Research Process & Strategies Library 150 Week 3

Research Process Get assignment, check: number and type of sources required length type of citation style that should be used (e.g. APA) paper focus: required/suggested topics or open-ended Think of research statement or question Identify key concepts & alternative terms Choose library catalog (for books) or article database Create search strategies and initiate searches /print/save search results Locate books or articles in Library or electronically

Choosing a Topic CSULA Library guide to choosing a topic Web pages mentioned in homework #1 assignment

Narrowing a Topic Make sure it is not too broad Abortion is too broad unless you’re prepared to write a book - the relationship between abortion and religion for Latinas is more manageable How you can narrow your focus? Time period: last 10 years, 20th century … Place: U.S., West, California, So Cal, L.A. … Person/Group: politician, actor, ethnic group … Event/Aspect: Millennium, religious …

Topic Development In-Class Exercise We’ll do this together as a class /week3topicdevelopment.doc /week3topicdevelopment.doc

Alternative Terms / Synonyms What happens if you can’t think of any?!?!?! Strategies Search for books/articles with your initial word(s) and see if additional terms appear repeatedly Look in a thesaurus – similar to a dictionary, except definitions are replaced with similar terms Consult specialized encyclopedia or dictionaries – for example: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, reference collection PN41.C

AND search strategy that narrows search – finds only items that have both words/terms/phrases number of results goes down for example: fairy tales AND women search for fairy tales finds 50 articles search for women finds 100 articles search for (fairy tales AND women) finds 10 articles may be used when searching library catalogs, article databases and Internet search engines

OR search strategy that expands search – combines words with similar meaning number of results goes up for example: fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore search for fairy tales finds 50 articles search for folk tales finds 30 articles search for folklore finds 40 articles search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) finds 120 articles other examples: (college OR university OR higher education) (children OR child OR kid OR kids OR juvenile OR minor…)

NOT search strategy that narrows search - excludes items that have additional word number of results goes down for example: (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) NOT grimms search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) finds 120 articles search for (fairy tales OR folk tales OR folklore) NOT grimms finds 15 other examples: bats NOT baseball = small flying mammal Mexico NOT New = country, not the state

Learn How to Create Search Strategies In-Class Exercise We’ll do this together as a class week3inclass.ppt

Evaluating Resources Purpose Is the purpose clearly stated? Is it designed to inform, explain, persuade, etc.? Does it meet needs of the audience? Audience Who are the intended users? What is the level of writing used? General public vs. professionals, adults vs. children, etc. At what level is the resource pitched? Is it a scholarly publication (journal) or not (magazine)? Scholarly or pop culture approach to topic?

Evaluating Resources cont. Content Does it cover topic? Read the citation abstract or table of contents Examine descriptors/subjects at bottom of citation If full-text article or book, look for your key concepts/topics Is it accurate? Check information against material from other resources Check for political, ideological or other type of bias What is the writing quality? Are there spelling mistakes, poor print quality, etc.

Evaluating Resources cont. Authority Look for information about the author—is he/she a specialist in that area of research? Currency When was it published? Is the information up-to-date? If it’s a historical review, does it incorporate the latest research?