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Research Strategy
-research writing gives you the chance to explore your question through resources
Planning Your Work
-plan out goals on certain dates to spread out work evenly
- remember that writing is a process
-many drafts, etc.
Research Journal
-record your activities and work prgress
-helps clarify thinking
-write down sources, ideas, leads, anything thats important
Working Bib
-keep a journal with your sources in it that also has annotations to refer back to
-source information
-cite sources properly in APA,MLA or other format
Annotations
-these things ad to your basic sources to make them more helpfull
-what you know
-what you thinkn may be helpful in your research
Synthesizing
-using the research journal can show if sources clash or are too similar
-essential part of research writing where you can begin to see connections between two sources
- becomes more complex as you move on
Respond/Connect to Sources
-let source prompt questions within you
-let yourself see connections between sources
keep a record of your own thoughts and ideas prompted by your sources
Gathering Info from your Sources
-let sources support your own ideas
-keep accurate records of what sources say
-keep accurate records of how to find the sources
-synthesize sources
Finding a Research Subject/Question
-seek inspiration fmor various places
-choose an appropriate subject
-research question
-consider what intrigues you about the subject
-narrow it down so it fits your requirements
Setting Goals for Sources
-consider what you already know and what you need to find out
-make a list of what you do know and what questions you do still have
-choose your sources carefully and consider different ones
-use a promary source whenever possible
-seconday sources arent bad but try to avoid them
Scholarly and Popular Sources
-essential for a good paper
-check articles
-title, publisher, length, author, etc.
Finding Sources
-dont look for sources that will write your paper for you, look for supports to YOUR ideas
finding background info
-use encyclopedias and dictionaries to see if youre interested in your subject
-also lead to more detailed resources
FInding Books
-many books are held in the library
-if its not there, they can borrow it from another library
FInding Articles
-find articles anywhere: online or library
Find Sources on the Web
-be diligent about credibility of sources
-web is always changing, an article can dissapear at any time
-a lot of articles going back before 1980 are not online
Other Online Sources
-e-mail: communicate with people who might know about your topic
-blogs: biased
-discussion lists: uses email to connect people with a common question to find an answer
Using Gov't Publications
-go to msu lib website
-use advanced catalog search
Images, Audio, Video
-use them, but ensure they are credible
Images
-use images form articles that help prove point
-create your own images
-use an image search engine
Audio and Video
-audio files are available on the web and the MSU library on CD
-video files are available on the web and the MSU library on DVD
Generating Your Own Sources
-interview
-survey
Observation
-such as a focus group or simply sitting and observing a situation
-make sure it's relevant to your prompt or subject
Personal Interview
-call or write for an interview
-keep notes
-possibly audio record
-send a thank you note after
Survey
-define population
-write your questions
-tally results
-analyze for patterns
Working with Sources
-Before gather info, scan them to see what they can offer
-view sources as someone elses writing
Relevance and Reliability
-not all sources you find prove worthwhile
Questions for Evaluating Sources
-relevance
-up to date?
-relilability
-wheres the source come from?
Evaluating Library Sources
-dates, titles, summaries, introductions, headings, author biographies
Identifying Origin of Source
-check whether a library source is popular or scholarly
-more reliable
Indentify Author Bias
-every author has a point of view
-look at source
-how does the authors ideas relate to those in other sources?
Questions for Evaluating Web Sites
-what type of site are you viewing?
-who is the author or sponser?
-etc.
Determine Type of Site
-Scholarly Sites
-knowledge building interest and inclue research reports with supporting data
-informational site
-advocacy site
-present views of organizations that promote certain policies
-commercial
-present views promoting the company
-personal
-range from diaries of a family's travels to opinions on political issues to reports on evolving scholarship
Identify the Author and Sponser
-reputable site will list its authors
Consider and Anayze Context
-follow links to analyze credibility
-are ideas current?
-are views authoritative?
-claims supported by reliable sources?
Avoiding Plagarism and Documenting Sources
-plagarism is bad
-it's the presentation of other's work as your own
Categories: None
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