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THE RESEARCH PROCESS Sections: Stage
4: Decide what type and amount of information is needed, how current it should
be, and what types of sources will provide that information. 1)
"What type of information on
my topic do I need?" 2) "How much information on my topic do I need?" Your professor may require a minimum number of sources depending on the exact nature of the research project. If your instructor doesn't specify how much information you need to cite or consult during your research, you can decide for yourself based on the amount of information that's available on your topic, the level of expertise you'd like to gain, and of course, the length of the final written or oral presentation. 3) "What types of information sources might provide the information I seek?" Here you are speculating about the types of materials (information sources) that could possibly give you information pertinent to your topic. They may include, but are not limited to the following: --
reference materials (e.g. general and subject encyclopedias) Print
vs. electronic forms of information Not all information is available in electronic format. Many information sources in academic disciplines are not yet available electronically. In addition, computerized databases have only emerged as a research tool since the 1960s, so the bulk of information in libraries is in a print format, as it has been since the invention of the printing press in 1465. It may be years before much of this historical knowledge is available in an electronic format, and some of it may never be. Advantages of electronic online
searching: ·
Speed. You can search
multiple databases in a matter of seconds, while a comparable search in print
indexes takes much longer. ·
Flexibility. You can link
words or search terms in a way that can never be done in print, often with
better search results. ·
Variability. Truncating
(shortening) terms allow you to search for all the variations of a term. For
example, using the truncated term "college*" will retrieve
"college," "colleges," "collegial," and
"collegiate." ·
More resources. Online searching
provides access to many more resources than are available in any one library. ·
Currency. Online databases
are updated more frequently than printed sources. Disadvantages of electronic online
searching: · Volume. You tend to get back an enormous number of search results, particularly if you are searching the Internet. · False hits. Any search in an electronic database will frequently result in a number of false matches of your keyword search terms. For example, a search for information on "AIDS" may easily turn up false hits such as "study aids" or "visual aids.” · Cross-references. Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of online searching is the lack of cross-references that take the researcher from a poor choice of keywords to terms that will result in a higher rate of success. This is particularly true if you make a typographical error or spell a word wrong. If your topic is broad, "see also" references (sometimes available in electronic databases) will suggest more appropriate headings. If you haven't picked the right subject heading, the "see" references will lead you to the subject heading in actual use. · Older sources. Since many online databases only index articles published after 1980, you will need to use print indexes to locate older articles. If you plan to do research in the humanities or in history you will most likely need to consult information published prior to 1980. Scholarly Journals versus Popular Magazines Periodicals
can be roughly categorized into two types: popular and scholarly. Sometimes
your instructor will insist on your using a certain number of scholarly
sources. Here is how to tell the difference between the two: Scholarly
and Professional Journals Popular
Magazines Adapted
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