2. In this workshop we will cover..
• Becoming a critical searcher
• Break
• Searching and recording
• Lunch
• Academic Writing
3. • Identify
• Evaluate
• Select
https://www.lisalanierconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/LLC-Evaluation.png
AO2: Evidence of detailed research involving the selection and evaluation of a wide
range of relevant resources. Critical analysis and application of the resources with
clear links made to appropriate theories and concepts.
Becoming a critical searcher
6. Evaluating information
Imagine you are writing an EPQ on the ‘English/London
Riots of 2011’.
Go to: https://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/Riots
Have a look at the 5 items and consider the following:
• Which items are the most relevant to your EPQ?
• Which items would be no use?
• Which items have the most authority?
• Which items might have bias?
• Which item is the most current?
7. • Relevance
• Expertise
• Viewpoint
• Intended audience
• Evidence
• When Published
REVIEW your information
11. Why reference?
• Highlight and back-up relevant points and facts
• Avoid plagiarism
• Give credit to the author/creator
• Reader can locate original source used
• Demonstrate that you have carried out lots of
research
• Achieve a better mark or grade.
Adapted from: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/Basics/what-is-referencing
AO2: Evidence of detailed research
involving the selection and evaluation
of a wide range of relevant resources.
In advance of the workshop Librarian will need to inform Library reception that x number of students will be arriving from xxxx school/college and will be located in room x (in case students get lost). These students will probably need to leave the library for lunch break etc so will need to be let in and out.
Welcome to Middlesex University and to The Sheppard Library.
Introductions.
Before we start some housekeeping:
No scheduled fire alarms today, so if alarm goes off then evacuate the building as quickly as possible.
Nearest fire escape is……. But we will lead the way.
If you need to use the toilet, then the nearest ones are located…….
One of our Ambassadors can point you in the right direction if you are unsure.
We have scheduled in some breaks, so if you leave the library, then you will need to ask our library reception staff to let you in and out of the building – our students and staff have swipe cards. Just tell reception which school/college you are from and they will let you in/out.
We are in room xxxx today, so if you loose your way, just ask someone to direct you back here.
Today we are going to cover:
10:30 Becoming a critical searcher - evaluating information (45 mins)
11:15 15 min Break
11:30 Searching and recording – a chance to search our library resources for information (flexible)
12:30 60 min Lunch
13:30 Academic Writing (60 mins)
10:15 Arrival and welcome
10:30 Workshop 3 (Librarians)
11:15 Break
11:30 Workshop 4 (Librarians)
12:30 lunch
13:30 Workshop 5 (LET)
14:30 End - final Questions if any
14:45 Finish and walk back to school
Librarians will need:
What if Evaluating resources cards 14 black cards, 16 red cards.
Evaluation worksheet
Sources of information print outs x 5
In this workshop we are going to discover how to be a critical searcher, so we will be:
Learn how to identify reliable information sources
Develop the skills needed to evaluate information for authority, relevance and quality
Be able to select quality information to use in their EPQ.
By the end of the workshop you will have:
Developed skills needed to evaluate and select the best information sources for your EPQ.
This will enable you to meet Assessment Object 2 (AO2) by selecting and critically evaluating a wide range of relevant information sources to ensure that you are using the best possible resources appropriately.
Good research requires sources of reliability and authority, and for you to demonstrate a critical capacity when selecting sources for your research. To get you thinking about this, we are going to do a quick exercise:
Ask for two volunteers. Give them the 14 black type cards and ask them arrange them in order of reliability and trustworthiness.
Or give a black type card to 14 students and ask them to put themselves in order of reliability ad trustworthiness. Hold up various red cards to see if the order changes.
Approx 5-10 mins.
Once completed use the red cards to see if the order changes (16 to choose from). For example:
Blog post - written by Published academic or Political Activist
Eyewitness testimony – from research active expert or member of the public
Tweet – by Influencer or leading author
Website - British Sociological Association or Wikipedia etc.
Approx 5-10 mins.
