Research for Graduate Students

RESEARCH FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Asa H. Gordon LibrarySavannah State University

PLAN RESEARCHRefine Topic

Start broad then refine or focus ideas

Determine a list of questions to be asked and answered

Break thesis into basic elements

Become a Human thesaurus

TYPES OF INFORMATION NEEDEDBackground

Put your ideas into wider contextHistorical

Make connections even with current topics

StatisticalFacts and figures to support

argument, strengthen thesisQuantify size or scope of issue

Image Oriented Documents

MATCH INFORMATION NEEDS TO APPROPRIATE SOURCES Books

Background, in depth, survey broad subject Periodical Articles

More specialized searchingMore current information

Rare books or ManuscriptsLetters, Diaries

EphemeraMinor objects of everyday life

MOVING RESEARCH TO THE NEXT LEVELMay not find a source exactly

matched to topicMission is to create Original

researchNot replicating the current

researchPut your ideas into a wider context

HistoricalSocial

FIND AND RETRIEVE RESOURCES

Search Effectively and EfficientlyFamiliarize yourself with

terminologyKeep track of your research process

FIND AND RETRIEVE RESOURCES

CatalogBrowse catalog like bookshelves Virtually or in-personFind similar itemsLet serendipity guide your searchUse keywordsUse subject headingsUse Boolean searching

Combining terms to refine search

FIND AND RETRIEVE RESOURCESResearch Databases

Look at a variety or combination Take advantage of searching

multiple databases based on subject area

Track keywords, descriptors or subject terms which yield best results

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDERPrimary versus Secondary

.Subject Primary Source Secondary Source

Art Original artwork Article critiquing the piece of art

History Pioneer diary Book about the Oregon Trail

Literature Original manuscript Book review

Political Science CNN.com report Newspaper editorial

ScienceJournal article reporting research results

Textbook

Theatre Videotape of a  performance Encyclopedia of drama

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDERPrimary sources include those created by actual participants of an event or recorded reactions immediately thereafter

PRIMARY SOURCESOriginal Documents

Diaries, Interviews, Letters, Biography, Personal Narratives , News film footage, Official records

Creative worksPoetry, Drama, Music, Art

ArtifactsPottery, Furniture, Clothing, Buildings

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDER

Secondary sources include those created by someone not present when the event took place or removed by time from the event.

SECONDARY SOURCESReference books, journal articles, Textbooks, Histories, Criticisms, Commentaries, Encyclopedias

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Summary Publications

Tertiary Sources

Diaries, ThesesConference papersReports, Patents

Review articlesScholarly books

Popular literature

Reference BooksDictionaries,

EncyclopediasHandbooks

Guides to the literatureAnnotated

bibliographies

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDERPopular versus Scholarly

VERSUS

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDER SCHOLARLY- Also called “Peer-Reviewed” or

“Refereed” journals. Written by scholars in the field Articles contain charts and graphs,

footnotes or endnotes, and references (bibliographies) citing the authors' sources.

TYPES OF RESOURCES TO CONSIDERPOPULAR- If you are looking for Current Events,

Interviews, or Book Reviews Shorter, non-technical articles often

with photos and graphics Reviewed by Publisher or Editor The intended audience is the General

Reader Rarely cite any sources

EVALUATE YOUR RESOURCES

Use CRAAP Test to ask questions about both PRINT and WEB resources

Currency Is the Information Timely?

Relevance Is the Information Appropriate?

Authority Is the Information Reliable and Credible?

Accuracy Is the Information Biased?

PurposeIs the Information Complete in it’s Coverage?

EVALUATE YOUR RESOURCES

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WEB RESOURCES No person, persons or organization reviews the content of

the Internet.

Pages are retrieved by search engines based on the page's content, not the relevancy or quality of the page.

Much information on the Web is not updated regularly.

There is little control over much of what is published, so that virtually anyone can create a web site on any topic.

When considering if your website is a good source don’t forget the simple Gut Test– trust your first impression after skimming a site’s homepage or content .

ORGANIZE YOUR SOURCES, ARTICLES AND NOTES Integrate information sources

Synthesize

Analyze

Use Prior Knowledge

Revise Hypothesis as necessary

Fill in the Gaps

CITE YOUR SOURCES PROPERLY Give credit for sources of ideas Avoid Plagiarism Use appropriate citation format

MLAAPAChicago/Turabian

RESEARCH CYCLEQuest

ionSourc

e

Find

Evaluate

Combine

Share

Apply

Question

Source

Find

Evaluate

Combine

Share

ApplyWhere will you look?

What do you need to know?

What words will you use?

Is the information good?Have you learned anything new?

How will you share it?

How will you use it?

FINAL NOTES Make an outline Review the literature on your topic critically. DO NOT MAKE UNSUPPORTED ASSERTIONS.

Present the evidence, as specifically as possible, that applies, and evaluate its relevance.

The only statements not attributed to an author(s) should be based on your own first hand experience, conclusions and criticisms.

Present Real Data, Include tables and figures. Always go to the original source after using review

articles and texts. Keep direct quotes to an absolute minimum. When not quoting, paraphrase succinctly. Proof read AND have someone else read your paper.

Adapted from: Dr. Jim Bindon , Anthropology Dept., University of Alabamahttp://www.as.ua.edu/ant/bindon/ant570/pap_rule.htm#top

REMEMBER: THE BEST RESOURCE IS A HUMAN RESOURCE

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Call or Stop by in person at the reference desk

Asa H. Gordon Library