The Research Process

1. The Research Process Lecture 2

2. Learning Objectives • Define research process • Identify steps in research process

3. The Research Process • a systematic inquiry into a subject to discover or revise facts, theories, etc.... • process of investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws. • For the librarian: • process of investigation. An examination of a subject from different points of view. It’s not just a trip to the library to pick up a stack of materials, or picking the first five hits from a computer search. Research is a hunt for the truth. It is getting to know a subject by reading up on it, reflecting, playing with the ideas, choosing the areas that interest you and following up on them. Research is the way you educate yourself.

4. Steps in the research process • STEP 1: Formulate your question • STEP 2: Get background information • STEP 3: Refine your search topic • STEP 4: Consider your resource options • STEP 5: Select the appropriate tool • STEP 6: Use the tool • STEP 7: Locate your materials • STEP 8: Analyze your materials • STEP 9: Organize and write • STEP 10: Compose your bibliography NB: You can omit steps, repeat steps, or rearrange steps, as necessary. You need to adapt this outline to your needs.

5. Step 1: Formulate your question • Research may start as general idea or specific question or statement. 1. Write a research paper on the ecology of the Rain Forest. 2. What are the types of alternative fuels being used or developed for automobiles? 3. What effect does use of verbal abuse by parents have on the mental state of children? 4. The Nurse’s Role in Caring for Cancer Patients.

6. Step 2: Get background information • Reading up on subject; to start to build a house need floor plan. To cook seven course meal need checking on ingredients you need. For both building house and preparing elaborate meal, planning is essential. • Background information is important because: • It helps you to focus on names, dates, events, organizations, terms, etc., associated with a topic. • It can help you to formulate/reformulate your topic (or, to put it another way, it can help you decide whether to broaden or narrow your topic). • Background sources might include bibliographies that you can use to find additional sources for your project. • Where do you find background information? • Encyclopedias are good sources for background information. You may choose to use a general encyclopedia, such as Encyclopedia Britannica, or a specialized encyclopedia such as: • Encyclopedia of Immunology; Encyclopedia of Allied Linguistics; the desk Encyclopedia of Microbiology; Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing & Allied Health, Historical Encyclopedia of Nursing  • Other reference sources include: bibliographies, handbooks, library catalogs, books, dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of Physics; Stedman’s Medical Dictionary; Dictionary of Psychology); online databases (Hinari, PupMed, Medline, Nestle Nutrition)and internet sources (websites)

7. Step 3: Refine your search topic • Based on background reading (Step 2) • Should you narrow your topic? Can narrow topic by using more specific terms and by examining subject headings in books and/or online databases • Should you broaden your topic? Can broaden topic by searching related concepts/synonyms using different keywords, or by selecting different resources. •  Subject/Disciplines: Which academic discipline? Which academic departments? Which disciplinary/subject area useful step in determining which databases you will need to consult. Eg Sciences include the "hard" sciences, such as chemistry and medicine; • Topic Interdisciplinary eg. "Students with AIDS in the Classroom."  Education, psychology (emotional impact on students with AIDS), Law (treatment of students with AIDS)Audience: General or specialized group? • Time: Limit topic by time period? Location: Specific place?

8. Step 4: Consider Your Resource Options • Materials needed? Books, Magazine articles, Newspaper articles • Scholarly journal articles, Web site, statistics, government publications • Current/Contemporary; Retrospective materials; Research time frame? •  The tools available •  UHAS Library: books, periodical titles, • Online databases through CARLIGH- periodical databases that cover variety of subject areas/disciplines. • Internet: collection of vast amount of materials. No guidelines that limit what may and may not be covered. •  Printed indexes: Multi-volume sets of books that include citations to articles in magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals, and sometimes chapters in books or other information. •  Consider tool appropriate to use to find needed materials.

9. STEP 5: Select the appropriate tool • ITEM TOOL • Books Search library catalogue. Remember call number. • Magazine articles Select databases based on coverage. Consult printed indexes • Newspaper articles Select databases based on coverage. Consult printed indexes • Scholarly journal articles Select databases based on coverage. Consult printed indexes • Web site Computer with an online connection and a browser. •  Remember: • Databases may contain full text of articles online; if not, you may get the article in print from library. • Many electronic databases cover only last 15-20 years. • Ask a librarian if you do not find years or subject that you want. • Databases may be subject or discipline specific. • Some databases are general databases, i.e., they cover many subject

10. STEP 5: Select the appropriate tool (2) • Eyewitness account of event that happened in 1946? The Web doesn't usually have older information. Need newspaper article from 1946 — may not be available on Web (yet). • Recent research experiments in biology? Library books too old. Need scholarly article from biology journal. • Background information on topic do not need articles in databases. Thousands of articles on your topic. Need encyclopedia or other reference source on topic.

11. STEP 6:Use the tool • Search information topic in selected databases using terms, organizations, names of people, and other information identified in background reading. Examples: • Research Topic Search Terms • Ecology of the Rain Forest Ecology, Rain forest, Environmental science, Environmentalism Conservationism, Ecosystem, Bionetwork; biology, green politics; Tropical rainforest, tropical forest, could forest • Types of alternative fuels being used or developed for automobiles Alternative fuels, automobiles electricity, ethanol, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells cars, vehicles, transportation, motor vehicle • Nurse’s Role in Caring for Cancer Patients Nursing; Cancer patients palliative care, neoplasms, breast cancer • Effect of verbal abuse by parents on mental state of children Effect, verbal abuse, parents, mental state, children

12. STEP7:Gather your materials • Once sources listed, begin to gather materials to read. • Availability of materials Eg. of materials How to get materials

13. STEP 8: Evaluate your sources • As you search , gather, read, discover overwhelming information. Analyze and carefully select sources to make research paper good. • Evaluation - look at content of books, magazines, newspapers, etc. • Determine if information reliable; source actually answers research question. • When evaluating sources, remember that library information already evaluated by editorial process before included in printed indexes or electronic databases. But for Internet - You are generally sole evaluator of information. • Basic criteria for evaluation:Authority – Who is the author? What are their credentials?Accuracy – Are the facts verifiable? Is the information correct?Objectivity – What is the purpose? Is there a bias?Currency – Is the information up-to-date?Coverage – What is the scope of the information? What does it focus on?

14. STEP 9: Organize and Write • Keep track of all your sources • What do you need to record to find sources again? • Remember citation style to compile your bibliography - author, title, and publication information (publisher, year of publication). • Online databases – note database and search used to find information. In some of databases you can email citation to yourself. • Use one sheet of paper or one note card per book, article, or other source to which you refer.

15. STEP 10: Compose your bibliography • A bibliography is a list of sources you used to write your paper. Take your final list of sources and put it into the appropriate style, which will be determined by UHAS or by subject/discipline in which you are writing paper. • Numerous styles for writing research papers, and all have style manuals. • Three styles frequently used in college courses are APA, MLA, and Turabian. • If you are assigned research paper which requires use of another style, consult style manual for that style. Academic libraries usually have copies of several style manuals.

16. Conclusion • You are well equipped to start your assignment • Good luck • Main Assignment • Choose any topic in your field of study. Use the research process to analyse your topic and present relevant information sources (print and online) that you will require to complete that study. All references must be listed according to UHAS citation style. Your assignment should be typed and handed in by ……………………..