4. Books
What are they:
A written or printed work of fiction or fact.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Clear overview.
Not so good for:
Up to date information.
5. Web page
What are they:
An information resource which can be easily created by
anyone on any topic.
Electronic.
Good for:
Very up to date information.
Not so good for:
Accurate and reliable information.
6. Newspaper
What are they:
A regular publication containing current events,
informative articles, diverse features and advertising.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Daily information.
Not so good for:
Balanced and well researched information.
7. Journal
What are they:
A regular publication containing articles on a particular
academic subject.
Presents new research.
Good for:
Latest research, critically reviewed by experts.
Not so good for:
Broad overview of a subject.
8. Magazine
What are they:
A regular publication containing news, jobs, products,
events and advertising.
Aimed at a profession, business sector or interest.
Good for:
Focussed up-to-date information.
Not so good for:
Detailed and objective reports.
20. Broaden: riot OR protest
Broaden: riot*
Exclude: London riot NOT football
Exclude: London riot -football
Phrase: “London riots”
Get answers: Define: riots
Streamlining your search
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/EPQ/SearchTips
21. You can also access
many of these
refining tools in most
search engines
including Google.
Settings
22. Click on ‘Tools’ to
refine your search by
‘location’ or ‘date’.
Tools
31. Good research requires:
• Sources of reliability and authority
• For you to demonstrate a critical capacity
32. Source
Who?
• Who is the
author?
• Are they a
reliable
authority?
What?
• What type of
source is it?
• Is this a source
that can be
trusted on this
topic?
Where?
• Where was it
published?
• Is this context
relevant to you?
When?
• Is this current?
• Does the view
still hold value/
weight?
Why?
• Why was this
written?
• What is the
purpose/intention
of the piece?
33. Applying these skills
• Get into groups (max 5
people).
• Each person gets a different
source and worksheet.
• Identify the 5 Ws on
worksheet.
• Would you use it – tick the
traffic light.
• Write down two reasons for
your decision.
• Discuss with your group.
34. What have we
learned?
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.
VH
Welcome and housekeeping….toilets, fire escape etc.
VH
This afternoon we are going to cover
Thinking about resources:
Explore the range of resources available.
Consider the value of different information sources.
Become aware of free, open-access resources.
Establish what they already know about their topic, what needs to be discovered and what questions need to be asked.
Identify potential sources of information for their topic.
Finding information:
Explore the importance of communication (keywords/search terms) when searching.
Discover how search tips can help refine search results.
Devise a set of usable keywords/search terms for their topic.
Learn how to use resources to further develop your search.
Break
Becoming a critical searcher:
Develop the skills needed to evaluate and select information for relevance and quality.
Learn how to use the 5 Ws to appraise a source
As well as being able to identify the different elements of information sources which will help you in the selection process, but also useful for referencing material.
JI
Start off with thinking about different types of resources available and their value.
Its important to use a wide range of relevant resources in your work.
This gives a balance and diversity to your work.
See the assessment criteria for Assessment Objective 2.
Hand out exercise Thinking about resources.
Groups
10 mins
Feedback (see next slides)
JI
Good for:
broad/general overview of subject
Edited for quality and accuracy
Not so good for:
May not be specific enough
Can be out of date
JI
Good for:
Easy to use/search
All subjects covered
Can be very up-to-date
Mobile
Not so good for:
No editorial control
Unreliable sources
Can be created by anyone
Material can lack provenance
Can be out-of-date
Not everyone has access
JI
Good for:
Up-to-date
Edited
Readily available (latest copies especially)
Not so good for:
Can be bias
Can be unbalanced
Can be sensationalist
Hard to get hold of/access (back issues)
JI
Good for:
Up-to-date
Specialist/focussed
Present latest research
Edited for accuracy/quality (peer reviewed)
Lots of references
Not so good for:
Can be hard to locate/access
Expensive
May be too specific
May be at wrong level
JI
Excellent source for latest products, materials etc
Good for:
Latest information
Current events
Concise info
Product news
Often available online with RSS/Twitter etc
Not so good for:
Detail
Objective information ie. can be bias, adverts, preferential products etc
Often hard to find old issues
Back issues/archive
JI
You may use your school library to find information for your EPQ, but you my also need to do some independent research using public libraries or the Internet.
