6. Doing the Research

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6. Doing the Research

• Ken 9610051A
• Nicky 9610903A
• Agnes 9610503A
• Jennifer 9810014E
• Edward 9610009A

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6a What information to look for
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• 6a-1 Single-fact information
• To answer specific factual questions.
• 6a-2 General information
• To provide an overview of a subject or a
  particular topic.
• 6a-3 In-depth information
• In-depth information be found in sources that
  a topic in detail.

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6b Where to look for information
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Ask your librarian about online databases.
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Look up your topic in an outline encyclopedia.
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Check the Library of Congresss online catalog
for books on your subject.
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Consult Appendix B of this book for an annotated
listing of reference sources.

• Please turn to our textbook p.229

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Google is a good beginning.
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Check the bibliography at the end of encyclopedia
articles.
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• Search the computerized library catalog under the
  subject heading as well as any suggested cross
  listing.

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Check Book Review Digest for summaries of
reviewed book.
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Check a standard dictionary or go to Dictionary.
com
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Check Whos Who for information about noteworthy
people.
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Consult gazetteers and atlases
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General indexes

• United States
• 
  History
• 
  1865-1898
• Custers Black Hills
  Expedition Cover story W. C. Patric. il
• map por American History
  v38 no2 p34-42 Je 2003
• 1961-1963
• JFKs Second Term Excerpt
  from An Unfinished Life R.
• Dallek.
  Atlantic Monthly (1993) v291 no5 p58-61, 64-6 Je
• 2003
• 
  1969-1974
• Capers, Tapers, c. 30th
  anniversary of Watergate hearings
• D. Frum. National Review
  v55 no11 p56 Je 16 2003

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Specialized indexes

• Specialized indexes catalog information on
  specific subjects.
• Different specific subjects have their own
  indexes
• Choose the right index on your subject

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Using interviews and surveys

• Interview is another important source of
  information.
• Expert is recognized as an authority in a
  particular subject.
• In addition, experts can be someone who has had a
  unique experience.

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• You have to establish experts credentials
• to evidence he or she is an expert.
• Judge whether he or she is an expert on your
  topic or not.
• Do not use the interview of experts and
  eyewitness only.
• Some research projects require surveys,
  especially in psychology and social sciences.

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Corresponding by e-mail

• E-mailing an expert and asking the right
  questions is an efficient way of getting
  information.
• Be sure to identify yourself and your research
  project, and to ask specific, pointed question so
  that the expert knows what youre getting at and
  can answer quickly.

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Attending lectures, concerts, or art exhibits

• A famous lecturer, artist, or musician passing
  through your campus or town may be used as unique
  citation on your chosen topic.
• Whatever you do, dont forget to make a
  bibliographic card linked to your notes so you
  can make accurate citation of the source when you
  write the paper.

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6c Assembling a working bibliography
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• The process
• 3x5 card
• Name of authors
• Title of work
• Facts of publication
• Pages of information
• Location of source
• Library call number

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6d Selecting your sources Skimming
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Here are some hints.

• Glance at the preface.
• Thats where the author usually recounts the
  major ideas.

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• Look up the subject in the index of the book.
• You can easily see where is your source on
  which page.

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• Read the chapter headings.
• Subheadings also can tell you the major ideas.

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• Read the first and last two sentences in
  paragraph.
• To find out what information it contains.

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• Glance at the opening paragraph.
• The authors thesis is stated in the first
  paragraph.

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• Glance at concluding paragraphs.
• These final paragraphs sum up the major ideas.

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• Reading every fourth or fifth sentence.
• To get a fair idea

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Primary and secondary sources
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• Primary sources are original writings by an
  author, documents, artifacts, laboratory
  experiments, other data that provide firsthand
  info.

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• Secondary sources are writings, speeches, or
  other document about a primary sources.
• Paper should consist of primary and secondary
  sources of evidence.

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Evaluating sources
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• Choose sources that cover your particular subject
  in depth.
• Choose only material that hits the proverbial
  nail on the head of your topic.

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• Recognize the point of view in sources..
• The title and opening paragraph reveal the
  writers point of view.

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• Verify one opinion against another.
• To check the opinion whether it is agreed with
  other experts.

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• Note the date of the evidence.
• In researching topics, you should seek the
  up-to-date data that is the most important.

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• Exercise your editorial judgment.
• Use your common sense and attention to evaluating
  the source of evidence.

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• Check your evaluations against those of
  professionals.
• Researcher should check the author whether he/she
  is qualified for giving you evaluation or not.

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• Beware of statistics.
• What the statistics we use are specific and
  concrete with credibility.

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6e Note-taking
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6e-1 Choosing the Number of Notes

• The paper demands
• a. Your opinionated conclusions
• b. Evidence and other opinions supporting them

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6e-2 Formatting the Note Cards

• Use 46 cards
• Write in ink
• Write down only one idea on each card
• Identify the source of the note
• Jot down a general heading

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6e-2 Formatting the Note Cards
sources
General heading

• Fulop-Miller 3-10 Rasputins appearance
• The content of your notes

4 6 Cards
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6e-3 Using the Computer to Take Notes

• Two approaches
• a. Download material print it out
  highlight the passages
• b. Keep electronic sources in the computer
  organize them by files transfer
  quotations by the tool of copy and paste

Attention please 1.Well-organized sources in
your computer! 2. How to keep track of your
source?
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Well-organized sources in your computer
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6e-4 Using a Copy Machine to Take Notes

• Suggestions
• Write down details about source immediately
  after copying it.
• Be neat about the pages you copy

Much easier !
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6e-5 Kinds of Notes

• Four kinds of notes
• a. The summary
• b. The paraphrase
• c. The quotation
• d. The personal comment

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• a. The Summary
• Condensation of significant facts
• Common sense should govern your use of summary
• (Figure 6-5 on Rasputin)
• b. The Paraphrase (most common form)
• The purposes of paraphrasing
• It shows that you have mastered the material
• It gives your paper a consistent style
• (Figure 6-6 on Rasputin)

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• c. The quotation
• If the quotation contains a misspelled or other
  errors, reproduce it faithfully, placing beside
  it sic
• The rules to avoid overusing quotation
• Limit quoted material to no more than 10 of the
  total paper
• Quote only when the authority of the writer is
  needed or when the material cant be paraphrased
  or summarized
• d. The personal comment
• Your ideas conjectures conclusions
• Stapling

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Plagiarism and how to avoid it

• Plagiarism is the act of passing anothers words
  and ideas as your own.

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To avoid plagiarism you have to do the following

• Provide a note for any idea borrowed from
  another.
• Place quoted material in quotation marks.
• Provide a bibliography entry at the end of the
  paper for every source used in the text or in a
  note.

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The following must be accompanied by a citation
specifying author and source

• Any idea derived from a known source.
• Any fact or data borrowed from the work of
  another.
• Any especially clever or apt expression, whether
  or not it says something new, that is taken from
  someone else.
• Any material lifted verbatim from the work of
  another.

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• Any information that is paraphrased or summarized
  and then used in a research paper.

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• Thank you for your listening