Ron Brown College Prep High School LibGuide: Research Methods

Ask questions

•  Identify your research
•  Read about the issue(s)
• Analyze the topic or problem and develop questions

Gather information

• Gather keywords based on questions
• Choose the best source of information (books, databases, periodicals ,etc.)
• Search for information
• Record notes and bibliographic information in graphic organizer or on note cards

Organize Information

• Summarize your findings
• Draw conclusions and inferences
• Use a graphic organizer or note cards to arrange the information

1. What is an ABSTRACT?  An abstract is a summary of a larger work such as a journal or magazine article. You can read the abstract to decide if an article will be helpful in your research. Reading an abstract is NOT the same as reading the entire journal article. An abstractor discusses the most important information from the journal article.

2. What is a BIBLIOGRAPHY?  Published bibliographies are lists, often with descriptive or critical notes, of writings relating to a particular subject, author, or time period (e.g., "The Animal Rights Movement in the United States, 1975-1990: An Annotated Bibliography"). The term can also be used to denote a list of references included at the end of an article or book.

3. What Is an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?  An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

4. What is a THESAURUS?  A thesaurus is an alphabetical list of synonyms. It provides relationships among the terms, such as related terms, broader terms, and/or narrower terms. For example, you may desire articles about "road rage," but the index clearly points you to the correct terminology, "aggressive driving behavior."

4. What are BOOLEAN OPERATORS? (or connectors)  Using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to build your searches will retrieve more precise and relevant results.  Using AND will ensure that both terms are returned in your results (Stress AND anxiety). OR in a search will return results that include either term (stress OR anxiety). If you want to exclude a concept from your results, use NOT (stress NOT anxiety).

5. What is a CITATION?  A citation is the basic information you need to find a specific item in the library. Citations generally contain the author, the title, the year of publication, the page number(s) and also the journal, magazine or newspaper title, volume, publisher and more. 

6. What is a DATABASE?  A database is a searchable file of information.  Most library databases contain citations or references (the basic information you need to find a journal article), abstracts (brief summary of an article), and, in some databases, full-text (the text of the journal article). Using a database will help you save time and find better results when you are searching for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. (Also called a Digital Resource)

7. What is FULL-TEXT?  Full text generally refers to the complete text of an article that is available electronically through the computer.  Full- text is usually PDF or HTML format.

8. What is a PEER-REVIEWED or SCHOLARLY Journal Article?  A scholarly or peer-reviewed article has gone through an editorial process in which a panel of experts (usually 3) read through the article and conclude that the research was done correctly and the information is accurate. Scholarly articles usually are longer than 5 pages, have no advertisements, and have bibliographies at the end. To find out if a journal is peer reviewed you can check their (publisher’s) website for information.

The University of Flint Michigan offers a very simple step by step guide to selecting a sufficiently narrow research topic that lends itself to an interesting information product. ENTER HERE.

Developed in 2011, this search process model is a blended adaptation of the AGOPP and Kuhlthau models. The goal is for the user to understand where they are with their assignment by providing a path to completion. For those who can become paralyzed when considering the breadth of a project, this breaks the process down into manageable bytes.

Note: This process is not required by DCPS but is offered to support projects based learning.

CRAAP is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Use the CRAAP Test to evaluate your sources.

Currency: the timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
• Are the links functional?   

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
  •  examples:
    • .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government)
    • .org (nonprofit organization), or
    • .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Use the RAVEN to evaluate the credibility of sources

R - Reputation

What is the reputation of the author, the sources, and the publication? Do past actions or lies indicate the author, sources, or publication may not be reliable? Is the author, source, or publication in a position of authority?

A - Ability to observe

Is the author in a position that allows access to reliable evidence? If the article is about an event, did the author actually observe the event?

V - Vested Interest

Does the author have a personal stake in the topic or event? Would the author gain anything by lying? Would the author gain anything by telling the truth?

E - Expertise

Does the author have specialized knowledge on the topic or event? Does the evidence come from a source that has expertise on the topic or event?

N - Neutrality

Is the author neutral about the issue or is bias evident? Is the source of the evidence neutral or biased?

Package Information

• Decide the medium/media that best communicates the information
• Prepare a first draft of a written paper/speech or a script/storyboard
• Revise your first draft (use peer reviewers, a librarian or  teacher to help you). Revise again, if necessary
• Prepare a works cited

Present information

• Prepare your final product 
• If audiovisual - Check technology
• If oral presentation - Rehearse
• Present the product to your

Reflect

• Evaluate your process and your product
• What did you do well?
• What would you change?
• Take a moment to celebrate.