****************************************************
Black cards:
Blog post
TV documentary
Book
Magazine article
Conference paper
Newspaper article
Website
Encyclopaedia
YouTube
Movie
Eyewitness testimony
TV news report
Tweet
Journal article
Red cards:
Fox news (right wing viewpoint)
The Sun newspaper (sensationalist/controversial)
Published academic
Oscar winning director
Teacher
Member of the public
Influencer
Leading author
Research active expert
Political activist e.g. campaigner, politician, councillor, member of political party etc.
Charity
The Guardian newspaper (left wing)
British Sociological Association
Wikipedia
www.Gov.UK
Community group e.g. religious, ethnicity, age group etc.
*************************************************
Discuss as a class:
What effects the reliability of sources of info?
authority/expertise i.e. why should we trust the authors/creators?
context e.g. information about riots in another country may or may not be relevant etc
why it has been written – political gain/persuasion, spread misinformation, financial gain, share facts/knowledge etc
publication date
Are there instances when something might be made more reliable? – a blog post on a science topic might not be considered the most reliable source of information, but if it is written by Professor Brian Cox or Stephen Hawking then does this change things?
What do you want to know about any of these sources when you are making a judgement? Its back to what effects the reliability of sources as already discussed i.e. authority, publication date, context etc.
Watch Goldacre video to 2:50 https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science
Then discuss or get feedback from the class in relation to authorship, authority, publication expertise etc.
What did you find interesting in Goldacre’s talk?
How would we apply this to being a critical researcher?
Divide class into group
Hand out worksheet and 5 x items.
Discuss. No right or wrong answers. All items found by doing a search on English/London Riots.
Which items are most relevant:
Item 1 Wikipedia – 2011 England/London riots
Item 2 Daily Mail – Prime Minister’s response to England/London riots of 2011
Item 3 Book – English riots of 2011
Item 4 Website - Opinion following England/London riots of 2011
Item 5 Academic Journal – Related topic. Community development in relation to black/minority ethnic communities. Refers to2001 riots in northern England cities, but not London/England riots of 2011.
Which items would be no use:
Item 1 Wikipedia – No use because its Wikipedia
Item 2 Daily Mail – Biased to right, but might be useful for right wing perspective
Item 3 Book – Useful
Item 4 Website - Very biased, but might be useful to demonstrate extreme religious/pro marriage perspective
Item 5 Academic Journal – Possibly useful for background information. Off topic (community development in relation to black/minority ethnic communities) and refers to 2001 riots in northern England
Which item has the most academic authority:
Item 1 Wikipedia – No. Has references, but a very eclectic mix not as a result of systematic research. We can see who has edited the information if look at ‘View history’ but usernames are not particularly useful – ‘Brown haired girl’, ‘Andy the Grump’ etc – and we don’t know anything about the authors.
Item 2 Daily Mail – No in text citations or references, probably written with very little research and based on past articles and press releases. Many online versions of newspapers have embedded links within text, but these only link to other online articles by the same newspaper. Newspapers well-known for having bias – right wing in this case.
Item 3 Book – This book is a collection of essays edited by Dr Daniel Briggs who is an academic expert from UEL. Lots of in text citations used and extensive reference list at end of each chapter.
Item 4 Website - no academic authority, extremely biased. Includes quotes from prominent political and religious leaders, but context probably questionable.
Item 5 Academic Journal – written by an executive member of the UK Standing Conference for Community Development – not an academic, but professional expert . Lots of in-text citations and reference list. Peer reviewed journal. Contact details included.
Are any of the items bias:
Item 1 Wikipedia – possibility of bias, if information is edited/added to meet someone’s agenda.
Item 2 Daily Mail – Yes. Right wing.
Item 3 Book – In theory, no. However, editor has been open about what inspired him to carry out his research i.e. as a response to David Cameron’s speech after riots in which he branded the rioters’ actions ‘criminality, pure and simple’.
Item 4 Website - Very. Ultra conservative/religious perspective.
Item 5 Academic Journal – In theory, no.
Which item is the most current:
Item 1 Wikipedia – Check website, but last updated on 12th January 2022 at time of typing.
