INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH

1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH

2. Expository Writing • Expository writing analyzes and explains information to inform or educate your reader. • It requires: • Description • Narration • Emphasis on logic and organization • It is the type of writing you will be doing in college and most likely throughout your career.

3. When you enter the workforce, you will find that expository writing is necessary in almost any profession. • Your ability to write exposition requires the same skills necessary to succeed in many careers such as: • thinking critically • analyzing complex situations • presenting information clearly to coworkers • ability to do good research

4. RESEARCH An exposition involves good research. Good research involves using good resources. Good research involves using more than one resource.

5. In research, a resource is any reference document, material, person or source you used to acquire information. What are Resources?

6. There are 2 types of sources: • Primary sources • 2. Secondary sources • Print reference • Electronic reference

7. Print references are encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, atlases, reader’s guides, subject specific books and other special books.

8. General Reference Information on various subjects arranged in alphabetical order Specific Reference Volumes dedicated to a specific subject. Special Reference Like a general encyclopedia with information, but the subjects may not be arranged in alphabetical order. You must use the index volume to locate information on a specific topic. Kinds of Encyclopedias There are three kinds of encyclopedias. • .

9. General Reference Encyclopedias in Byrd Middle School’s Library World Book Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Americana Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos The Student Discovery Encyclopedia Gran Enciclopedia Hispanica Compton’s Encyclopedia

10. Special Reference Encyclopedias in the Byrd Library Collection Index reference The New Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia

11. Specific Reference Encyclopediasin the Byrd Library Reference Collection • Student Discovery Science Encyclopedia • Encyclopedia of People & Places • Encyclopedia of the Human Body • Encyclopedia of Science and Nature • The Solar System & Space Exploration Library • Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists • Biographical Connections • America’s Multicultural Heritage • Encyclopedia of America’s Presidents • Encyclopedia of Celebrations and Rituals • Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends • Encyclopedia of Animals of the World • Encyclopedia of Ecology (Make it Work!) • Encyclopedia of Geography (Make it Work!)

12. And there are lots more, just come into the library and browse the reference section.

13. NON FICTION BOOKS These are informational books. They present factual information on specific subjects. Non fiction books are the best most detailed source of factual information on a given topic. These books are located in the library according to it’s Dewey Classification.

14. The Almanac An almanac is a handy, desk-size volume packed full of brief facts, statistics, and miscellaneous information on many subjects of the past and present.

15. The almanac tells about countries, states, governments, population, sports records and champions, academy Award winners, and many, many other bits and pieces of information known as trivia.

16. YEARBOOKS A yearbook is similar to an almanac, but it is more likely to be limited to one subject, such as government, or to a definite period of time, such as a single year (such as World Book’s Year in Review or Science Year). Many encyclopedias are kept up to date with these annual yearbooks which record information about outstanding personalities, developments, and events of the previous year.

17. THE DICTIONARY • A ready reference source that provides information not just on word meaning, but, • pronunciation, • spelling, • parts of speech, • plurals, • synonyms, • antonyms. • It also has illustrations, charts, graphs, tables and lists.

18. There are many levels and kinds of dictionaries for • general use. • There are generally two types of dictionaries available at the library. • unabridged- a dictionary that lists nearly all of the • words in the English language. • 2. abridged- a smaller dictionary that contains only • commonly used words.

19. AND AAAN • There are many different kinds of dictionaries: • Biographical • Geographical (called a Gazetteer) • Subject –Related • Foreign language

20. Try Me We are here! We are here! Right on the reference shelf in this library! Come and use me. Merriam Webster Dictionary World Book Dictionary New Explorer Dictionary Thorndike Barnhart Dictionary Psst, come on over to the computer and try us: Dictionary.com at http://dictionary.reference.com Cambridge dictionary Online at http://dictionary.cambridge.org One Look at http://www.onelook.com Word Central. at http://wordcentral.com WriteExpress at http://www.rhymer.com

21. The Thesaurus A thesaurus is a special kind of dictionary which lists synonyms and related words. It is especially useful when you are preparing a report or doing creative writing, because it helps you find just the right word.

