ENGL 1302: Composition & Reading
Purpose: To discuss the processes involved in researching a topic and evaluating sources, and to demonstrate Cornette Library books, journals and online sources helpful in researching a topic. You will prepare an annotated bibliography using this information.
Research Process
Characteristics of research
- Requires time.
- Requires flexibility - learn while you go.
- Cut and try, iterative process - information from one step may require redoing an earlier step.
- Life-long activity, personal as well as scholarly.
- Fun and challenging.
- You already know how to do most of these steps!
Steps in the process
- Receive a research assignment: a paper or presentation is assigned, or a personal decision is required.
Example: Write a paper that's due in one month,
OR your grandfather just left you $8,000. - Select a topic: may be assigned in broad terms, or may be a personal interest.
Example: Discuss violence in the media,
OR Grandad said "Buy yourself a new vehicle." - Explore the facets of topic/narrow the focus: ask basic background questions or specific parts of the overall topic.
Step usually requires some information collection and evaluation.
Example: collect information on television, movies, video games, anime cartoons, rap music...,
OR collect prices of cars and pickups, repair history ratings, insurance rates... - State a question: this is the question that you will answer, and defines the limits of your problem.
Example: Does the image of women in rap music lead to more date rape?
OR Can I find a pickup truck model that is no more than 3 years old that rates better than average on repair history,and costs less than $7,000 before TT&L? - Collect and evaluate information: gather data to answer your questions. This is often thought of as "research".
Too much or too little available information may mean the question has to be restated.
Example: Look at journals for scholarly studies on the correlation of date rape and music preference of the offenders,
OR check Consumer Reports frequency of repair charts, call your insurance agent, check the used car ads. - Is the question answered? May need additional information.
Again may lead to restating the question, if not enough information is available.
Example: One source is available, but there are 5 other sources that discuss rap music and violence against women. Restate the question as Does the image of women in rap music cause more violence against women?
OR Used Car Sam has a 2000 Isuzu Hombre S Short Bed pickup for $6,790, and Isuzu ranks as average or better reliability. - Make the decision/write the report/prepare the presentation.
Use your instructor's guidance on the writing process itself.
Congratulations! You've successfully completed a research project,
OR Congratulations! You've got new wheels.
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Source Evaluations
All of these characteristics should be considered in evaluating any information source, whether it is a book; a magazine, newspaper or journal article; a government document; a web page; or an individual. Experience makes this process easier.
Authority
Goal: find information from knowledgeable sources.
- Who wrote the item?
Examples: Book or article author/s, Government agency, corporation. - What are their qualifications?
Examples: Education, work or personal experience, organization mission. - What else has this person or organization written about the subject?
Examples: other books/articles, extent of web site, - Is the person or organization reputable?
Examples: How often is the author cited? Who else links to the web site?
Specificity/Relevance
Goal: find sources that specifically address your individual question.
- Does the item relate to your specific question, or is it misfocused?
Example: an article about racism in South Africa would not be relevant to a research question like Does racism still exist in the 21st century United States? - Does the item address all or a part of your topic?
Partial coverage from one source requires coverage from other sources.
Example: an article about racism in current college admissions MIGHT be helpful for a paper on racism in 21st century America. - May require scanning an entire article, as titles aren't always informative. Use abstracts where available.
Audience
Goal: find information for the audience to be addressed.
- What age group is the item aimed at?
Example: Ranger Rick might be excellent for a teacher preparing elementary school activities, but not your freshman biology class. - Is the item intended for a general or a specialized audience?
Examples: a speech to your fraternity would require different sources than a 30 page formal research paper. - Is the item intended for scholars or the general public?
Example: National Geographic and Journal of Geophysics have very different audiences.
Accuracy
Goal: find accurate, reliable information.
A difficult judgement to make for a new subject. Part of the process will involve comparing one information source on the topic to others.
- Are sources provided so that you can verify the information?
Examples: footnotes, reference lists, links. - How reliable are the sources?
See the authority discussion above. - Is the journal peer-reviewed?
Examples: Not all scholarly sources are checked by other experts.
Currency
Goal: find information current enough to answer your research question.
Old sources can be fine for an historical question, but not for current events.
- What is the publication or creation date?
Example: books may be reprinted. Journals have publication dates. More authoritative web pages will have a clear "updated" date. - Does the internal data reflect the same date as the creation date?
Example: a web page that states Clinton is the current president, but has a 2005 "updated" date isn't truly current.
Objectivity
Goal: find sources to address all sides of an issue. May require multiple sources representing differing viewpoints.
- Does the writer have a strong opinion on the issue?
Examples: NARAL Pro Choice America has a very different view of abortion than National Right to Life. - Is that point of view obvious?
Example: The white supremacist underpinnings of Martin Luther King, Jr.: A true historical examination are not revealed unless the "hosted by" link is followed.
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What's a Journal?
Distinction between scholarly journals and magazines is important because:
- your instructor may specify "use only scholarly" sources,
- various citation styles treat journals and magazines differently,
- material in a journal is automatically considered more authoritative than a magazine, and peer-reviewed journals are considered the most authoritative.
The following criteria are guidelines. Some publications won't match the criteria exactly. If a publication fits MOST of the criteria, that would probably be the correct categorization.
