1. Dongmei Cao caod@cofc.edu Class blog: http://lib105fall09.blogspot.com/http://lib105fall09.blogspot.com/

2. The Research Process Research Topic Thesis statement/Research question Tips

3. Research is searching for and gathering information, usually to answer a particular question or problem. Bibliographic Research: information is gathered from published materials. Books, magazines, journals, newspapers and other documents A-V recordings, photographs, films Computer based programs, online info Bib. Research Old time: most, in libraries Now: much, pc + network

4. Empirical research Direct experience, observation, experiment., e.g. lab experiment involving … Oral research Directly talking to people e.g. Interviews, surveys, polls, questionnaires

5. Bibliographic Research

6. Process Investigating searching locating evaluating utilizing

7. Important! How you ask + Where you look = What you get Time & effort Tips: Resist search. right away

8. frustrated? Have no idea … topics are all around you … Choose carefully sth. that interests you assigned topic, an aspect

9. What is it about? report, analytical paper, argumentative essay? an annotated bibliography. What does it require? Type of assignment what kind of research how to organize and present that research

10. focus on what you need time ignore irrelevant info Writing a thesis statement

11. Example 1. Man has had a major impact on the environment. WHY? Way too vague and broad. What constitutes "major impact"? What aspects of the environment are we talking about? What century are we talking about? Lame one? Avoid it.

12. Example 2. Marijuana use in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been a problem for law enforcement since the 1980s. WHY? even if it’s true, too local and narrow to be supported with national or scholarly research.. limited to local newspaper articles, personal interviews "stretch" across a 10 page research paper? Not likely. Lame one? Or good one?

13. Example 3. Joe Smith’s singing is horrible. WHY? … an unfocused opinion What exactly is "horrible"? How does Joe Smith's singing fall into that category? … many books or research articles … support this topic? Probably not. Lame one? Or good one?

14. Not every thesis statement can be supported.  search for sources … come up empty.  dump your topic and start over? Don’t have to.  Be flexible revise … what you DO find

15. A good thesis statement can often be converted into a question  Research Question e.g. Thesis statement: The rise in teenage obesity is directly related to the fast food industry. Research question: What has the fast food industry done to contribute to the rise in teenage obesity? Can’t be answered w/ “yes” or “no” Open-ended Best: how/why Avoid: who/where/when It depends: what The "quest" of your research efforts: find sources that answer your research question.

16. Plan! Plan! Plan! time and effort Examine each assignment carefully … pick research resources accordingly. Be flexible. common sense willing to modify a research question … available resources

17. know what you want … ready to search Where you look Reference books/material: encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, atlases, and handbooks are great for overviews of topics or quick facts Books: cover a topic thoroughly, may not be as current as other sources Periodicals: Magazines and newspapers are reader-friendly and good for current events Journals are more academic in nature. And … the Web

18. More on searching Library catalog PASCAL Cat (PASCAL Delivers) WorldCat (InterLibrary Loan)