There are many good quality free resources available.
Have a look at this website.
JI
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.
JI
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.
These can provide valuable sources of further information as they will be related to the subject that you are searching.
JI
Now that you’ve had a chance to think about different resources, you now need to consider the following:
What do you already know about my topic? e.g.
Facts,
Key topics,
Theories and ideas,
My point of view and that of others
Key people
What and where is my evidence? e.g.
How can I prove what I already know?
What are my sources of information?
Are they reputable etc.
Will they prove my argument/point etc
JI
You will then need to consider:
What else do you need to know to answer your Extended Project Question (EPQ)? e.g.
Unanswered questions
Missing facts
History, context, future
Opinion
Where can I find what I need i.e. what sources of information will you need to access? e.g.
Books
Encyclopaedias/dictionaries
Newspapers
Magazines and journals
TV programmes/documentaries
Blogs
Websites
Social media e.g. Twitter, Facebook
Podcasts
People/experts
Films
How can you access these sources?
Library
Database
Search engine
Portals
Directories
Meetings/Interviews
Museums
Surveys/Questionnaires
Visits
Hand out worksheet: Workshop 1 Thinking about Resources.
If no time in workshop, students can take worksheet away and work on later.
JI
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.
VH
We’re now going to explore the importance of communication and using the right keywords/search terms to find the information that you need for your EPQ.
First exercise is all about the importance of communication:
Put students in to pairs. If odd numbers use teacher. Sit back to back.
Give one student the image. They are the communicator and should not show the image to the other student.
The other student is the drawer. Give them a piece of paper and a pen.
The communicator has 3 mins to describe the image to the drawer who cannot ask any questions.
Stop after 3 mins and ask the drawers to hold up the image that they have drawn.
Correct image is on next slide.
VH
Use of meaningful words is essential to communicate your ideas.
Other languages, different ways of describing things etc.
When searching for information:
It is important to use the right keywords to find what you want.
The words you use are very important and can make all the difference.
If you don’t use the right language or words then you won’t find what you need.
You also need to consider all the different ways of describing a subject…..next slide.
VH
What is the first thing you see in the picture (fruit)
More detail…..What sort of fruit? (apples, bananas, oranges etc)
What else do you see in the picture? What words can you use to describe them?:
Prices, cost, value, money, bargain etc
Shoppers, consumers, buyers, customers etc
Old lady, old woman, grandmother, elderly, aged, OAP, old aged pensioner, senior citizen etc
What about the bigger picture i.e. tings that are not in the picture but are associated with it:
Economy, high street economy, recession, competition (market/supermarket) etc
Health, vitamins and minerals, five-a-day, healthy eating etc
Finally look at the fruit and say which ones have a double meaning in a technical sense i.e. the name of the fruit is also the name of a technology?:
Apple, orange, blackberry, raspberry (pi)
Important to remember that often a word has more than one meaning so need to consider the context of your search…..later we’ll have a look at different ways that you can make your search more specific.
VH
Lets start thinking about your topics.
Hand out flip chart paper and pens to each student.
Create a mindmap of your ideas and topic.
(Click for animation) Think about:
the topic…….what are the keywords
Detail…….what things do you want to focus on
Broader subject…….think about the bigger picture. This might help you set the seen, provide background etc.
Synonyms i.e. different words that mean the same or almost the same.
Different spellings: some words can be spelt in several different ways such as the word jewellery or fairy, also Americanisms….organisation (UK) and organization (US).
Related subjects: are there other subjects that you need to consider when you search for information that will add to your work.
