Research Tutorial : Combined Version
Contents:
Picking a Topic
Finding and developing a research topic is the first step in the research process.
Key Steps in Picking a Topic:
Step 1
Identifying a Topic - Discuss your topic ideas with your class instructor
- Discuss your topic ideas with a UC Reference Librarian
- Drop by for an informal discussion, or, Request a Research Appointment for individual assistance.
- Browse journals that specialize in the subject area or discipline related to your topic area
- Browse the E-Journal Portal by subject
- A UC Librarian can also help you find journals in your topic area
- Browse encyclopedias or indexes in the subject area or discipline related to your topic area
- Use UC Library's Online Resources tool to help you find databases and other online resources
- A UC Reference Librarian can help you find appropriate resources
- State your topic idea as a question
- For example, to find out about the use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question, "What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?"
- Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question
- In the example above, some keywords are alcoholic beverages, health, and college students
Step 2
Testing Your Topic Testing your topic will help you see what kind and how much information is available.
- Search your keywords in a database, the Library Catalog, and the E-Journal Portal
- Use UC Library's Online Resources tool to find databases and other online resources
- A UC Librarian also can help you select the right resources for your topic
Too Much Information
- Try narrowing your topic by using the "and" operator:
- Example: beer and health and college students
Too Little Information
- Try broadening your topic
- For example, search for the keyword "students" rather than "college students"
- Consider synonyms to use in place of keywords
- Example: search for "beer" and "wine" in place of "alcoholic beverages"
Finding Background Information
Background information helps you:
- Understand the context of your topic
- Define what is already know about your topic
Key Steps in Finding Background Information
- Keyword searching in databases, the Library Catalog and subject encyclopedias
- Read articles found for context
Key Strategies in Finding Background Information
- Note relevant articles in bibliographies
- Use lecture notes, text books, and reserve materials for additional sources
What are Background Sources?
- Databases - find articles with keyword searching in a database
- Use UC Library's Online Resources tool to help you select a database or other resources to search
- Library Catalog - find books, journals, newspapers, indexes, and bibliographies by keyword searching
- E-Journal Portal - find e-journals and e-newspapers by subject browsing or keyword journal title searching
- Lecture notes, text books and reserve readings are great resources for background information
Using Bibliographies and Citations
- Bibliographies are collections of citations on a specific subject
- Citations at the end of encyclopedia entries and journal articles can lead you to more detailed or relevant information
Finding Articles
Finding articles and other sources that specifically relate to your chosen topic is the heart of the research process.
Key Steps in Finding Articles
- Selecting a database
- Searching a database
- Searching the Library Catalog
- Finding print and online articles
Key Strategies in Finding Articles
Picking a Database
UC Library offers more than 100 databases and other online resources. How do you know which one is right for your research?
- Use UC Library's Online Resources tool:
- Browse online resources by subject
- Search by title keyword
- Keyword Title Search Tip: use a term associated with the broad subject area, such as, Psychology, History or Nursing
Searching a Database
Once you've selected a database or other online resource, keyword searches are a good place to start, but don't forget use the specialized tools available to help you refine and limit your searches:
Limiting Searches
Scholarly Publications
- Displays articles published in scholarly or academic sources
- Removes articles published in popular or non-academic sources
- Useful if your assignment indicates that citation or sources must be from scholarly or academic publications
Dates Ranges
- Finds articles published before or after a specified period
- Useful if your assignment is to find articles older or newer than 5 years
Getting the Article
Full text in a Database
- Many of the Library's Online Resources include full text articles
- If full text is available, a link to the article will appear under or next to the citation
Full text Online
Just because an article isn't available full text in one Online Resource doesn't mean the Library doesn't have access to full text in another resource
- Use UC Library's E-Journal Portal to find e-journals with online full text
- Tip: you're searching the e-journal portal for journal title, not performing a keyword search for full text articles!
- If UC Library subscribes to the e-journal, you'll find links to the full text
- If the Library does not subscribe to the e-journal or the e-journal coverage is wrong, see if the Library subscribes to the journal in print
Print Journals
- UC Library subscribes to over 1200 journals in print
- Search the Library Catalog by Periodical Title
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
- If UC Library doesn't own the journal you need, ILL allows you to request a copy of the article from another library.
