Research Methods

1
Research Methods

• A Guide to Inquiry and Research

2
Getting Started

• Understand your assignment thoroughly
• Know what type of information you will need
• Background
• Critique
• Primary vs. Secondary
• If not assigned, select a topic.

3
Types of Information Sources

• Primary original documents
• (i.e. journal articles, reports, diaries)
• Secondary information about primary sources
• (i.e. review articles, biographies, textbooks)
• Tertiary collection of primary and secondary
  sources
• (i.e. encyclopedias, almanacs, guides and
  handbooks)

4
Selecting a Topic

• Select topic as early as possible
• When choosing a topic consider
• Interest
• Ideas
• Scope
• Time
• Aspect
• Clarity

5
Research Strategy

• Do background reading.
• Narrow/Adapt your topic.
• Do in-depth research using library catalogs,
  periodical databases, and internet searches
• Evaluate your research
• Cite your research

6
Evaluating Information Sources

• Before including a source in your research, ask
  yourself Is this source
• Authoritative Is the author identified?
• Objective Is the information impartial or
  persuasive?
• Timely How current is the information source?
• Reliable Is the source credible and
  professionally written?

7
Research Modes

• Search the library catalog
• Search periodical indexes or databases
• Search the Internet
• Dont limit your research to only one of the
  above.

8
Finding and Evaluating Books

• Use the librarys online catalog to look up books
  on your topic
• Use keyword to search a narrow topic
• Use subject to when searching a broad topic
• Make sure the book is in circulation
• Scan the books bibliography for additional
  sources
• Search Galahad or MOBIUS for books not in Kent
  Librarys catalog
• Evaluate the book for reliability, currency,
  objectivity, and authority

9
Finding Journal Articles

• Select an appropriate index
• (i.e. Proquest, EBSCOhost, First Search)
• Search for your topic
• Evaluate the article for authority, objectivity,
  reliability, and currency
• If full text is available, print the article
• Or determine if your library owns the article and
  locate it in the periodicals

10
Searching the Internet

• Choose a search engine
• (i.e. Google, Yahoo!, Alta Vista)
• Or choose a subject directory
• (i.e. Librarians Index, Infomine, About.com)
• Use a narrow and specific search to reduce the
  volume of irrelevant material
• Evaluate the objectivity, authority, reliability,
  and currency of the Web site
• Try using another search engine to find
  additional sources.

11
Citation

• After collecting all of your sources, create a
  bibliography (This will help to make sure you
  have collected a variety of sources)
• You must cite every information source in your
  assignment to show evidence of your research
• Use an appropriate style format for citing your
  sources
• (i.e. APA, MLA)

12
How to Avoid Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is theft of someone elses
  intellectual property
• Plagiarism is an automatic failure for the
  assignment for all professors at the university
• You must cite your references throughout your
  assignment as well as a works cited list at the
  end.
• Exact words of another person should be cited in
  parenthesis
• You must also cite authors concepts and ideas as
  well as facts that are not common knowledge
• When paraphrasing, do not just rearrange or
  replace the words
• Rule of thumb When in doubt, cite!

13
Services of Kent Library

• Galahad Get books located at other libraries in
  the region
• MOBIUS Get books located in the statewide
  catalog
• Special Collections and Archives
• Laptop loan
• Reference Desk
• Paper critique at the Writing Center
• Visit the Kent Library Web site at
  http//library.semo.edu for additional research
  tips

14
Thank You

• Any Questions?