Also think about the things that you don’t want:
Is your topic world-wide or country specific (Geographic).
Are you looking at a specific era, century of the last 10 years for example (Time).
Now find a partner and tell them about your topic. Your partner will ask questions or make suggestions.
VH
We have chosen the UK riots of 2-11 and in particular the riots in London.
VH
You will probably use the Internet as a source of information.
The Internet gives us access to huge amounts of information.
Need to be able to streamline our search.
Introduce ways that we can streamline searches on the Internet:
Broaden your search by searching for either keyword which both describe your topic: riot OR protest
Broaden your search by finding everything which contains the same bit of a word i.e. truncation: riot*
Exclude results containing words commonly associated with your keywords: London riot NOT football
Exclude (same as above) : London riot -football
Phrase i.e. when the words need to appear together and in a specific order: “London riots”
Get answers-use this to get a definition of a word from an online dictionary: Define: riots
Hand out worksheet (Workshop 2: Refining your search)……..have a go.
VH
You can also access many of these refining tools in most search engines such as Google……..just click on ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Advanced search’.
We are using the Social Riots of 2011 as an example topic.
VH
Click on ‘Tools’ to further refine your search by country and date.
VH
Finally: As you search for information and read, look out for other search terms/keywords that you could use e.g. civil unrest.
VH
More examples……location of riots or ethnicity of those involved.
VH
And more……police, discrimination, gangs, social media, local communities etc.
All of these terms can help you find more information or in fact refine your search if necessary.
JI
JI
In the last section of the workshop you will develop the skills needed to evaluate and select information for relevance and quality.
Discuss the objectives and how they relate to EPQ assessment:
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.
JI
Arrange these sources into a shape (such as a pyramid) to show how reliable and trustworthy you think they are….most trustworthy and reliable at the top and least at the bottom.
Give max five mins to complete in groups
Discuss as a class
What effects the reliability of sources of info? Are there instances when something might be made more reliable?
What do you want to know about any of these sources when you are making a judgement?
JI
Watch Goldacre video to 2:50 http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science.html
Then discuss or get feedback from the class in relation to authorship, authority, publication expertise etc.
JI
Introduce 5Ws as a way of critiquing sources of information.
What are they? Referring to video.
How do they relate to your job as a researcher? Discuss why each of these might be important when appraising and selecting research.
Possible questions…..
Why is a book written?.......Inform, earn a living etc
Why is a journal article written?.......Present new research etc
Why is a newspaper article written?.....to sell, share news etc
JI
Good research requires sources of reliability and authority, and for you to demonstrate a critical capacity when selecting sources for your research.
JI
Your essay is the finished product of your research and engagement with the question you have posed. It is not a regurgitation of everything you have found out.
It presents the best of your understanding on the topic, with clarity and in reference to the question.
In your academic writing you need to demonstrate your learning and expertise, and one of the ways in which you need to do this is by referring to expert, reliable sources
JI
Students are now going to apply these skills by looking at sources of information to do with the 2011 riots.
Give ten minutes for task then get feedback.
Get into groups
Each person gets a different source and worksheet
Identify the 5 Ws….complete the hexagons – what, where, why, who and when.
Would you use it – tick the traffic light
Write down two reason for your decision
Discuss with your group
If time is short then give each group one worksheet and the relevant information source. Complete as a group and feedback to the whole class.
VH
Summing up of learning and activities.
You should now:
Have a greater understanding of the range of information sources available to you and which ones will be useful sources for your EPQ.
Understand the importance of communicating your information need, using search terms and search tips to find the information you need for your EPQ.
Have the skills necessary to evaluate and select the best resources either for your EPQ or other aspects of your life.
Don’t forget that these skills are assessed and feed into the research process initially, but then into the use of the research too:
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.
JI
Any questions so far?
VH
Reminder:
EPQ guide has further info on open access resources, search tips and basic referencing.