- Go to InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
Locating books on your topic adds context and overview to your research project.
Key Steps in Finding Books
Key Strategies in Finding Books
UC Library Catalog
- Lists all the books, journals and newspapers available in the UC Library
- Allows you to search by keyword, subject, title and author
- Tells you the location and status of the item
- Location: the general location of the item in the Library building
- Call Number: the exact location of the item in the Library Collection using Library of Congress Classification
- Status: whether the item is available, for in-library use only (Reference or Reserves) or checked out
Searching the Library Catalog
Keyword searching is a great place to begin, but subject searches can help you narrow results to those in your specific topic area
Subject Searches
- Help tailor results to your topic area
- Provide a range of topic options and similar subject areas
- Search the Library Catalog by subject
- Type a subject term in the box
- Select "Subject" from the drop down menu
- Hit the Search button
- Tip: your keywords or broad topic area terms are a great place to start a subject search
Keyword Searches
- Provide general results in a topic area
- Provide the broadest range of results
- Search the Library Catalog by keyword
- Type your keyword into the box
- Hit the Search button
WorldCat Catalog
WorldCat is a national and international version of the UC Library Catalog
The WorldCat database lists all the books, journals, newspapers and other library materials owned by hundreds of library's worldwide
UC Library's library materials are listed in WorldCat
Searching WorldCat
Enter your keyword or keywords into the search boxes
Select any limits you'd like
Hit the Search button
Getting the Book
UC Library Owns the Book
UC Library Does Not Own the Book
- InterLibrary Loan (ILL) is a free service where UC Library borrows a book from another library on your behalf
- Go to InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
About the Library's Colllections
UC Library collects materials in several formats, or material types:
Key Strategies in Using the Library Collection UC Library Collection
The UC Library Collection is broken down into types of materials:
- Print
- Books, journals (current and older), newspapers (current), indexes
- Available in the Library
- Microform
- Indexes, older journal and newspaper content
- Available in the Library
- Online
- Databases, e-journals, e-newspapers, websites
- Available using the Internet
Searching the UC Library Collection
Find Print Books, Journals, Newspapers
Find Microform Journal and Newspaper Content
Find E-Journals and E-Newspapers
Finding Materials in the UC Library
Materials are organized by Library of Congress Classification and alphabetical by title
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
This section is scheduled for updating. Please see:
www.utica.edu/academic/library/services/ill.cfm InterLibrary Loan (ILL) allows you to request journal articles, newspaper articles and books from other libraries when what you need is
not in the UC Library Collection.
Key Steps in Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
- Is the article or book you want in the UC Library Collection?
- Completing the ILL Article or Book Request forms
Key Strategies in Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
- Search the Library Catalog for journal articles and books in print and microform
- Using the E-Journal Portal to find e-journals with online full text
- Go to InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
MORE What's in the UC Library Collection?
To learn if a journal article, newspaper or book you need is in the UC Library Collection, you need to:
- Search the Library Catalog for:
- Journals with articles in print
- Newspapers with articles in print
- Journals and newspapers in microform
- Books
- Use UC Library's E-Journal Portal to find:
- E-journals that offer online full text articles
- E-newspapers that offer online full text articles
Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
InterLibrary Loan (ILL) is used when the article or book you want is not in the UC Library Collection. ILL is:
- Free to all current UC students, faculty and staff
- Easy - complete the ILL Article or Book Request form
- Go to InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
You've found books, articles and websites. The next step is evaluating their authority and appropriateness to your research.
Key Steps in Evaluating Books & Articles
- Examining author, date and audience
- Distinguishing scholarly content from other content
- Looking for quality indicators
Key Strategies in Evaluating Books &Articles
- Decoding the bibliographic citation
- Learning to decipher relevance and authority
In the research process you will encounter many types of resources including books, articles and websites. Learn to critically evaluate books & articles.