22. LOOKING FOR GEOGRAPHICAL AND OR TOPOGRAPHICALINFORMATION TRY

23. THE ATLAS • An atlas is a book of maps.

24. An atlas will answer your questions about: • Location: places in the news, rivers, mountains, • continents, hemispheres, etc. • Physical characteristics of the earth: altitude, • vegetation, soil, minerals, forests, climate, etc. • Man-made characteristics: cities and their population, • national boundaries, capitals, roads and • railroads, mines, crops • Historical facts: locations of battles and campaigns, growth and expansion of countries and states, changing boundaries, for what the world looked like in the past for example: during the Roman Empire.

25. Political, physical, subject related, and historical maps for example this world map during the Renaissance.c.1350-1450

26. Don’t forget magazines and newspapers are also great print reference sources and will have more up to date information.

27. and finally

28. ELECTRONIC REFERENCE SOURCES

29. The Internet This is the easiest, most popular, most current, most misused and abused, most plagiarized of all reference sources

30. To effectively use the internet for retrieving information you should be skilled in: • Keyword searching (using the right words to find what you need) • Web site evaluation (accurate and updated information) • Search Engines (what’s right for you, your reading level, your grade level)

31. For example: Wikipediais a multi-lingual based, freecontent encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers. Its articles can be edited by those with knowledge on the subject and is kept current daily.

32. Grokker Hotbot Ivy Kids’ Almanac Kidsites Lycos Mamma.com Metacrawler MultiCrawl Northern Light OneKey Open directory Project W3 Webcrawler Yahoo Yahooligans Some common search engines are: • About.com • Aesop.com • All4one • All the Web, all the time • Alta Vista • ASK • Ask for kids • Directhit.com • Dogpile • EducationPlant • EduHound • Excite Netsearch • eZ Find • Find-it! • GoTo.com • Google • Grokker

33. One of the best places to do your internet searches is through the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Digital Library

35. What is the Digital Library? The LAUSD Digital Library is the second largest school electronic library in the United States. The Digital Library is a web based library that provides the same information that one can find in a real library, except much more. The Digital Library gives students, teachers, and administrators access to hundreds of primary print, audio, and video resources that can be used for research projects reports, presentations and assemblies.

36. RESEARCH A good research paper involves good research. Good research involves good research skills. There are 6 basic steps in research skills. These steps are called the “Big 6”.

37. What are the Big 6 Research Skills? • Big 6 Step#1 Task Definition • Big 6 Step#2 Information Seeking Strategies • Big 6 Step#3 Location and Access • Big 6 Step#4 Use of Information • Big 6 Step#5 Synthesis • Big 6 Step#6 Evaluation

38. Fill out Big6 # 1-5 before you begin to work on your assignment. Fill out Big6 #6 before you turn in your assignment. Project Due _______________ Name:__________________________ Teacher: ____________________ Date:_____________ Big6 #1 Task DefinitionWhat am I supposed to do? Where do I begin? • What information do I need in order to do this? (Consider listing in question form.) • List below information that you feel you need to know at this time. (Attach another sheet of paper if you need more space.) • ___________________________________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________________________________ • ___________________________________________________________________________ • 6. ____________________________________________________________________________

39. Big 6 Step#1 Task Definition What am I suppose to do? Read and re-read the question or prompt to make sure you understand. What information do I need in order to do this? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

40. Big6 #2: Information Seeking StrategiesWhere do I begin looking for information? Don’t forget traditional print and human sources as well. • Primary sources • Eyewitness _____________________ Historic Document _______________________ • Experiment ____________________ Byrd Library ___________________________ • Observation ______________________ Other ________________________________ • Secondary sources • Book (Nonfiction) _____________________ • Book (Fiction)________________________ • Dictionary __________________________ • Encyclopedia ________________________ • Atlas ______________________________ • Almanac ______________________________ • Newspaper____________________________ • Magazine(print)____________________ • Magazine(electronic)_________________ • Video ___________________________ • Audiotape_______________________ • DVD __________________________ • Internet(search engine)_______________ • IP address_______________________ • IP address _______________________ • IP address_______________________ • If using web sites, how will I know they are good enough for my project? • ____I will use only those sites evaluated and provided by my teacher or librarian. • ____I will ask my teacher or librarian for assistance if needed. • ____I will find my own web sites.

