emile
Download Presentation

Research Process & Strategies

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Research Process & Strategies Library 150 Week 3

  2. Research Process • Get assignment, check: • number and type of sources required • length • type of citation style that should be used (e.g. APA) • paper focus: required/suggested topics or open-ended • Think of research statement or question • Identify key concepts & alternative terms • Choose library catalog (for books) or article database • Create search strategies and initiate searches • Email/print/save search results • Locate books or articles in Library or electronically

  3. Choosing a Topic • CSULA Library guide to choosing a topic • http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/rprep.htm#select • Web pages mentioned in homework #1 assignment

  4. Narrowing a Topic • Make sure it is not too broad • Abortion is too broad unless you’re prepared to write a book - the relationship between abortion and religion for Latinas is more manageable • How you can narrow your focus? • Time period: last 10 years, 20th century … • Place: U.S., West, California, So Cal, L.A. … • Person/Group: politician, actor, ethnic group … • Event/Aspect: Millennium, religious …

  5. Topic DevelopmentIn-Class Exercise • We’ll do this together as a class • http://www.calstatela.edu/library/libr150/inclass/week3topicdevelopment.doc

  6. Alternative Terms / Synonyms • What happens if you can’t think of any?!?!?! • Strategies • Search for books/articles with your initial word(s) and see if additional terms appear repeatedly • Look in a thesaurus – similar to a dictionary, except definitions are replaced with similar terms • Consult specialized encyclopedia or dictionaries – for example: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, reference collection PN41.C67 2001

  7. AND • search strategy that narrows search – finds only items that have both words/terms/phrases • number of results goes down • for example: fairy tales AND women • search for fairy tales finds 50 articles • search for women finds 100 articles • search for (fairy tales AND women) finds 10 articles • may be used when searching library catalogs, article databases and Internet search engines

  8. OR • search strategy that expands search – combines words with similar meaning • number of results goes up • for example: fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore • search for fairy tales finds 50 articles • search for folk tales finds 30 articles • search for folklore finds 40 articles • search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) finds 120 articles • other examples: • (college OR university OR higher education) • (children OR child OR kid OR kids OR juvenile OR minor…)

  9. NOT • search strategy that narrows search - excludes items that have additional word • number of results goes down • for example: (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) NOT grimms • search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) finds 120 articles • search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) NOT grimms finds 15 • other examples: • bats NOT baseball = small flying mammal • Mexico NOT New = country, not the state

  10. Learn How to Create Search Strategies In-Class Exercise • We’ll do this together as a class • http://www.calstatela.edu/library/libr150/inclass/week3inclass.ppt

  11. Evaluating Resources • Purpose • Is the purpose clearly stated? • Is it designed to inform, explain, persuade, etc.? • Does it meet needs of the audience? • Audience • Who are the intended users? • What is the level of writing used? • General public vs. professionals, adults vs. children, etc. • At what level is the resource pitched? • Is it a scholarly publication (journal) or not (magazine)? • Scholarly or pop culture approach to topic?

  12. Evaluating Resources cont. • Content • Does it cover topic? • Read the citation abstract or table of contents • Examine descriptors/subjects at bottom of citation • If full-text article or book, look for your key concepts/topics • Is it accurate? • Check information against material from other resources • Check for political, ideological or other type of bias • What is the writing quality? • Are there spelling mistakes, poor print quality, etc.

  13. Evaluating Resources cont. • Authority • Look for information about the author—is he/she a specialist in that area of research? • Currency • When was it published? • Is the information up-to-date? • If it’s a historical review, does it incorporate the latest research?

More Related