Bibliographic Citations
- Definition & Use
- The written description of a book, journal article, essay, or other published material that appears in a database, library catalog or index
- Forms a citation or reference
-
- Citation Components:
- Author
- Title
- Date of Publication
- Edition
- Publisher
- When was the resource published?
- Is the resource current or out of date for your topic?
- Science topics use more current publications
- Humanities topics use a blend of older and newer research
-
Author
-
Date of Publication
-
Edition or Revision
Is this a first or later edition?
- Later editions indicate a source is revised and updated to reflect changes in knowledge
- Multiple printings or editions suggest a work is a classic source
- Sources published by a University Press are likely to be scholarly
- Is the organization also the publisher? This sometimes suggests content bias or slant.
-
Publisher
-
Journal Title
Is the journal content academic or popluar?
- Academic, scholarly and peer reviewed all refer to the same type of content
- Scholarly and popular content differs in the level of complexity in conveying ideas
- Some research databases allow limiting results to only academic/scholarly or peer reviewed journal articles
-
- Go to Step 3: Finding Articles to learn more about selecting and searching databases
-
- Download our
How Do I ... Distinguish Scholarly Journals Guide
After making an initial appraisal of the bibliographic citation, you should now examine the source's content:
Books
Read the preface for intent
Scan the table of content and index for overview
Note bibliographies
Read chapters that address your topic
Journals
Scan table of content for overview
Note bibliography or references after articles
Who is the author addressing?
Is the content aimed at a general or specialized audience?
Is the content too elementary, technical or advanced?
Intended Audience
Objective Reasoning
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
Facts can be verified
Facts are usually supported by evidence and other references
Objective point of view
Emotion-arousing language and bias avoided
Opinions, although based on facts, are an interpretation of facts
Reasonable assumptions
Skilled writers can make their interpretation seem like fact
Primary sources are originating documents
Secondary sources use primary sources to build and develop research
Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary source documents include:
Personal writing like correspondence and journal or diary entries
Opinion pieces or letters to the editor
Autobiography (personal history written by the subject themselves)
Articles and conference proceedings that present experiment results
Secondary source documents include:
Books, journal or newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries that refer to primary source materials
Biography (personal histories written by a third party about a person)
Scholars use primary source material in building research
Primary/Secondary Source Example:
If you were researching Konrad Adenauer's role in rebuilding Germany after World War II
Adenauer's own writing is primary source material
Secondary sources are materials that use Adenauer's writings to generate historical interpretation
Coverage
How does the content fit other research on the topic?
Updates, or builds upon, other research
Substantiates other research
Obtain a variety of view points on your topic
Writing Style
Is the publication logically organized?
Are main points clearly presented?
Is the text easy to read, stilted or choppy?
Is the author's argument repetitive?
Critical reviews of a book or journal article provide:
Context
Relevancy
Authority
Locating Critical Reviews
Print Resources:
Book Review Index
Book Review Digest
Find more print resources in the Library Catalog
Online Resources:
Academic Search Premiere
Book Index with Reviews
JSTOR
Find more Online Resources
Examining Critical Reviews
- Is the review positive or negative?
- Does the reviewer consider the material reviewed important to research?
- Does the reviewer indicate other resources as being more incisive, classic or relevant? If so, locate those other sources.
- Do different reviewers agree on the value or attributes of the reviewed source? Is there controversy among critics?
The Internet offers both valuable and unfortunately questionable content. As a researcher, you need to establish a web document's:
Validity
Authorship
Timeliness
Integrity
Key Steps in Evaluating Web Pages
Evaluating search results
Evaluating site and page characteristics
Determining authorship, validity and integrity
Key Strategies in Evaluating Web Pages
Critically examining:
The World Wide Web can be a good place to supplement your research. The trick is knowing how to use web sites and pages
The Internet Is Not Edited
Published materials use editors, experts, peers and the industry to establish:
Authorship
Validity
Timeliness
Integrity
Internet documents are usually self-published. You cannot assume that:
Editors, experts or peers were consulted
Authorship is guaranteed - author credentials may or may not be verified or established
Content or results conform to research standards or are supported/endorsed by the research community
In the absence of editors, experts, peers and the oversight of the publishing industry ...
