2. Goals for today
Devise
a research strategy
Begin background research
Select and access resources
Critically evaluating resources
Saving resources found using
Bibliographic Citation Software
3. How am I going to remember
everything you are going to tell
me?
5. What do I do first?
Take a look at your topic and identify
key search terms, Ask a question.
Most databases now use an implied
Boolean logic search scheme so a
keyword search will get you started.
Boolean logic is the use of AND, NOT,
OR to narrow or expand your search
See Research Guide for PSYC 3401
8. Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
In
the humanities and social sciences, primary
sources are the direct evidence or first-hand
accounts of events without secondary analysis
or interpretation. A primary source is a work
that was created or written contemporary with
the period or subject being studied.
A primary source is an original document containing
firsthand information about a topic. Different fields of
study may use different types of primary sources.
http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/research/primary-secondary-tertiary.html
Virginia Tech University Libraries
Accessed 08/23/2013
10. Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Secondary
sources analyze or interpret
historical events or creative works.
A
secondary source contains commentary on or
discussion about a primary source. The most
important feature of secondary sources is that
they offer an interpretation of information
gathered from primary sources.
11. Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
A
11
tertiary source presents
summaries or condensed
versions of materials, usually
with references back to the
primary and/or secondary
sources. They can be a good
place to look up facts or get
a general overview of a
subject, but they rarely
contain original
material.
Examples:
Almanacs,
dictionaries,
encyclopedias
Indexes,
bibliographies
Text books
Trade publications
Newspaper,
magazine articles
13. So what next?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Start big doing background reading
Look for patterns
Look at reference sources, LC subject
heading list, subject headings in
research tools
Ask a librarian
Look at thesaurus in the research tools
Narrow your topic for a more focused
product
14. Scholarly, Peer-reviewed Popular
Periodical
means the
same as Magazine
Usually magazines are
more “popular”
Journals
Scholarly or Professional
Peer reviewed
See Research Guide
for PSYC 3401 for
this and other
Handouts
15. Empirical Article -summarizing original research
Components of…
Abstract – A report of an empirical study includes an abstract that
provides a very brief summary of the research.
Introduction – The introduction sets the research in a context, which
provides a review of related research and develops the hypotheses
for the research.
Method – The method section is a description of how the research
was conducted, including who the participants were, the design of
the study, what the participants did, and what measures were used.
Results – The results section describes the outcomes of the measures
of the study.
Discussion – The discussion section contains the interpretations and
implications of the study.
General Discussion – There may be more than one study in the
report; in this case, there are usually separate Method and Results
sections for each study followed by a general discussion that ties all
the research together.
References – A references section contains information about the
articles and books cited in the report.
16. Language
Recognizing Empirical
Research
measurement
psychological
aspects
reports
research
statistics
usage
Length
of Article
Empirical research articles are usually substantial
(more than 1 or 2 pages) and include a
bibliography or cited references section (usually at
the end of the article).
17. Searching for empirical studies
Hints and Tips
1. Always click on “peer
reviewed” and/or
“scholarly (peer
reviewed) periodicals”
link if available
2. Try a search that
combines the
keyword "empirical"
with keywords that
represent your topic.
Example: social work
and empirical.
3. Also try the keywords
"research,"
"experiment," or "study"
4. Some databases will
allow you to limit your
search to a particular
type of publication or
content. Use this
feature to limit your
search to only empirical
or research-based
articles or case study
18. Internet Tools
Google and Wikipedia aren’t intrinsically
evil, just use them for the correct
purpose in your research.
19. Internet Tools
Note: If
working
off
campus
please
see the
“Google
scholar”
tab at the
Research
Guide for
PSYC
3401
Google Scholar
ONU buys
Full-text
database
OhioLINK
Permits
Google to
link to full-text
ONU user sees
licensed full-text
articles
Google asks
to link to
content
Run Google
Scholar
Search
20. Critically analyzing web sources
Timeliness of the
information
Depth and importance of
the information
Source of the information
Reliability of the
information
Possible bias present in the
information
21. What do I do next?
Use library resources to continue your
background research.
22. Research Strategy
If needed, you
will want to get
an overview of
your topic.
Reference
works can help
as well as
general books.
DEFINING YOUR TOPIC
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
24. What is included?
POLAR
Article-level
searching for all EBSCO
databases
Article-level searching for a variety
of other databases: JSTOR,
Hoover’s, AccessPharmacy, etc.
Title-level searching for most other
databases: IEEE, CIAO, Proquest
Nursing & Allied Health
OhioLink central catalog
30. Things to Remember
Facets
are your Friend: After you
search, limit your results to what you
really want
A tool not a solution: This is not the
solution to everything
Ask the librarians for help: We would be
glad to help you or your students with
best practices
There will still be some small changes
coming
31. Research Strategy
DEFINING YOUR TOPIC
With a basic
understanding of
your topic, it is
time to get
more detail
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
DETAILED
RESEARCH
32. Research Tools∞Databases
Often
tools for locating journal
and newspaper articles
Most are subject-specific –
some multi-disciplinary
Many give access to full text of
articles
Heterick has over 250
33. Databases -- Subject Specific
MEDLINE with Full Text
PsycINFO 1967 – present
Psychology and Behavioral
Science Collection
Gender Studies Database
PubMed
(for off campus access, click on the “off-campus access” flag and log
in using first and last name and all 11 digits ONU ID )
42. Citation Databases (ISI)
Science
Citation Index Expanded
(SCI-EXPANDED)--1980-present
Social Sciences Citation Index
(SSCI)--1980-present
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
(A&HCI)--1980-present
Combined into product, Web of
Knowledge
43. General or Subject
Specific Database
Your Search Terms
Keyword / subject
Author
Title
Etc
Citation
Database
Your Search Terms
KW / subject
Author
Title
Etc.
Sources
(citations)
used by
authors
themselves
44. Advantages
Gauge
significance of individual
articles & authors
Uses expertise of experts in the field
Gives insight into research patterns in
different disciplines
Can save you time – especially when
doing more rigorous research