Check with your instructor if you are not sure of the classification of a particular source.
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Library Tour
Learn the location of the various help desks, and functional areas of the library.
Floor plans show the different departments.
These links show the activities in each area of the library.
- Loan collection for books that can be checked out.
- Reference for basic information sources, library assistance, and research help.
- Interlibrary loan for obtaining books and articles that Cornette Library does not have.
- Instructional Resource Center for K-12 textbooks adopted by Panhandle school districts.
- Periodicals for journal, magazine and newspaper articles, both new and old.
- Government documents for Texas and United States government documents.
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Reference Sources
- Are an excellent place to start research.
- Provide background and brief factual information.
- Include basic information sources like dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, chronologies, and research guides.
- CQ Researcher
- H 35 .E35 Ref.
- Provides in-depth, objective reports which examine topical and controversial issues.
- Provides a chronological review of the topic, with recent developments.
- Presents opposing viewpoints.
- Includes appropriate statistics and a bibliography.
- Indexed in blue pages at the front of the ring binder.
- Now available online through Congressional Quarterly Electronic Library
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Books
- Provide recent information or historical perspective on a topic.
- Can provide more in-depth coverage than other sources.
- Cornette Library's Online Catalog
- Includes books, government documents, videos, journal titles, etc. available throughout the Library. Suggested searches include:
- a keyword search for your subject, such as texas public policy.
- the general LC subject heading poverty government policy.
- the LC subject heading for a specific time and place such as environmental policy economic aspects texas.
To determine the most appropriate subject headings for your search, refer to the red Library of Congress Subject Headings near the Reference computers in the Library or search the online Library of Congress Authorities Catalog.
- WorldCat
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- Online catalog for libraries around the world.
- Lists Cornette Library books along with many more in other libraries.
- Search by keyword, author, title, or subject.
- Request books not in Cornette Library through the pre-filled Interlibrary loan form. Allow at least two weeks for the books to arrive.
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Journal, Magazine, & Newspaper Articles
Provide current information
- Library shelves contain more than 1500 bound and current journals
- Microform (film or fiche) is available for dozens of leading newspapers, as well as other periodicals
- Databases index articles found in journals and magazines and may be
- Citation only;
- Citation and a short summary of the article (abstract); or
- Full text; and
- General, covering many kinds of topics; or specialized, for specific disciplines.
- Articles MUST be evaluated as discussed in Part I to find best information.
How to Access Databases
- On-campus: In the library or HELC
- Off-campus: Login with your Buff Advisor username (for example, js123456) and your Buff Advisor password (for example, buffaloes).
- Database citations not in full-text may be located in the library catalog, or the list of online journals.
- Use Interlibrary Loan to request articles inaccessible through Cornette Library. Allow at least 1 week for articles to arrive.
Which database?
- Subject Guides
- Recommends specific databases for a-z list of Subjects.
- Academic Search Complete
- Contains abstracts and citations for a broad range of topics, with substantial full-text. Can limit to full-text, to peer-reviewed journals, and to specified date range.
- ERIC(EBSCO)
- Focuses on education issues with K-12 perspective.
- Infotrac Newspapers
- Includes full-text from over 100 newspapers for at least the last 365 days, including The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor and Austin American-Statesman.
Logo
- Displays in most of our databases. Links from a citation to one or more of the following:
- One or more links to full-text of the cited article,
- A link to a pre-set search of the Cornette Library catalog for the cited item,
- A link to a pre-filled Interlibrary Loan request form for the article, or
- A link to various help options.
- For more information see the tutorial Using SFX to Link to Articles
Need Help?
- Ask at the Reference Desk (first floor) or Periodicals Desk (second floor).
- Call 651-2215 during the hours Cornette Library is open.
- Use the "Ask A Librarian" e-mail request form.
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Web Sites
- The World Wide Web is an excellent source of information.
- Not everything found on the Web is accurate.
- You must evaluate information on the Web.
Writing Web Sites
Provide specific guidelines for common composition and editing problems
- West Texas A&M University Writing Center
- Provides personal assistance with writing problems by e-mail, appointment, or drop-in. Also provides workshops and presentations for classes and groups.
- Online Writing Center At Purdue
- Gives step-by-step guidance for common writing and editing questions.
- 10 Steps to Writing a Research Paper
- Suggests a specific set of processes to complete a research paper.
Web Guides
Provide annotated lists of quality web sites with information on specific topics.
- Scout Report Archives
- Scholarly. Keyword or advanced search. Results listed by relevance.
- INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
- Scholarly. Keyword search or browse by general subject area. Can limit to free sites.
- Librarians' Index to the Internet
- General public interest. Keyword search, or browse by general topic and subtopic.
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Citing Your Sources
Why must I cite the sources I use for research projects?
- To give credit to the author of the information you use.
- To avoid plagiarism (Code of Student Life). Plagiarism is a serious offense that can result in a failing grade or worse!
- So that others can verify the information.
- To assist others in doing their own research.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Manual
- You are required to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
- A copy of the sixth edition of the MLA Manual is located at the Reference Desk.
- Additional assistance is available from our Citation Basics web page.
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Your Comments
There's always room for improvement!
If you have suggestions for improvements or would like to comment on something you found especially useful about this course guide, please e-mail Mary Jarvis. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
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