Establishing authorship, validity, timeliness and integrity of Internet materials falls to the Researcher.
Skillful evaluation of web pages requires you do two things at once:
Train your eyes and fingers to use techniques that quickly locate information you need to know
Train your mind to think critically, even skeptically, by asking questions that will help you decide if a page is to be trusted
Each section below combines the two tasks above and forms the process of evaluating web pages.
Techniques
Using document URLs and descriptions can:
Questions to Ask
1. Is this someone's personal page?
Scan the URL for a personal name (e.g. jbarker or barker) or the words "users", "members" or "people"
Consider the Internet Service Provide (ISP) or host. AOL, Geocities and myspace host predominately personal pages.
Personal pages are not necessarily bad
No publisher or domain owner is vouching for the author's credentials or the content
You need to establish the author's credentials
2. What type of domain is used?
Look for appropriateness and fit of content
Select a resource with the domain that is most reliable for your topic
If you're researching drinking habits of college students, a web page offering statistics with a .gov domain is a good bet
Commercial vs. Nonprofit
.com or .org is selected by the person/organization registering a domain name
No governmental or organizational body determines or verifies that a .com is commercial in nature or a .org is not for profit
Any person or organization can be a .com or .org (some register both types)
Educational and government domains (.edu and .gov) are more controlled
3. Does the publisher (ISP and/or domain) make sense?
Some publishers/hosts are more reliable than others
Do you recognize the publisher/host?
Consider if the publisher/host and site name should match
For example, if you have the option of viewing an article published in the New York Times from the NY Times site (
www.nytimes.com) or another site, choose the NY Times site
For health information, agencies like the National Institute of Health (NIH) are a good source
Techniques
Look for links that include About Us, Philosophy, Background, Biography, Who Am I, etc.
Look for a last updated date, usually at the bottom a the page
Do not rely on dates in IE's File Properties or Netscape/Firefox's View Page Info displays. These dates can be automatically kept current
Questions to Ask
1. Who wrote the page?
Look for the name of the author, organization, institution, agency
Email addresses only imply authorship; dig deeper
You want a person or organization to claim accountability and responsibility for the content
Email addresses with no supporting information do not establish credentials. (You can email the person/organization at the address and request more information.)
2. Is the page dated? Is the date current enough?
3. What are the author's credentials on the subject?
The purported background and education of the author should qualify them to write on the topic
Consider if the author is a hobbyist, self-proclaimed expert, or enthusiast
Consider if the page is predominately opinion, rant or an extreme view
If you cannot find strong, relevant credentials, look very closely at documentation of sources (next section)
Anyone can put anything on the web for pennies in just a few minutes. Your task is to distinguish between the reliable and questionable.
Many web pages are opinion pieces offered in a vast public forum
Hold the author to the same degree of credentials, authority, and documentation that you would expect from something published in a reputable print resource (book, journal article, good newspaper)
Techniques
Explore footnotes, citations, and supporting documentation
Look for links to Additional Sites, Related Links, etc.
Questions to Ask
1. Are sources documented with footnotes or links?
Expect a journal or newspaper article to come from the original publisher if that publication is available on the web
A journal or newspaper article is probably authentic if full publication, copyright, and reproduction permissions are available
In scholarly work, the credibility of the content is proven through citations (footnotes, bibliography, works cited, etc.)
Consider the level of credibility your research requires
Science requires extensive citing of previous research
Journalism from highly reputable news sources can be the exception to extensive citing
2. Is reproduced information (from another source) complete, unaltered and not faked or forged?
Retyped text is easily forged
Note whether the original author granted permission to reproduce or reprint content
Note whether copyright information is provided
Consider why the author reproduced content rather than using a link
Try to find the source! Google the author, title or journal title.
You may need to find a copy of the original document to verify the reproduced content is complete and accurate
Legitimate articles from reputable sources are usually accompanied by a copyright statement and/or permission to reprint. Be suspicious of articles lacking both of these.
