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LIR 10: Week 4

LIR 10: Week 4. Refining Your Topic, Searching Concepts, Boolean Operators and Periodical Databases. Class Announcements. It’s official: no class on 11/10 Electronic books note. Defining a topic. Move from general to specific. From Topic to Thesis Statement. Research Topics.

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LIR 10: Week 4

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  1. LIR 10: Week 4 Refining Your Topic, Searching Concepts, Boolean Operators and Periodical Databases

  2. Class Announcements • It’s official: no class on 11/10 • Electronic books note

  3. Defining a topic Move from general to specific

  4. From Topic to Thesis Statement

  5. Research Topics Topic selection: • Specific topic = ease of research • Provides focus • Eliminate off-topic sources • Fewer sources to review • Pre-selected topics can be “tweaked” for research

  6. Good Research Topics • Two (or more) elements • Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion

  7. Good Research Topics Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion Clash + influence on music Google + privacy & China policy Quilting + Gee’s Bend quilt history Steroids + Congressional hearings Struggling readers + effect of reading dog program Creeks + urban restoration

  8. Good Research Topics • Reggae (or the Clash) • Too broad • Reggae influence on “Guns of Brixton” • Too narrow • Influence of reggae music on the Clash • Just right!

  9. Is a thesis statement or research question required? Ask your instructor! (Can be helpful even if not required.)

  10. Thesis statement: 1-2 sentence statement articulating paper’s purpose Defines topic, may indicate point of view Research Question: All of the above + Question form Thesis Statements/Research Questions

  11. Strong thesis/topic questions • Justifies discussion • Specific • One idea, direction for research • Roadmap for research and writing

  12. Needs Improvement “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm is one of the greatest classic fairy tales. New and Improved! The Brothers Grimm sought to improve health education for their public through fairy tales. “Hansel and Gretel” reflects their growing concern over the high-carb diets common in late 19th century Germany. Strong thesis statements?

  13. Needs Improvement Does “Hansel and Gretel” reflect the health concerns of the Brothers Grimm? New and Improved! Given the Brothers Grimm commitment to health education through fairy tales, how does “Hansel and Gretel” demonstrate their concern with the high carbohydrate diet of Germans in the late 19th century? Strong research questions?

  14. If your Thesis Question Can be answered by a simple “yes or “no”… Keep working!

  15. An effective thesis statement or research question… creates a roadmapfor searching

  16. Check the Online Reader http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.html

  17. Creating your own roadmap for searching

  18. Our “Search History” Information Finding Tools = structured environments • Library catalogs & databases • Remember the card catalog…

  19. Structured IFTs Why should you care? Design, fields = access, success Helps create “search statement”

  20. Search statements? Words/terms entered into search page of Information Finding Tool • More than words… • Incorporates fields • AKA “search string”

  21. It’s not enough to say “Tall, British and handsome…” Think of a database as an alien…

  22. Online Dating Service search statement: Tall in the Height Field British in the Nationality Field Handsome in the Attractiveness Field Complete Search Statement

  23. Searching a structured environment… • Use search fields • Combine fields: • Subject keyword: Gun control • Keyword anywhere: Civil Rights • Experiment for best results

  24. Online database search statements are complex! Know your fields!!!

  25. Subject Author Title Keyword? And now… Magazine title Article type Date Company Person (?) And more! Fields we have known…

  26. And know your terms…

  27. Controlled Vocabulary recap… • Authorized or agreed-upon list of terms used to search fields

  28. Keys to searching controlled vocabulary • Try subject search first • “See also” reference, “notes” or redirection • Click on accepted terms • Try keyword search

  29. Phone book Library of Congress Subject Headings (Big Red Books) Library card catalogs Combine terms Search fields No full text Internet search engines Online periodical indexes: keyword “anywhere” Controlled vs. Uncontrolled

  30. Until now…

  31. Searching Concepts You will learn to love …trust me

  32. Creating Excellent Search Statements • Precision vs. Recall • Narrowing vs. Broadening • Subject vs. Keyword • Boolean Searching

  33. 1. Precision vs. Recall A way of thinking about search methods, results

  34. PRECISION Number of articles directly related to topic RECALL Total number of articles retrieved, even if slightly related to topic Narrow your search to increaseprecision Broaden your search to increaserecall Precision vs. Recall

  35. Pros: Directly related to topic Saves time Cons: May eliminate good sources Limits range of sources Pros: Wide range of sources Depth of understanding Cons: May be time consuming Can be frustrating Precision Recall

  36. Why should you care? • Time & energy • Search results too large, irrelevant? • Increase precision • Search results too small? • Increase recall

  37. Yes, but how? 2. Narrowing a search, Broadening a search

  38. Narrowing increases precision Use Boolean logic Add additional instructions or “limits” Parameters Broadening increases recall Use Boolean logic (!) Eliminate instructions or “limits” Parameters To Narrow a Search To Broaden a Search

  39. 3. Subject vs. KeywordSearching

  40. Structured environments “Official” subject headings: controlled vocabulary Importance of subheadings Computer-based structured environments Not using “official” subject headings Can combine concepts easily High recall possibility Subject Keyword

  41. Database Examples:Subject vs. Keyword

  42. Global warming tx=“elvis costello” vs. su=Costello, Elvis ProQuest Example Infotrac Example Benefits & drawbacks?

  43. Online Database Search Strategies

  44. Boole-what? 4. Create your own searches using Boolean logic

  45. George BoolePatron Saint of Librarians 1815-1864 For more information: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Boole.html

  46. Constructing Searches with Boolean Logic • “Boolean logic”: logical relationship between search terms • 3 magical logical operators: • AND • NOT • OR

  47. AND • Narrows search • Retrieve only records containing all search terms together

  48. Grey section = “intersection” of terms: search results Venn Diagram: AND vampire AND poodles

  49. AND Adding more terms with AND results in fewer (possibly more precise/relevant) search results

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