Digging for gold in the LIbrary

English IVResearch project

The Big Six Steps to Research

1. Define the task2. Select sources3.3. Locate sourcesLocate sources4. Use information5. Put information together6. Evaluate information

I. Define the task• How long is your report? (number of pages?)• What are the questions that must be answered or

sections of your research paper that your teacher has specified?

For English IV class, your paper must include information on the following:

plot summarythemecharacter

II. Select sources

• Magazines (periodicals)?• Books?• Online databases?• Internet?• Encyclopedia?

Which does your teacher expect you to use?

II. Select sources

• For English IV class you must use the following sources:– Books from the library– Online databases such as Infotrac, Twayne,

Scribners, Gale, Ebsco

III. Locate sourcesIII. Locate sources

• Library card catalogue (these are electronic now)

• Public library card (this will allow you to access the state’s databases)

You must have one of these in order to access information.

Locate Information

• Let’s learn how to use the library from home using your library card from the public library.

• Louisiana Library Connection Databases

Step one to locating information

• You must have a library card number from your local library in order to continue this process

• Access the Louisiana Library Connection– Louisiana Library Connection Databases

Locating InformationYou will be led to this screen in which you will enter your library card number

Locating InformationAfter you enter your library card number, you will see a screen that looks like this. All students will see the same screen on the right. Some will see different options on the left as you will all have different cards from different parishes. You will click on Gale

Literature for Students Online and Literary Reference Center

Locating InformationAfter clicking on Gale, you will be led to a screen that looks like this. Click on the “+”

near Literature

Locating Information This will show you all of the books available to you from this one database. You

“could” find enough information for your entire paper here, but your “task” is to use

__ sources of information for your research . Since you are researching a short story, these will be most useful to you. They are called, “Short Stories for Students.”

Locating Information The easiest way to find information is to simply type the title of your short story in the

blank. We will use “the Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe as our example.

Locating InformationHere’s an example of a short from Edgar Allen Poe. (Notice that the “keyword” search

button is clicked. We will look for articles with this title appearing anywhere in the article as a “keyword.”

Notice that we got one“hit” from Short Stories for students. On the left are the sections from this one article. We will make one click and I will show you where your

citation is.

Locating Information Go to the end of the article to find your “source citation”; this is where you will copy your information for your Works Cited Page which will be the last

page of your research.

Notice the pieces of your citation

"The Cask of Amontillado." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. 47-67. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. State Library of Louisiana. 2 Feb. 2010 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=lln_pstat>.

1. "The Cask of Amontillado.“ – title of article2. Short Stories for Students – name of book from which article came 3. Ed. Ira Mark Milne – editor4. Vol. 7 – volume number5. Detroit: -- place of publication6. Gale Group – publisher7. Gale Virtual Reference Library. – name of database8. State Library of Louisiana – place of access (not required according to new MLA handbook)9. 2 Feb 2010 – date of access10. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=lln_pstat>. – web address

The Big Six Steps to Research

1. Define the task2. Select sources3.3. Locate sourcesLocate sources4. Use information5. Put information together6. Evaluate information

Remember this slide? We have just completed steps 1-3 of research, “locating sources.” Let’s go to one more database and locate more sources.. We’ll go back to the library and go to “literary research center”

Click on Literary Reference Center

Locating InformationYou will be led to a screen that looks like this

Locating InformationNotice that I misspelled the words and the database corrected for me.

Notice the “hits” that we received after entering our short story.

Locating InformationI clicked the second choice which is a PDF file so our citation will not be in the same

location as our other source. We will have to click the citation button to get this

one.

Locating InformationOnce you have clicked the citation button, click on print and this screen will appear.

Click on citation format and make sure that MLA is clicked. Then click print.

Locating Information:This will bring you to this screen which contains the vital information that you need for your Work Cited page. This citation is perfectly correct and you could copy and

paste it to your Works Cited page.

The Big Six Steps to Research

1. Define the task2. Select sources3.3. Locate sourcesLocate sources4. Use information5. Put information together6. Evaluate information

IV. Use information

• requires reading• requires note taking• requires finding the answers to the questions

that you formed in Step 1– • For English IV LVS it will be:

– Plot summary– Character– Theme

Using information

• You will take notes from your different resources trying to find info on the three parts of your paper: For English IV class, your paper must include information on the following:

plot summarythemecharacter

• Paraphrasing is defined as taking information and summarizing in your own words. (called indirect quotes)

• Quoting is copying word for word and using quotation marks. (called direct quotes)

Using informationLook at Tim Tebeu’s paper and notice how he

used both:Parents are responsible for nurturing children’s literacy at a young age in order to prepare them

for their future educational life. Helping children’s literacy rate occurs outside of the classroom before the children are even enrolled in school. According to O’Donnell and Wood, “We are born with the ability to organize, classify, and impose order on our environment, resulting in the construction of our own unique theories of the world” (Johnson 1). If O’Donnell and Wood are correct in their theories, parents are responsible to nourish these skills at a young age. Reading plays an important role. According to Denise Johnson, “A book can serve as a kind of imaginary ticket to far away are even imaginary places” (Johnson 1). Reading sparks the imagination of children, awakening their literacy skills at a young age. Parents, however, are responsible for choosing books to inspire the imagination. Selecting literature for children to read is directly connected to their literacy; parents should pick interesting books for their children to become involved in (Johnson 1). Epstein found that, “When parents are a part of the teaching practice, they increase their interactions with children; as a result, students improve in academic attitudes and achievements” (Gilliam 226).

Using InformationWarning!

Whether you quote directly or indirectly, you must still give credit to your source!

Take a look at a paragraph form Tim Tebeau’s paper and notice how he gave credit to his source:

Parents are responsible for nurturing children’s literacy at a young age in order to prepare them for their future educational life. Helping children’s literacy rate occurs outside of the classroom before the children are even enrolled in school. According to O’Donnell and Wood, “We are born with the ability to organize, classify, and impose order on our environment, resulting in the construction of our own unique theories of the world” (Johnson 1).

Using information

• His source is “Johnson”• He will have the complete citation of

“Johnson” on his Works Cited page that will look like this:

Johnson, C. Denise. “The Role of Child Development and Social Interaction in the Selection of Children’s Literature to Promote Literacy Acquisition.” Early Childhood Research & Practice 5.2 (2003). Questia. Web. 30 March 2009. <http://www.questiaschool.com>.

V. Put information together

• Rough draft - This will involve putting your notes together that you took in step 4 in a “rough draft.”

• Many say this is the hardest part of the research paper because you are now “putting everything” together in order

• In many ways, it’s just another paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion, except this time you are embedding sources of information in each body paragraph.

VI. Evaluate information

• This may be where you draw conclusions about your research in your concluding paragraph

• And/or your teacher might ask you to think about the research process and make a journal entry