41. Big 6 Step#2 INFORMATION SEEKING STRATEGIES What are the best sources I can use to find the information I am looking for? • Reference Books • Subject Specific Books • Electronic Sources • Human Sources

42. Big6 #3: Location and AccessWhere will I find information for my topic? • __Byrd Library • __Public Library • __Personal Library • __Classroom Library • __Internet • What are some keywords that I will use in my search for information? • ___________________ 2. ____________________ 3. ____________________ • ___________________ 5. ____________________ 6. _____________________ • Where in the library can I find information about my topic? • Write the Call Numbers, titles, page numbers so I won’t forget them. • Write down web site addresses. • Don’t forget to search Indexes and Tables of Content. (You can do this below or on separate paper & attach.) • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • ________________________________________________________________________ • __Other • __I can find the sources myself • __My teacher • __My library teacher • __My parents

43. Big 6 Step#3Location and Access • Where will I find these sources? • School library • Public library • Internet • Teachers • Other • If using the Internet, list likely key words. See • your prompt in Step 1 • task definition. • What are some search engines I can use other than Google?

44. Big6 #4: Use of InformationHow will I gather and record the information that I find? __Take notes using note cards __Take notes on notebook paper __Take notes using a word processor/computer __Take notes on a thinking map __Illustrate concepts __Use a tape recorder, video camera, or digital camera __Other: _______________________ __ I will remember to cite my sources using the guide given to me by my teacher. (You may use Knightcite Citation Service or CiteFast.com)

45. Big 6 Step#4 Use of Information How will I record the information I find? Note cards, notebook paper, graphic organizer, thinking map, illustrations, record. How will I avoid plagiarism? Give credit to my sources; paraphrase; write in my own words.

46. Big6 #5: SynthesisHow will I show the results of my research? • __Written paper __Oral presentation • __Multimedia presentation __Other ____________________ • How will I give credit to my sources in my final project? • Include a written bibliography (“Works Cited” page in MLA format) • After the presentation, announce which sources I used • Other: ____________________________________ • What materials or equipment will I need for my presentation? How much time do I estimate it will take to find the information and complete the project? ___________________________________________________________ Timeline for assignment: Ideas for project due by: ________ Information searching and note taking due by: _________ First draft due: _________ Completed project due by: __________ Include here any additional information needed to successfully complete the assignment:

47. Big 6 Step #5 Synthesis How will I show my results? Written paper, oral presentation, performance, multimedia presentation How will I give credit to my sources? Works cited page, clusters/chunks, orally if performance. What materials will I need for my presentation?

48. Big6 #6: EvaluationHow will I know if I’ve done my best? Before turning in my project, I need to check off all of these items: __What I created to finish the project is appropriate for what I was supposed to do in Big6 #1. __The information I found in Big6 #4 matches the information I needed in Big6 # 1. __Credit is given to all my sources in the bibliography MLA format given to me by my teacher. __My work is neat. __My work is complete and includes all required heading and other components (name, date, title, margin, spacing, etc.) __I would be proud to put my name on this work and for anyone to view this work because I know it represents me. Ancillary notes __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

49. Big 6 #6 Evaluation • How will I know if I have done my best work? • Before submitting assignment, review and: • Create a checklist: • Did I answer the question or complete the task? • Did I give credit to my sources • Is my work neat? • Does my work complete and meet all the requirements of the assignment? • Would I be proud to show this off and put my name on it?

50. Now back to Step 5 Synthesis