Item 2 Daily Mail – 16th Aug 2011
Item 3 Book – 2012
Item 4 Website - 12th August 2011
Item 5 Academic Journal – Published in 2003.
•Relevance - Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?
•Expertise - Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? How have they carried out their research? Where are they working, can they be contacted? Is there any Peer Review?
•Viewpoint - Is it a balanced view? Are opposing views represented? Are there links to supporting information?
•Intended audience - What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, entertainment, academic?
•Evidence - Is it peer reviewed? Are there references which can be checked to support the information or theories discussed?
•When published - How old is this information? Does it need to be up-to-date? When was it last updated and by whom? Do you know what was updated. There is often an explanation of what has been updated in new edition of a book.
Make sure students know what room they are in.
You’ve got 15 mins, so if you want to get a drink, then one of our Ambassadors can take you to the café in the basement of the library.
11:15-11:30
Librarian will need:
Information record sheet W4
Logins
USBs
In this workshop you will:
Discover the importance of recording your search results
Have a go at searching our resources for the information that you need
Learn how you can streamline your search to make it more effective and focussed
Discover other places to look for information such as open access resources on the Internet and public libraries if you need more information.
Why you need to reference the information sources that you use
By the end of the workshop:
You should have a range of information sources that you can use in your EPQ
And be able to reference them correctly
Before they start searching………Why is it important to make a record of what you find?
Discuss.
Summarise……..click to bring up the summary:
Keep track of what you have already found even if you think that you might not use it……you might need it in the future……your EPQ might change direction. Good idea to use a ‘Information record’ sheet (Information Record sheet W4). Copies available here in class. You can find this on our EPQ website. URL on the screen.
Use the ‘Information record’ sheet to assess the value of what you have found i.e. who, what, where, when, why e.g.
What information does it give you? i.e. what it contributes to EPQ.
Why might it be useful? i.e. will it answer my questions.
Who produced the information and why? i.e. authority
Is the author trustworthy? i.e. authority
Is the information reliable? i.e. accuracy/misuse of facts.
Could the information be biased in some way? i.e. written from a particular viewpoint.
Do you have further questions and things that you need to follow up? i.e. what do you still need to know.
With experience you will assess information quickly, but you might find it useful to use the Resource Record sheet.
Recording what you find will be useful for when you write reference list at the end of your EPQ i.e. you have all the information that you need. More about this in a moment.
Assessing the information that you find and recording this on a ‘Information record sheet’ will help you create an annotated bibliography if you are required to do this.
Once you have found information and have used it in your work, we need to think about referencing.
Ask students why they need to reference?
Take their feedback and then click to show the info below:
Using information from books, journals etc in your EPQ enables you to highlight and back-up relevant points and facts that you have made i.e. establish the credibility and authority of your ideas and arguments by quoting, paraphrasing or summarising from the original text.
Therefore you need to reference to avoid plagiarism i.e. This is when you pretend that someone else’s work is your own.
By referencing you are giving credit to the original author/creator of information that you use i.e. Distinguish between your own ideas and opinions and those of others.
You may also be expected to add in text citations when you quote or paraphrase…..so again you need to know where the information came from.
Ultimately the reference list means that the reader can easily see where you got your information from and shows that you have carried out lots of research.
Your reference list is important – it will help you achieve better mark or grade. Think back to AO2: ‘Evidence of detailed research involving the selection and evaluation of a wide range of relevant resources’.
Your school may have its own referencing style or recommend a style of referencing to use. If not then you can find a simple referencing guide at the URL on the screen. This guide also includes guidance on how to include in-text citations in your work.
The important things to remember are (click):
Be accurate. Make sure that you have all the information that you need in your reference to ensure that the reader can find that information themselves if necessary.
Be consistent. Ensure that you use the same style of referencing throughout your reference list.
We have already logged on the computers. If not use the temporary login.
Open a browser and go to the link on the screen if not already available.
These are the things that might be useful:
Library Search: Use to search for information (books, journals etc) on your topic.
Databases: Gives you access to specialist collections of journals and other resources in a particular subject area. You can access most of these through Library Search, but searching a specialist resource such as Global Newsstream to access newspapers (more later), might save you time. We can advise you on this.
