This document provides an overview of the college level research process. It discusses defining topics and search terms, searching library databases and catalogs, evaluating sources, citing sources, and getting help from librarians. The research process is presented as iterative, requiring revising search terms and strategies as needed. Students are encouraged to both narrow and broaden their searches using tools like phrase searching, AND/OR Boolean operators, and truncation.
1. College Level Research:
Diana Aram
Technology Librarian
daram@nvcc.edu
http://nova.libguides.com/CST229-globalpresentation
2. Class Objectives
O Know what the library has to offer
you
O Understand the research process
3. Wisdom in Song Lyrics
“You can’t always get what you
want. But if you try sometimes
well you might find you get what
you need.”
Jagger, Mick, and Keith Richards. You Can't Always Get What You Want. London: Decca Records, 1969. Print.
4. The Research Process
Where What should What should
information information
does information
come from? be like? Do for you?
12. Revise and Repeat
Revise you search terms/
strategy
Narrow Topic
Explore one aspect of topic
13. Avoid Target Fixation
O Change is inevitable
O It’s possible you (or someone else is
wrong)
O Know how to get unstuck and move
on
O More than one way.
16. 500,000,000 GB
Eric Schmidt:
Every 2 Days We Create As
Much Information As We Did Up
To 2003
2010 Source: "Eric Schmidt: Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As We
Did Up To 2003," TechCrunch.
17. The Filter Bubble
“The ultimate search engine
would understand what you
mean and give you back exactly
what you want.”
- Larry Page, Co-founder of Google
23. Types of Databases
O Reference
O Article
O Bibliographic
O eBook
O Music & Video
24. Research & Search Tips
Identify:
Topic
Keywords
Synonyms & related terms
25. Topic & Keywords
O Voting laws and the presidential
election
O Other possible search terms:
- Voting rights
- 2012
- Identification requirements
26. “Phrase searching”
Searches for words in exact
order, as a package.
O “Great Depression”
O “Digital Divide”
O “19th Century” or “Nineteenth
Century”
27. AND: Focuses a search
O “Voter rights” AND election
O India AND culture AND
customs
28. OR: Broadens a search
Washington DC OR District of
Columbia
31. Review: Evaluation
O Currency: When was it created
O Relevance: How does it relate to topic
O Authority: Who created/ wrote it
O Accuracy: Evidence?
O Purpose: Who’s the audience? Bias?
32. Review: Cite Your
Sources!
O Citation builders
O Web: Online Writing Lab (OWL)
O Print: Rules for Writers, MLA Handbook for
Writers & Research Papers
33. Review: What makes an
effective Researcher?
O Knows where to search
O Knows how to search
O Evaluates findings
O Gives credit (cites sources)
35. Questions?
Research Guide:
http://nova.libguides.com/CST229-
globalpresentation
Notas do Editor
The point of today’s class is to talk about college level research, with a focus on your public speaking assignment, to give a eulogy. By the end of the class, I want you all to…Know about what the library has to offer in terms of resources that will not only help you with this particular assignment, but future research as well.Understand the basics to the research process. The steps of the research process will need to be ingrained in your brains to help you with your academic work and your real life experiences. One of the primary purposes of getting a college education is to prepare you to be informed critical thinkers in order to support careers as well as your many faceted lives.
Words of Wisdom from the Rolling Stones… and something important to remember when you are approaching research in general.
On a whiteboard, I write out: Where does information come from? (in general, not just for assignments/class projects)Students inevitably answer things such as: books, Internet, journals, magazines,newspapers, Google, Facebook, cell phone, TV, people, etc…We discuss that information comes from a variety of sources.Then I ask: What do you want your information to be like?Popular answers are usually: truthful, accurate, authoritative, easy to understand,quick to find, brief (short).Then I emphasize using authoritative and accurate information. And although it’s nice if the information is “short,” that might not always be the case with the research process. But I point out that we’re here to help them navigate through it!The last question I ask is: What do you want that information to do for you?Popular answers include: give me examples, give me ideas, help support my opinion, make my writing better, get me a good grade.I point out that these are all good examples. Then I make the case that they use the skills of finding and evaluating information everyday (You just showed me up on the board!) and that they just need to take those skills and apply it to the library’s resources.
Define: What is your research topic? What questions or questions are you trying to answer? This is an important 1st step of the research process that I find students often overlook. Find: Know how to locate the sources you need to answer your question and/ or explore your research topic. And as nascent researchers (meaning as you are learning to become expert researchers) know where to go to ask for your help (your friendly librarian of course!)Evaluate: Know how to evaluate the information that you find for credibility: Is the source reliable, current, valid and appropriate to your information? How do you determine this?Organize: Compile the information in a meaningful way – know how and gather citationsCommunicate: This is your deliverable: Your paper, your presentation… the focus of this class. Communicating and defining is often times overlooked and is absolutely critical to your success as students and members of society. Being able to effectively deliver your message is what will get you the good grades, the recognition, the promotion… etc. Give example of JP and Derrick’s Wireless Survey project.
Acronym
Acronym
Acronym
Acronym
Acronym
At a technology conference in 2010 and I assure you all of that not all of that content is vetted “credible” nor scholarly.
Acronym
Signals: the computer you’re using, your browser, your location
