Inquiry Research

Information Literacy Skills @ SAS Library

What is Digital Information Literacy?

Ability to locate, access, and organize information effectivelyAbility to choose and evaluate a variety of relevant, quality sources Ability to interpret, synthesize, connect, and make conclusions from information Ability to communicate ideas and information effectively

Why learn EFFECTIVE Research Skills?

Research SKILLS are POWER“Knowing how to research effectively means you

can learn almost anything.” Research Skills are essential for a successful life and

career Research skills provide the foundation for learning all other

skills and help you to evolve and adapt to changes in the workplace and in life.

The Research Process• Define your Purpose• Identify your topic and write a FOCUS

statement • Generate quality Research Questions• Identify possible Resources• Identify audience and product• Establish evaluation criteria• Develop a Search Plan• Use Keywords to Search Effectively • Locate & Collect a variety of resources• Evaluate Resources for quality• Choose Pertinent Information• RECORD sources• Take Good NOTES• Synthesize, Connect & Conclude• Create a Product to communicate

learning• Credit sources in a Bibliography• Consider the audience• Edit & Revise• Present learning & findings

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

PLAN:Define, Focus, Plan

INVESTIGATE:Search, Retrieve,

Evaluate

PROCESS:Identify, Record,

Take Notes, Connect

CREATE/SHARE:Organize, Create,

Revise, Edit, Present

• Evaluate Product• Evaluate Inquiry Process• Reflect on Learning and processStep

5:

EVALUATE:Reflect, Evaluate, Transfer Learning

Define your PurposeDefine your Purpose:

What is the main purpose of my research? What are the critical questions I need to answer?

What do I know already? What do I need to find out? Who is my audience? What is my end product going to be?

Report vs. Essay•In a REPORT you:

•Describe and Explain•Provide the audience with clear, factual, relevant and accurate information in order to UNDERSTAND an issue or topic

•In an ESSAY you:•Argue and Persuade•Provide the audience with a perspective and position in order to make a JUDGEMENT about an issue or topic

Focus Research Statement It is important to FOCUS your research as much as

possible, before you begin. This will save you time, and ensure that you stay on track

A Focus Research Statement sets the FOCUS for your research, by narrowing down your topic

It defines: What you are researching What you want to discover Why it’s important

Focus Statement ExamplesExample 1:

I am researching Christopher Columbus’ explorations of the new world because I want to find out about his explorationsin order to help my audience understand what part these explorations played in the Spanish Colonization of the new world.

Example 2:I am researching the events of the War of 1812 because I want to find out the cause and effectsin order to help my audience understand how it affected the development of Canada and Canadian-U.S. relations.

Practice: Write a Focus Research Statement for your ProjectCreate a Focus Research Statement by

completing each phrase completely

Focus Statement:I am researching ……………because I want to find out……..in order to help my audience understand …..

Research Focus Focus StatementLater, when you are ready to Create your

product, you can re-work your Focus Research statement into a proper Thesis or Focus Statement

Ex:◦ Christopher Columbus was an important explorer

and navigator, whose explorations of the American Continents were an important factor in the Spanish Colonization of the new world.

◦ The War of 1812, between the United States and the British Empire (and their allies), resolved many issues left over from the American War of Independence.

Creating Quality Research QuestionsThe more time you spend UPFRONT narrowing

down your topic and developing QUALITY Research questions, the EASIER your job will be◦ Don’t start searching too soon or you will end up with a

“data dump” of unrelated, irrelevant information.To help focus your research, it is important to

generate specific research questions related to your topic

Think about specific Questions you will need to answer in order to satisfy your Focus Statement

Strategy 1: 5 W’s + How

Who was Christopher Columbus? What was his background? What influenced him to become an explorer?

Where did he come from? Where did he explore?

When did he live? When did his explorations take place?

Why did he go exploring? Why were these explorations important?

How did his explorations impact the colonization of the New World?

Strategy 1: Start thinking using the 5 W’s/HOW

WHO  

WHAT  

WHERE

 

WHEN  

WHY  

HOW  

Strategy 2: Thematic QuestionsStrategy 2: Think deeply using thematic questionsThematic Questions Your Questions

Person Who? What?

 

Concept What? When? How? Why?

 

 

Events/Issues

Why? How?

 

Example: Thematic Questions Your Questions

Person Who? What?

Who are they? What is their background? Who/what inspired them? What developed their interest? What was their significance?

Concept

What? When? How? Why?

What is it? When/Where was it created? How does it work? Why was it created?

Events/Issues

Why? How?

Why is this important? What was it’s impact on…? What is it’s impact on… ? How does this relate to…?

Practice:

Complete: Exploring your Topic Complete: Research questions Add your Focus Statement and Research

Questions to your Notes Organizer◦ Group and sequence your questions/topics in

an order that is logical

Identify the audience and Product

Establish Evaluation Criteria

Identifying Possible Resources Decide which types of resources might be

suitable for this project and your learning style

Ex: Book, Encyclopedia, Database Article, Website Locate a Variety of Sources & Source Types Start with at least 1 Academic Source

Step 2: InvestigateA.Search Effectively

• Use your Focus statement and Research Questions to GUIDE your Search

• GENERATE keywords and specific search phrases

B.Find & Filter Select the most appropriate, relevant

sources Revise research questions if necessary Evaluate Sources Critically

Evaluate Sources

Evaluate Sources Critically◦ Credibility – Is the author a credible, reliable source?◦ Accuracy – Is the information accurate & consistent?◦ Reliability – Is the information objective and free from

bias?◦ Relevance – Does this source answer my research

questions?◦ Date – Is the information current and up to date, as is

relevant to my topic?◦ Sources – Are external sources and evidence provided

to back up the information?

