Moving from Ideas to a finished Research Paper

Brainstorming: Beginning the Process Make a list of any subjects that you find interesting - Anything that interests you that you would want to study in another culture – It is important at this stage not to limit yourself, so list everything Narrow it down to one idea to work with for now, but make sure that you have backup ideas as well Look at your ideas and prioritize them – the order that you would most like to work with first and then a few more after that

Clustering: Before or After Research -Listing of details -More details -Any Details put here -Specific points -Specific points -Important notes Subject A -Listing of details -More details -Any Details put here -Specific points -Specific points -Important notes Subject B

Free Writing: Before or After Research This can be used before or after your research (In this case, after your research might be the best time). Set aside at least minutes and keep writing on your subject. Do not stop, do not worry about grammar / spelling, or structure. This technique is merely to generate ideas.

Generating Search Terms One of the most important parts of beginning your research is generating search terms for databases, internet searches, and other methods of research. Use your brainstorming, clustering, and / or freewriting to find these search terms.

Humor and … Humor and Movies Humor and Pop Culture Humor and Books Synonyms for Humor (Dictionary) Comedy, Comedian, Stand-up Jokes, Laughter Search Google, Google News, Etc. “Comedy Star” Iraqi Comedy Slapstick, Satire

Japan and … Music, Musician Popular Music, Music Videos Types of Music Search Google to find more Key Words – Use even non- trustworthy sites to get more ideas Search Wikipedia, Google News, Etc.

Trustworthy Internet Sites Least Trustworthy – trying to sell you something – still can use, but need back up Government web sites – tend to be trustworthy – but always have second source Usually non- profit organization – medium level of trust – watch for bias Education web sites – tend to be more trustworthy – still have to check who is writing.Edu.Org.Com,.Net.Gov

Trustworthy Sources in General When Was it Written? Biased Sources can be used, but they need to be identified and Fact Checked Trustworthy? Professional Affiliation? Look for Bias / Opinion

Go to the IUP Library web page: Click on “Article Databases” and find an appropriate database to use (I recommend starting with Ebsco Host) For Ebsco Host, click the little box that says “Select All” and press “Continue” Begin inputting your search terms. I recommend hitting “advanced search” underneath the search bar, though this is a matter of personal preference.

Start with the broadest terms and work towards more narrow As you scroll through articles, look at titles / abstracts to find more search terms. Click on the titles to read the abstracts to get even more search terms. First, search scholarly journals and full text availability. Change keywords as necessary based on your brainstorming / search results. If you do not find enough resources, then eliminate the qualifier “scholarly journal” and use the same technique for evaluating these new resources as you would a web-site. If you can find enough resources here, then there is no need to go any further.

If you still do not find what you are looking for, then eliminate the full-text qualifier. This will lead to a few extra steps: Take note of the following from the entry: Name of Journal / Resource, Name of Article, Date, Volume / Page Numbers Click on “Check Pilot for Holdings”. If there is an Electronic version, then click on the title of that version. Once you reach the site, search for your article based on the details that you kept note of (every site will be slightly different, but they are usually easy to navigate). Look under “Linked Resources” for the dates that you need and click on the appropriate link.