Library Guides: Gives you access to our library subject guides. Use these to find what resources are available including websites on a particular subject.
We will start off using Library Search and then move on to the other resources if necessary.
Explain how students can refine their search and see a preview (abstract) of specific items.
Finally point out how they can save search results and email to themselves later……..useful for their reference list.
The other really useful feature is the ability to create a reference using a variety of referencing styles.
Harvard is a common referencing style and what we have used in the referencing guid mentioned earlier.
Explain how they create a reference on Library Search i.e:
Search ‘Library Search’ to find information
Click on ‘speech mark’ icon
A box opens with various options
Choose ‘Harvard’
You can then save the reference in a variety of ways including emailing it to yourself and copying.
Before you start searching, here is a reminder (if they have previously done ‘Workshop 2: Finding information’) of how you can streamline your search using these two search tips.
Broaden search using an asterisk* e.g. riot, riots, rioting, riotous etc.
Refine search using “quotation marks” i.e. search for phrases – words in specific order.
Both work well on Library Search, but can also be used on the Internet.
These and other search tips which can be used on the Internet are available on our EPQ LibGuide which you all have access to…….link on the screen.
In case anyone wants to find newspaper articles this is how to access Global Newsstream which gives you access to nearly 3.5k full-text UK, European and global newspapers.
Library Search includes this resource, but useful to search it directly if you are looking for newspaper articles only.
Now its time to search.
Images show how much more arduous it used to be to search for information back in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
You’ve got 60 minutes so make the most of it.
Hand out USBs if have been provided by MDX.
Next 4 slides to be covered after students have done searching.
This is a reminder only if class have done workshop 1 (Thinking about resources) otherwise treat as new info.
Don’t forget to have a look at the list of references or bibliographies that appear at the end of book chapters, journal articles or other sources of information that you find.
These can provide valuable sources of further information as they will be related to the subject that you are searching.
This is a reminder only if class have done workshop 1 (Thinking about resources) otherwise treat as new info.
Another source of information is your local public library.
If you go to the link on the screen you can discover what online resources are available in the area that you live, work or study.
In most cases you will need to be a member pf the library to access their online resources and more information should be available from their websites.
Public libraries will also provide study spaces which might be useful.
This is Hendon Public Library btw.
This is a reminder only if class have done workshop 1 (Thinking about resources) otherwise treat as new info.
You may use your school library to find information for your EPQ, but you my also need to do some independent research using the Internet.
There are many good quality free resources available.
Have a look at this website. Some of them might be useful for your research.
This is a reminder only if class have done workshop 1 (Thinking about resources) otherwise treat as new info.
One of the free open access resources that you might want to use is Google Scholar.
Enables you to search for academic journal articles, papers, book chapters etc.
Not everything is full text.
Possible to refine your search on the left hand side of the screen.
Have a look.
Reminder:
EPQ guide has further info on open access resources, search tips and basic referencing.
Don’t forget your question: always keep your question in mind as you search, read, take notes, and write. This will help focus your research, thinking and the finished piece of work, enabling you to address the issues rather than ‘talking’ around the topic.
Break your question down in to sub questions. This will help you find specific information that you need in order to answer the main question and will help guide your research. The sub questions might also help you develop the structure of your written work i.e. sub-headings.
Things might change: as you carry out your research, you might find that your question changes or evolves, because you are finding out new information which might have an effect on how you think about the topic.
You’ve got 60 mins for lunch.
If you need to buy some food our Ambassadors will be happy to take you to the Student Union where there are a variety of food outlets. This will take you past the café in the basement of the library if you would prefer to stay local.
Alternatively if you have brought food with you, then there is plenty of seating in the Quad plus a Costa and again one of our Ambassadors will take you there.
You are also welcome to eat your lunch in this room and continue searching (if doing workshop 4).
Remember to ask the staff at library reception to let you in and out of the library.
After lunch we will be joined by our colleague Ruth Bonanza) from our Learning Enhancement Team who will be looking at academic writing skills with you. Ruth Bonanza.
