Research Methods and Tools

@Heterick Memorial Library

Traci Welch Moritz

Public Services Librarian/Assistant Professor

Remember to consult research guide

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Annotated Bibliography

Allows you to see what is out there

Helps you narrow your topic and discard any irrelevant materials

Aids in developing the thesis Makes you a better scholar

Let’s Get Started

Research ethicsWriting wellDefining research topicTools for researchAvailability of information

Research Ethics

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Research Ethics

Copyright - intended to promote the arts and the sciences. It does this by providing authors of original literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works the ability to control how their work is used by others.

Research Ethics

Plagiarism - “...the wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication as one’s own, the ideas or the expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical, etc.) of an other.” – see Heterick Help Page and Student Code of Conduct

Research Ethics

In other words, to plagiarize is to copy someone else’s work without giving him/her credit.

Plagiarism is not always intentional. You can do it by accident, but it is still against the law. If you ever have a question about whether something is plagiarized, please ask!

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1. How not to plagiarize your report -- Shannon Hosier Mersand

Research Ethics

Identify any information that would not be considered common knowledge

Unless in direct quotes, make sure you paraphrase what the original author said

Use a quote if you can’t think of a way to paraphrase the information

always, Always, ALWAYS cite the source of any information in your paper which is not considered common knowledge. If you are unsure if something is common knowledge, cite it!

2 How not to plagiarize your report -- Shannon Hosier Mersand

How may I avoid plagiarizing?2

RefWorks

REFWORKS

Research Ethics

Things that are found in a number of places, and are likely to be known by a large number of people.

Examples:

The sky is blue

Grass is usually green

George Washington was the 1st president of the United States

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So what is common knowledge

3 How not to plagiarize your report -- Shannon Hosier Mersand

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Research Ethics

Main Entry: 1para·phrase 1 : a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form

From Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary http://www.m-w.com

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What does paraphrase mean?

Research Ethics

When you paraphrase something, it is different than putting it in your own words. When you put something in your own words, you are making a statement about the information you have found, rather than just restating the information. Usually there is an opinion of some sort in something “In your own words”

What does it mean to put something in my own words?

4 How not to plagiarize your report -- Shannon Hosier Mersand

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Research Ethics

Main Entry: 1quote 1 a : to speak or write (a passage) from another usually with credit acknowledgment b : to repeat a passage from, especially in substantiation or illustration

From Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary http://www.m-w.com

What is a quote?

How to do RESEARCH

How to do research

Talk to your instructors; they are here to help you!

Visit the librarians; we are here to help you!

STEP 1: IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC

STEP 2: FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

STEP 3:USE DATABASES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES

*STEP 4: FIND INTERNET RESOURCES

STEP 5: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND

STEP 6: PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

STEP 7: CITE WHAT YOU FIND

Seven Steps of the Research ProcessAmended with permission by the Librarians at the Olin and Uris Libraries of Cornell University

How to do research

Research Strategy

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STEP 1: IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC• State your topic as a question

• Identify main concepts or keywords • Test the topic -- Look for keywords and

synonyms and related terms for the information sought

Subject headings in catalogsBuilt-in thesauri in many databases

Reference sources Textbooks, lecture notes, readings Internet Librarians, Instructors

How to do research

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• STEP 2: FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

How to do research

Research Tools - Catalogs

Deal with material in many formats

• Highly structured information environment

Way individual records are arrangedSubject headingsCatalog software optimized for above

• Implies a learning curve to use successfully

Emphasis on precision

• Preparation relatively labor-intensive

• Implies heavy human involvement

Is the gateway to it all!!!

It’s always best to begin at Heterick and then work your way through the options.

POLAR search screen

• Materials at Heterick and Law Library• Basically all materials except periodical articles

• Books• AV’s

• Govt. documents• Maps

• Music ScoresCa. 400,000 items

Research Tools - POLAR

Internet Tools

Google and Wikipedia aren’t evil, just use them for the correct purpose in your research.

Research Tools – Catalogs - OhioLink

Materials owned by all Ohio colleges, universities, several public libraries

Ca. 10 million items

Link from POLAR permits you to submit requests. Available from Heterick home page

Most requests arrive in 3-5 working days

No charge

Limited to 100 items at a time

May keep up to 84 days

• STEP 3: USE DATABASES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES

How to do research

Research Tools - DatabasesHighly structured

Way individual records are arranged

Subject headings

Content often limited by discipline

Material often limited to one format

Implies heavy human involvement

Preparation relatively labor-intensive

Emphasis on precision and currency

Fairly straight-forward to use

Research Tools - Databases

Often tools for locating journal and newspaper articles

Most are subject-specific – some multi-disciplinary

Many give access to full text of articles

Heterick has 212 (currently)

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Research Tools - DatabasesBIG THREE

Academic Search Premier

Lexis-Nexis

Opposing Viewpoints

Search by Subject/Discipline

• STEP 5: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND

How to interpret the basics

1. Accuracy of Web Documents

2. Authority of Web Documents

3. Objectivity of Web Documents

4. Currency of Web Documents

5. Coverage of the Web Documents

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How to do research

7 Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523.

Created Annotated Bibliography

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• STEP 6: Pulling it all together

Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and . . . Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and, . . Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . .

How to do research

• STEP 6: Pulling it all together

Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . . Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . . You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!

How to do research

There are four citation styles that are in frequent used at ONU. They are:

• MLA (Modern Language Association)• APA (American Psychological Association)• CMS (Chicago Manual of Style)• Turabian (Kate Turabian's A Manual for

Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., 1996 )

• STEP 7: Cite what you find using standard formats

How to do research

Research Ethics

A citation is how you indicate where your information came from.

Each style has a way to do in-text citations, a way to do a bibliography, and a way to do footnotes and endnotes.

Always confirm with each instructor the style required.

You need to learn how to do citations, etc., but there is a citation software management tool available to all ONU students, faculty and staff…

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What is a citation?

Research Ethics

Whenever you use information that is not common knowledge

Whenever you use information that you did not know before doing the research

Whenever you quote another person’s ideas or word, whether they are written or spoken

Whenever you paraphrase another person’s written or spoken words or ideas

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When should I cite my sources?

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