3. Are there links to other resources on the topic?
Pointing you to other pages on the same topic invites you to compare their information to others
A long list of links to weak or fringe pages does not compensate for credibility
Remember bias -- including links to opposing viewpoints displays balance
Techniques
Questions to Ask
1. Who links to this page?
Do a Traffic Rankings search at
alexa.com to learn traffic details, sites linking in and out, etc.
Do a link search at
Google. Type link:[full url of site or page] in search box (e.g. link:http://www.utica.edu)
Page is linked only to other pages on its site - not much of a recommendation
Page is linked by fans and detractors - read both points of view
Page is a bone fide directory, consider whether critical evaluations are provided
2. Is the page listed in one or more reputable directories?
3. What do others say about the author or organization?
To
Google a person or organization, just type the name or organization name in the search box
Citing Your Sources
Now that you've completed your research, you need to prepare your references and create a bibliography or works cited.
Key Steps in Citing Sources
Key Strategies in Citing Sources
What is Citation Management Software?
Software that helps you organize and manage references for books, articles and web pages
Some work with databases to capture citation information
Most work with word processing software to insert properly formatted citations and footnotes into a paper and create bibliographies or works cited
UC Library does not currently support citation managment software
Free Citation Management Software
Free software is not perfect. We recommend using a style guide to verify that format (spacing, punctuation, etc.) are correct!
Finding and developing a research topic is the first step in the research process.
Go to Picking a Topic
Key Steps in Picking a Topic:
- Identifying a Topic
- Testing Your Topic
Key Strategies in Identifying and Testing a Topic
- Discuss topic ideas with your Instructors
- State your topic as a question
- Develop keywords that describe your topic
- Search keywords in a database or other resource to test sources of information
Background information helps you:
- Understand the context of your topic
- Define what is already know about your topic
Go to Finding Background Information
Key Steps in Finding Background Information
- Keyword searching in databases, the Library Catalog and subject encyclopedias
- Read articles found for context
Key Strategies in Finding Background Information
- Note relevant articles in bibliographies
- Use lecture notes, text books, and reserve materials for additional sources
Finding articles and other sources that specifically relate to your chosen topic is the heart of the research process.
Go to Finding Articles
Key Steps in Finding Articles
- Selecting a database
- Searching a database
- Searching the Library Catalog
- Finding print and online articles
Key Strategies in Finding Articles
Locating books on your topic adds context and overview to your research project.
Go to Finding Books
Key Steps in Finding Books
Key Strategies in Finding Books
UC Library collects materials in several formats, or material types:
Go to Using UC Library
Key Steps in Using the UC Library Collection
- Understanding format types
Key Strategies in Using the Library Collection
InterLibrary Loan (ILL) allows you to request journal articles, newspaper articles and books from other libraries when what you need is not in the UC Library Collection.
Go to Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
Key Steps in Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
- Is the article or book you want in the UC Library Collection?
- Completing the ILL Article or Book Request forms
Key Strategies in Using InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
You've found books, articles and websites. The next step is evaluating their authority and appropriateness to your research.
Go to Evaluating Books & Articles
Key Steps in Evaluating Books & Articles
- Examining author, date and audience
- Distinguishing scholarly content from other content
- Looking for quality indicators
Key Strategies in Evaluating Books &Articles
- Decoding the bibliographic citation
- Learning to decipher relevance and authority
The Internet offers valuable and questionable content. As a researcher, you must establish a web document's:
- Validity
- Authorship
- Timeliness
- Integrity
Key Steps in Evaluating Web Pages
- Evaluating search results
- Evaluating site and page characteristics
- Determining authorship, validity and integrity
Key Strategies in Evaluating Web Pages
Critically examining:
- Search results
- Site and page characteristics
- Content
- Authenticity
Now that you've completed your research, you need to prepare your references and create a bibliography or works cited.
Go to Citing Your Sources
Key Steps in Citing Sources
- Avoiding plagiarism
- Selecting the right citation style
- Formatting your bibliography or works cited
Key Strategies in Citing Sources
- Understanding plagiarism
- Using citation style guides
