How to Research in the Library

Getting Ready for the Problem/Solution Essay

• You have to figure out what angle you are going to research-what is the problem? Look at the worksheet to guide you in research, but you are trying to answer the five W’s and H.

• Who • What • When• Where• Why• How

Research

• Think about some keywords that might help you with your search. Write them on an index card.

• You may have to try various combinations of words to finally get what you want!

• DON’T GET FRUSTRATED AND QUIT!

Reliability/Credibility?

• When researching, particularly in print sources, be sure to use reliable sources. Reliable means that the source is consistent in providing credible information—the information found there can be believed.

• Mainstream magazines, newspapers and journals are generally reliable, as are experts who have studied the problem carefully and objectively.

Documents

• Several things need to be taken into consideration when looking at documents.

Primary sources—these are sources written by the person you may be researching. They allow you to get closer to the subject matter.

Ex. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a primary source for Mark Twain.

Secondary sources—these are written about the person or subject you are writing about. Most research is considered secondary.

How to examine a documentBefore reading:• Identify the author

– Do you know anything about the author? Background info? If not, how reliable is this source?

– Does he/she have an affiliation with a group, political party, newspaper or other organization? Could that affiliation create a biased viewpoint of the subject?

• Type of document and source– Is if from a newspaper, magazine, journal? Special interest group?– Diary or letter?– Why was it saved if it was not a published document?

• Intended audienceDuring and After reading:• Information presented

– List facts gained from the document that support your thesis on your INFORMATION CARDS

– Does the author have first or second hand knowledge of the information being presented? (First hand= primary, second hand=secondary)

• Intent of document– What does the author hope to do with this document? Inform? Argue?

Persuade?– What phrases or words used convince you of his/her intent?– What bias appears in the document? Can you identify where this bias comes

from?

Fact or Opinion?• Fact—a statement that is true by definition

or a statement that can be proved to be true by observation– If a statement of fact is a definition, you can

prove it true or false by looking up the meanings of the words in a dictionary.

– Other statements of facts can be proved or disproved by consulting a reference work or a knowledgeable expert.

Types of Opinion

• Most statements that are not facts are opinions. • Types of opinions:

– Judgment or statement of value: tells someone how to feel about something

– Statement of belief: tells something that a person thinks is true but that the person cannot absolutely prove to be true.

– Statement of policy: tells what action someone thinks people should or should not take

– Statement of obligation: (like a statement of policy) tells what someone thinks people out to think or do.

– Prediction: tells what will happen in the future.

Examples of Opinions

• Prediction – It will rain tomorrow.

• A statement of value or a judgment – Most television programs are really stupid.

• A statement of belief – No ancient Roman could have dreamed up the idea of

the airplane.• A statement of policy

– Schools should stay open year round.• A statement of obligation

– Students shouldn’t run in the hallway.

Practice—Fact or Opinion

• Brussels sprouts taste horrible.• Tupac is a great singer.• Testing cosmetic products on animals is wrong.• There is probably life on other planets. Even though, he

held slaves, Thomas Jefferson knew in his heart that slavery was wrong.

• We should hold a canned food drive to raise money for the field trip.

• Hector should be elected student council president.• You ought to send your grandmother a thank-you card.• Ada should clean up her room once in a while.• There will doubtless be a colony on Mars by the year

2050.

Using Facts and Opinions– An opinion cannot be proved true or false beyond any doubt, but

it can be supported or undermined by looking at relevant facts. – A reasonable opinion is one that is supported by the facts.

• If the facts support an opinion, then it is reasonable to hold that opinion.

• If the facts do not support an opinion, then it is unreasonable to hold that opinion.

• Opinion: Chandra’s older brother is studying to become a pharmacy technician, which is a really wise choice.– Support for this:

• The American Association of Pharmacy Technicians estimates that the number of jobs for pharmacy technicians will grow from 81,000 in 1998 to 109,000 by the year 2004. (source)

• Many drugstore chains and many states are now requiring pharmacy technicians to have associate degrees and to be certified, but only 20,000 of the 81,000 pharmacy technicians now working have associate degrees and are certified.

• Your job in this paper is to create a statement of belief or a statement of policy (an opinion) for the best solution to your problem and support it with researched facts.

Researching on the Internet• Remember: Anybody can publish on the Internet

regardless of what he/she knows. • You want expert support and information about your

problem/solution or argument.• Finding articles through Google and Yahoo or any

search engine means that you are looking at information that anyone has put on the web. A third grader could have written an article you find.

• SO! At the end of the articles you find (scroll to the bottom of the article), look to see if it talks about the author.– Credible authors have degrees or work for known, reliable

institutions.– Credible databases have typically have .edu on the end of the

web address.– If you can’t decide if the article is credible, see me!Overall, your best bet is to use the databases the school provides.

They have been checked for reliability and credibility.

BOOKS

•Start with books. See if our library has anything in print on your topic. Go to the online catalog (THE “MEDIA CATALOG” ICON )

• Type in your topic.• It will give you a list of books, videos and various

other mediums that our library has on your topic.• Go to the shelf using the call number—362.6.• If it has REF on it, then the book will be on the

center shelves in the library.

Media Catalog.url

How to research books

• When looking at books, first scan the table of contents.

• Look through the index for your keywords.– Does this look like a book that might help you?

• If a book is helpful, copy down the bibliography information right then, so you don't have to track the book down later.

Bibliographic info: title, author or editor, chapter of books, pages, publisher, place where published (place listed closest to you geographically), and date of publication (most current date). You should be able to find everything on the title pg.

Periodicals

• What is a periodical?

– A periodical is a print source that is published just as its name says—periodically.

– Magazines and journals are published periodically—once a week, twice a month, once a month, every three months and so on.

Magazines

Journals

• A database sponsored by a school or credible institution typically has resources that have been checked for reliability and credibility.

• This does not mean that every article you find will be beneficial to your topic.– Read the abstracts to see if it has info you need!– Don’t just assume because the database found it, it is

noteworthy.• If you get some likely hits, please scan and skim the

articles carefully before printing them out.• You can also email them to yourself at home making it

easier to copy and paste information into your paper.• Remember citation information: You have to give credit

where credit is due, so make sure you also copy down bibliographic info for this source too. – Easiest way: copy and paste the info to a word document. You

can also ctrl-click on it and it will take you right to the page, rather than having to go through all the channels again!

Databases

Newspapers

• If your topic concerns local issues or state issues, a newspaper might be your best source.

• Newspapers can be found through the databases too.– Many of the databases allow you to refine

your search to only newspapers or only journals. Check to see if it does!

Quiz

• What is the difference between a journal and a magazine?

• What is a periodical?

• When using books as references, how should you look for information in one?

• What info do you need to copy down for citing a book?