This document provides guidance on conducting effective research. It outlines a 5 step process: 1) Identifying an interesting topic, 2) Formulating a clear research question, 3) Determining information needs, 4) Locating appropriate sources, and 5) Recording findings. Key tips include developing keywords, using Boolean operators and database search functions, evaluating sources critically, and citing information properly. Assistance is available from the library for any part of the research process.

1. Research Process Marina Brodsky, WBAIS Library

2. The 21 st Century Learner is able to: Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations and create knowledge. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our society. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth. AASL 2008

3. Students who are information literate Accesses information efficiently and effectively Evaluates information critically and competently Uses information accurately and creatively Pursues information related to personal interests Strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation Recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society Practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology Participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information AASL.

4. Identify and Develop Your Topic 1. Find a topic of interest to you

5. Topic Create a background on the subject by looking in encyclopedias, wikipedia or a subject directory online. This will help you when you don’t know what to search on or how to narrow down the topic.

6. Topic Follow the teacher’s guidelines

7. Identify the problem as a question 2. Identify the problem State your search problem as a clear question.

8. Identify the problem as a question - Query A query is a line of inquiry – what are you looking for?

9. Example: You want to make a presentation on Slave Trade. The topic is too broad. Slave Trade can be studied from different aspects: Slave Trade Global/in Africa/America - Where? History/Routs/Origins of Slave Trade - What? Slavery of the Modern Day/in the Ancient Civilization – When? The possible question you want to answer can be “ What is the heritage of the slave trade of the Ancient Civilizations in the modern world?” “ How have the slave trade of the Ancient Civilizations influenced the modern world?”

10. Identify the problem Identify if you have more than one concept to search Example: Slave Trade – concepts of freedom, human rights, forced migration, transatlantic journey, non-market trade

11. Looking for Information 3. Identify what information and how much of it you need Remember the triangle method : To be considered accurate, each fact should be found in at least three sources

12. Looking for Information What type of information do you need? primary sources: documents, individuals reflecting on events they were involved in, pictures, videos, reports of original studies, numerical data

13. Looking for Information secondary sources: news, overview, scholarly, point of view

14. Looking for Information How much information do you need depends on what your final product will be (term paper, essay, multimedia presentation, speech, definition)

15. Looking for information Follow the teacher’s guidelines

16. Looking for Information 4. Recognize where to look for the information Library Electronic databases The Internet (websites)

17. Library Printed Resources Are you looking for… Books Articles … current information V … historical information V … general information or overview V … specific information V … expert commentary V … scholarly or reference source? V V

18. Looking for Information Library In books use the table of contents Indexes

19. Finding Articles You Need Scholarly versus Popular Check with your teacher if it is allowed to use popular articles for your research. If not, you may include them to get general information about the topic.

20. Finding Articles You Need Scholarly Magazines may include Scholars or experts as authors Abstracts and methodology Charts and graphs Results of study Bibliography Longer length In-depth discussions

21. Library Databases See WBAIS Databases at http://ais-sharing.wikispaces.com/Reference+Sources

22. Library Databases CIAO – Columbia International Affairs Online International (Foreign) affairs, economy, peace, global development Country data Primary sources – case study, policy briefs

23. Library Databases EBSCOhost: scholarly articles, search by topic, primary sources, biographies, magazines and newspapers, books & encyclopedias

24. Library Databases Facts on File:

25. Facts on File World News Digest Current Events, issues, country data, encyclopedia, almanac, in-depth coverage of hot topics, suggestion of research topics

26. Facts on File Issues and Controversies Pro and Cons Today’s Top Issues on business, politics, government, education, popular culture.

27. Facts on File Issues and Controversies in American History Articles on historical events that shaped the American society, key players and battles

28. Facts on File Today’s Science Articles on modern science issues, biographies, research topics, science encyclopedia, glossary, images

29. World Book Online News Headlines Biography Center Articles, tables, maps on the world Encyclopedia, dictionary

30. Websites – the Internet Search Engines Google Yahoo Middlespot.com eyePlorer.com

31. Why not just to Google? Visible and Invisible Web There are parts of information that search engines cannot see. The “crawlers” are locked out of these areas of the internet. The big part of it is the password protected information.

32. Why not just to Google? Many sites are dead Search engines are databases. They don’t search the live Internet. Otherwise, there would not be messages like HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found. We search life information only when we browse.

33. Why not just to Google? Information is incomplete and needs an evaluation Information found in search engines are collected randomly and is not filtered. Searches are limited. Even metasearch engines don’t use all possible databases (For ex. Only BackWayMachine can see archived sites).

34. Why not just to Google? Using one database fosters a false sense of proficiency (Carl Heine).

35. 5. Identify keywords In any search place write the keywords in.

36. Creating a Query – what you will write in the search box? Not a sentence Keywords: What are the major concepts? Slave Trade Human Rights Origins Crimes What are the synonyms? heritage, trails, origin, traffic in slaves, slave-trading

37. Creating a Query How should you use Boolean operators? AND, OR, - “minus” Heritage OR origins OR trails AND “slave trade” –trip –course –curriculum, etc. Should you worry about plurals? Are there any proper names you should concentrate on or eliminate?

38. Library Print Resources Library Catalog – Destiny

39. Searching the Internet Use the library recommended sites - Schoogle

40. Library Databases

41. Searching the Internet Ask your teacher if you are allowed to use the Internet for your research project Wikipedia as a source for your research project Note: You may use these sources for background information but not to include into the list of sources (Bibliography).

42. Searching the Internet Choose a search engine

43. Searching the Internet Use keywords rather than sentences Enclose phrases in quotations Use subject headings Try synonyms Use advanced search option

44. Searching the Internet Use Boolean operators

46. Searching the Internet When searching on your own, carefully evaluate the sites. Tips on Evaluating of Websites can be found on Schoogle – Evaluating Sources

47. Record what you found When searching, save links that look like helpful in Delicious.com or Diigo. Take notes in Google doc. Or in Evernote Cite sources - Tips on Citing Sources can be found on Schoogle – Citing Sources and Bibliography Guide

48. Need Help? Contact me: E-Mail [email_address] Leave your question in ais-sharing wiki Come any Tuesday and Thursday 3:15 – 4:00 PM to the library See me in person in the library. Marina Brodsky, WBAIS Library

49. Credits 21 st Century Information Fluency. The Search Process - http://21cif.com/tutorials/micro/mm/searchprocess/index.html Jean Burr Smith Library. Research Process 101. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYQ0UKJlb18 Images: Popular magazines – Earth911.com - http://www.google.co.il/imgres?imgurl=http://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/stack-of-magazines-3 Search Engines – Host-ed.net. Web Hosting Blog – http://host-ed.net/blog/tag/msn Boolean Operators – http://www.prism.gatech.edu Running boy – Google images. Eduweek