Step 3: Process

A.RECORD your sources

B. Take GOOD Research Notes

C.Synthesize your Findings

Record your SourcesRecord Relevant Source information for your

Bibliography•Author• Title of Article/Document/Web Page• Website or Book Title• Encyclopedia or Journal Name•Journal Vol., Issue and Page #•Publication (or Copyright) Date•Date Acquired•URL

Take good NotesTake GOOD Research Notes:Good research notes will help you create a Quality finished product,

reference your sources properly and prevent accidental plagiarism.Research Notes:

• Know in advance what you are looking for - Keep your Research Questions in the front of your mind as you read through each source

• Use POINT FORM – not full sentences• Summarize the main ideas• Paraphrase the supporting details – explain things in your own

way, in your own words• Be CHOOSY – don’t write everything – focus ONLY on Answering

your Research Questions• Use Subheadings to separate & organize Information by topic• Put “Quotation Marks” around anything that you copy literally

(word for word), and list the source next to it• Write NEATLY

Notes Example:

Notes Example:

Synthesize your Data & Transfer your Learning

A. Synthesize your Findings Organize the ideas and concepts Interpret the data and information you read Synthesize and analyze the ideas and concepts Ask more questions about what you read Check for your own understanding and look for deeper understanding

B. Make connections Look for relationships among information from different sources Look for trends and patterns in the information Make generalizations about the information

C. Formulate conclusions Form your own conclusions and new ideas from the data you have gathered Organize, reorganize, and reshape the ideas to create your own meaning For Essays ONLY:

Form your own opinion about the information Be able to justify your perspective with supporting evidence Create an arguable thesis Develop convincing arguments to support your thesis

Step 4: CreateA. Transfer & Communicate your Learning in

a Finished Product Effectively communicate what you have found in

order to demonstrate what you have learned Report Essay Oral Presentation Visual Presentation

B. Proofread, Edit, ReviseC. Create your BibliographyD. Organize & Present your workE. Reflect on your work and the processF. Apply what you have learned to other

research projects

Thesis Statement - EssayFOCUS your Essay Topic

A. The FOCUS of a report is called a THESIS STATEMENT• States your Position or argument• Identifies relationships between ideas and the evidence that supports

those ideas• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose and direction of

the essay• Guides the Essay toward a synthesis (bring together ideas from different

sources to create new ideas)B. A THESIS STATEMENT must be:

• Provable & Arguable (Are there enough details & evidence to support my position?)

• Researchable (Are there enough sources to support my position?)• Worth Proving (Is this issue/topic interesting, significant, novel or

controversial enough to spend time examining it?)C. Thesis Statement Examples:

• Pierre Trudeau was a powerful political leader and rebel, who helped keep Canada united and changed the country forever.

• Canada might no longer be considered a democracy because many of the democratic ideals of Ancient Greece have been tarnished by recent political and legal events.

Focus Statement - ReportFOCUS your REPORT Topic

A. The FOCUS of a report is called a FOCUS STATEMENT • States what you will Describe and Explain in your report• Tells the reader why this information is important• Guides the Report toward a synthesis (bring together ideas from different

sources to create new ideas)B. A FOCUS STATEMENT must be:

• Clear (Am I helping the audience understand?)• Factual (Am I being objective and unbiased?)• Accurate (Am I being precise and truthful?)• Relevant (Am I sticking to my topic? Am I provoking interest?)

C. Focus Statement Examples: • Christopher Columbus was an explorer and navigator, whose explorations of

the American Continents were an important factor in the Spanish Colonization of the new world.

• Thomas Edison was an American researcher, inventor and businessman, whose work had a significant influence on the development of mass production methods and industrial research laboratories.

Bibliography A bibliography is a list of the Sources used in your research,

arranged alphabetically, and formatted. Each source entry in your bibliography is called a citation. Most areas of study use the MLA format for bibliography

entries (English, History, Sciences, & Languages)Bibliography Sample

Adams, George. “The Champion.” ESPNET Sports Zone. 29 Aug, 2010. 10 Sept. 2010. <http:\\www.espn.com> Website}

“Mars Landing”. 1999. Online Image. NASA. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nasa.com> {Online Image}

Napoleonic Wars. Aug, 2010. Napoleon Institute. 10 Sept. 2010. <http:\\www.napoleonicwars.com> {Website}

Peters, Sarah. “Berlin, Germany.” World Book Online. Mar 2009. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.worldbookonline.com> {Online Encyclopedia}

Reynolds, J.R. “Capital Punishment.” Canadian Encyclopedia. 1997, vol. 1, pp. 210 – 214. {Print Encyclopedia}

Thomas, Bruce. Training your Dog. New York: DK Publishing, 2001. {Book}

Reflect on your Learning

o Reflection can take many forms:o Class discussiono Journal Responseo Writing checklisto Self-evaluation charto Feedback / peer evaluation.

o Questions to ask yourself?o What did I learn about the topic? o Was my task successful?o What worked well?o What could I do differently next time?o What did I learn about the research process?