1. Information literacy training Sven Cerulus – sven.cerulus@ucll.be

2. Table of contents Some basic concepts Research plan
Information sources
Research outcome
Weblinks

3. Some basic concepts

4. Desk and field research
What is desk research?
= involves the summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research
secondary information
advantage:
quicker and cheaper
probably better quality
disadvantage:
might be unavailable
What is field research?
= involves the collection of information through experiments
primary information

5. Collecting information
Three ways of collecting information
Observation
= through senses (hearing, seeing, etc.)
Conversation
= asking questions (face-to-face, telephone, , letter, chat, etc.)
Consultation
= using documented information (on paper, cd-rom, dvd, etc.) which has been made systematically accessible through information management (libraries, archives, museums, companies, etc.)
DOCUMENTARY INFORMATION
= information that has been documented and published by others

6. High and low complexity
Two types of search instructions
Low complexity
Basic questions:
Where can I find correct information?
What is the quality of the information?
Is this information reliable?
High complexity
What literature is important?
What is known at this point?
Are there different theories?

7. Information sources grow more specific Different information sources
Primary sources
= contain original information (e.g. book)
concrete contents
proof in argumentation
Secondary sources
= refer to original information (e.g. search engine)
discussing primary sources
overview of information
Tertiary sources
= refer to secondary information (e.g. list of search engines)
discussing primary and secondary sources
useful for quick information research
grow more specific

8. Putting into practice
How important is desk research in a research project?
Literature review = basis for a good research project
What is known about the topic?
How was previous research carried out?
How are concepts defined and measured?
+ other relevant information:
Who has been doing research on this topic?
What websites, books and journals contain important information?
How should the data be processed?
Are there any recommendations for this type of research?
What could be a good methodology?

9. RESEARCH PLAN

10. Overview How do I write an effective research plan?
A research plan consists of:
Element 1: defining the research question
e.g. state your topic as a question
Element 2: defining keywords
e.g. take into account synonyms
Element 3: defining research methods
e.g. citation indices
Element 4: defining information sources to be used
e.g. social media

11. Step 1: Research question
How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 1: defining the research question
definition of the problem > research question
a specific definition of the problem as a research question
= questions posed will be answered in the research project
defines the topic;
defines the scope of the topic
defines in place and time;
puts theory into practice;
puts forward a personal or specific idea.

12. Example How do I write an effective research plan?
Definition of the problem:
topic: advertising
scope: advertising and children
time and place: children between 4 and 8 years old in the UK
practice: advertising strategies
personal idea: effective advertising strategies
Research question:
What are effective advertising strategies with children between 4 and 8 years old in the UK?

13. Step 2: Keywords How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 2: defining keywords
research question > keywords
words or phrases you use to retrieve information
= important links to the information available in search engines
synonyms, homonyms, translations and abbreviations
Boolean operators
keyword-based and concept-based search engines

14. Example How do I write an effective research plan? Research question:
What are effective advertising strategies with children between 4 and 8 years old in the UK?
Keywords:
effective, advertising, advert, ad, strategy, children, toddler

15. Step 3: Research methods
How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 3: defining research methods
keywords > research methods
Snowball method
Citation indices
Keyword expansion
Keyword refinement
Building block method
Pearl growing
Interactive scanning

16. Different methods How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 3: defining research methods
Snowball method
source > references > source > references
disadvantage: older information
Citation indices
overview of articles which refer to other articles
advantage: recent information
Keyword expansion
keyword > + keyword > + keyword
advantage: specific information

17. Different methods ctd. How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 3: defining research methods
Keyword refinement
keyword > - keyword > - keyword
disadvantage: time-consuming
Building block method
AND, OR, NOT, proximity search, truncation, nesting, etc.
advantage: effective
Pearl growing
trial and error
disadvantage: less structured

18. Different methods ctd. How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 3: defining research methods
Interactive scanning
use of web directories
advantage: serendipity

19. Example How do I write an effective research plan? Keywords:
effective, advertising, advert, ad, strategy, children, toddler, UK
Research method:
((‘ad’ OR ‘advert’ OR ‘advertising’) AND ‘strategy’ AND ‘toddler’) NOT ‘US’

20. Step 4: Information sources
How do I write an effective research plan?
Element 4: defining information sources to be used
research methods > information sources
a broad range of possibly valid information sources
= research question has an impact on choice of source
free and deep web
social media
libraries, multimedia centres and archives
government agencies, research bureaux and specialists
scientific information sources

21. Example How do I write an effective research plan? Research method:
((‘ad’ OR ‘advert’ OR ‘advertising’) AND ‘strategy’ AND ‘toddler’) NOT ‘US’
Information sources:
EbscoHost, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Google Books

22. INFORMATION SOURCES

23. Overview

24. Free web
Free web
The free web contains lots of low-quality information, so:
use different search engines (not just Google)
use advanced search options
use Boolean operators
browse weblogs and forums
use RSS-feeds or alerts
Examples:
Google
Yahoo!
online dictionaries

25. Deep web
Deep web
The deep web contains lots of high-quality information, but:
information is often not public
information is not free
retrieved via databases, e.g. MD Info
host organisations, e.g. EbscoHost
Examples:
market information
sales figures
LibriLinks

26. Different possibilities
Deep web
Consider the following sources:
Google Scholar and Google Books
social media, e.g. LinkedIn
classification codes, e.g. NAICS
government agencies, e.g. Eurostat
scholarly journals, e.g. Journal of Applied Psychology
trade magazines, e.g. Industry Week
popular magazines, e.g. Discover

27. SEARCH OUTCOME

28. Check credibility Assessing search outcome Questions:
Does the website contain information on the author?
Can you ask the author any questions?
Has the author won his spurs?
Does the author work for an organisation?
Is this organisation well-known and reputable?
Have the contents been peer reviewed?
Don’ts:
Anonymity, lack of quality control, bad reviews, spelling or grammar mistakes

29. Check accuracy Assessing search outcome Questions:
Is the information correct?
Is it a clear comprehensible document?
Does it provide its readers with much detail?
Is the information up-to-date?
Does the author withhold any information?
Don’ts:
No date, vague assumptions, old information in a dynamic field of research, one point of view, etc.

30. Check reasonableness Assessing search outcome Questions:
Does the author mention both arguments and counterarguments?
Does the author write in an objective way?
Could the author be a webrep?
Does the information come from an annual report?
Does the information come from a weblog or forum?
Does the information come from a review site?
Don’ts:
Unsuitable tone and attitude, exaggeration, contradictions, conflict of interest, tone of voice, etc.

31. Check support Assessing search outcome Questions:
Is there a clear reference list?
Can you ask the author any questions?
Can you find any contact information on the website?
Can the information be confirmed?
Don’ts:
No reference list, lack of information, no contact information, information cannot be confirmed, etc.

32. WEBLINKS

33. Interesting weblinks

34. Thank you for your attention!
Do you have any questions?