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Getting Started GuideThis guide will introduce you to the research process, guide you through the resources of The Daniel Library, and help you find, evaluate and successfully use research information for your course projects Formats of Research Materials Types of Sources Evaluating Sources Boolean Searching Setting Up Your Search Gathering Data
Formats of Research MaterialsMost research material is in the form of books and AV material (such as videos, DVDs, CDs, or audio tapes), journal or magazine articles, or the Internet. Each of these formats can provide high quality, useful information.Generally, books tend to cover broad concepts and provide a wide range of information. Books also can take several years to write and publish, so they are most useful for getting the "big picture" on a topic, rather than the latest information. Journal or magazine articles usually provide specific information on a very narrow point or idea. Because journals and magazines are published frequently, they can provide up-to-date information. Most books and journal articles go through a rigorous review process before they are accepted for publication. Therefore, students can be confident in using information found there. The Internet can provide immediate, up-to-date information, and link the researcher to vast amounts of information from all parts of the world. However, students must remember that the Internet is not carefully and rigorously reviewed the way that books and articles are. Therefore, to make the best use of the amazing resources available through the Internet, students must learn to search effectively and judge the worth of resulting information. (Evaluating Internet Information) to top of page Types of SourcesIn all the vastness of information available to the researcher, sources will be one or two types: primary or secondary.Primary sources are direct or firsthand sources of information. These sources can be letters, memoirs, newspaper accounts of an event, official records or histories, or a person's own writings or texts. In science, primary material also refers to data gathered by direct observation or experimentation. Secondary sources are interpretive information derived from primary material. These sources can be be biographies, journal or magazine articles, histories, or newspaper articles that are not firsthand accounts. to top of page Evaluating SourcesThroughout the research process, you should strive to obtain the best, most accurate, and most reliable information possible. With such a vast amount of information available on every topic imaginable, how can you be sure that the information you are gathering is accurate and appropriate to the topic?Just as there are criteria to evaluate cars or running shoes, there are standards to measure the quality of information. These standards, or evaluation criteria, give researchers guidance in selecting information that is appropriate and worthwhile to the topic. As you gather your research material, ask yourself if the information is scholarly enough for your project, if it is specific enough, if the author has the authority or credentials to write it, if it is new enough (or old enough), and if the information is documented. Measuring each source against these five standards will help assure that information used in a research project is appropriate to the project. Scholarly and Popular Sources Scholarly sources are written by experts (researchers and scholars in a field) and contribute to the knowledge base of a discipline by presenting the latest research, providing scholarly analysis, or otherwise breaking new ground. Authors of scholarly sources provide documentation of sources used in research (which can very helpful to students in tracking down additional sources). Scholarly sources are carefully reviewed by other experts before publication to assure accuracy and reliability. Popular or general sources are written for the non-expert. One purpose of these sources is to provide factual reporting and present general information so that lay persons can read and absorb. Usually popular or general sources provide broad coverage of a topic. to top of pageBoolean SearchingBoolean logic is an essential key to good research, which allows the researcher to organize search terms into sets and find interrelationships between two (or perhaps more) concepts. The Boolean operators and, or, or not (and also near and with) are used to link terms. The following Venn diagrams illustrate this concept. AND Operator OR Operator Not Operator Setting Up Your SearchSearch Strategy Worksheet
4. Use these terms and their relevant Boolean Operators as you search through catalogs, databases, and the Internet. Gathering DataBackground InformationIt is often helpful to begin research on a topic by "reading up" on it in reference books. These sources introduce topics, provide an overview, and list key names, issues, dates, etc., helping the student review major themes and concepts and organize thoughts prior to beginning a research paper. In addition, many of these sources provide bibliographies of other books and journal articles. Encyclopedias, general and subject-specific, are especially useful for gathering background information. Encyclopedias can be found by searching the Library catalog by keyword for the needed topic and the terms "encyclopedia" or "dictionary". For example, searching for "middle ages and dictionary" will find an excellent overview of medieval history called, Dictionary of the Middle Ages, and searching for "science and encyclopedias" will find the McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. The Daniel Library also subscribes to a number of online encyclopedias.
The Daniel Library catalog provides author, subject, title, and key word access to the Library's collections of books, A-V, journals, and federal government documents. Search the catalog using the terms you identified when you set up your search strategy. Finding Journal Articles Every discipline or field of knowledge has hundreds of journals where scholars and researchers exchange ideas and communicate with each other, and where results of research and information on current issues are published. Periodical indexes and databases provide topical access to these empirical studies, review articles, theoretical articles, and news items published in scholarly and professional journals and popular/general magazines. The Daniel Library subscribes to online full text and citation periodical indexes and databases. Additionally, the library maintains its collection of print indexes, providing historical access to older journals and magazines. The Indexes & Databases page list all the indexes and databases to which the Daniel Library subscribes. To determine the most appropriate indexes and databases to use for a given topic, consult the Research Guides. These bring together, by discipline, electronic and print resources available from the Daniel Library. Search the indexes and databases using the same keywords you identified in your search strategy. Internet Searching Tips Internet search engines interpret commands and retrieve results differently from library catalogs and journal databases. Below are some tips for getting good results in your Internet searching.
Reviews are written by writers, critics, and scholars, and provide critical analysis of authors and books. Background information on the author and on research involved in writing the book is often included. Book reviews are published in periodicals and newspapers, and can be located by using book review and periodical indexes such as these:
In addition to general review sources, specialized periodical indexes contain citations for reviews of books in a particular field. For example, Air University Library Index publishes reviews of books on military topics; ABI-Inform reviews business books; and Historical Abstracts indexes reviews of history books. Biographical Sources
The Daniel Library is a selective depository for federal documents, and actively acquires - online and in print - documents on the international, and U.S. state and local levels. Governments at all levels have utilized the web to provide a wealth of current, full text information at no cost to users. The Library's Government Information and Maps pages provide organized access to these rich resources. to top of page Documenting Your Sources Any information you use from any source (books, articles, Internet) is someone else's intellectual property and MUST be cited, whether you are quoting directly or paraphrasing. Using someone else's words, thoughts, or ideas without giving them credit is stealing! The other reason for documenting your sources is to allow others reading your work to follow up on your sources. Someone may find information in your paper very interesting and would like to read the entire article or view the whole web site. The Daniel Library has copies of all the major style manuals, Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), Turabian, Chicago Manual of Style, etc., to help you in citing print material. However, the formats for citing full-text electronic journal articles are slightly different from that of print sources. The library has a guide to assist you in citing electronic sources (both full text articles and Internet sites) in the various citation styles. to top of page |
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