Day 16 intro to research
- 1. Monday, Monday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h81Ojd3d2rY
- 2. Agenda Prompt – Is your anchor/research question appropriate? Overview of Exploratory Essay Breaking a research question into search terms Plugging search terms into a research database Make an apt. with a tutor for support? Homework: Find one source for your Ex. Essay.
- 3. Prompt What topic/issue will you be exploring for your Exploratory Essay? What is your anchor question?
- 4. Sample Research Questions Is teaching valued by our culture? Are GMO foods dangerous? Are vets supported when they return from service? Is there value in a liberal arts education? What does it mean to be healthy? What is happiness?
- 5. Purpose of Exploratory Essay Practice identifying a research question (research paper) Practice breaking that question into search terms and plugging those terms into research databases. Practice finding credible sources using library databases. Practice summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting from sources, and then integrating that information into our own writing.
- 6. Expl. Essay vs. Thesis Essay We are using sources to explore possible answers and perspectives to our research question, rather than using sources to support a thesis statement. The last sentence of the introduction question will be our research question, rather than a thesis statement. The conclusion tells our readers what we think about our research question now that we’ve explored the perspective of two sources.
- 7. Structure of Expl. Essay Introduction: Background of your topic/issue. Explain to your audience how you came to be curious/passionate about the topic. Last sentence: Your research Question. Body Section One: At least two paragraphs that explore the perspective/ possible answers your First Source offers to the research question. Body Section Two: same as above, for Second Source. Conclusion: What do you think about research question now that you’ve explored two sources?
- 8. Research Process: Break your Research Question into search terms. Plug those search terms into ProQuest and/or Academic Search Premier. Look through the “returns,” and quickly decide if each source falls into the Yes, No, or Maybe column. Figure out what perspective or “possible answer” each of your two sources provides to the research question. Outline the essay.
- 9. Research Q Break your research question into search terms. research guide
- 10. Find Sources Next, start plugging those search terms into the research databases. There’s a lot of “trial and error” involved in this, so give yourself plenty of time. Pay close attention to your choices in the drop-down menus as well. Narrowing a particular term to only the “title” field may help or hurt you in finding sources.
- 11. Library Website Library Website Pay Attention to the Tabs Along the Top of the Site. Locate the “Research Databases” Tab. Find “Proquest.” This database has newspaper and periodical collections.
- 12. Research Databases Research Databases
- 13. Pro Quest ProQuest Use the “advanced search” option, and play around with the drop-down options until you get a manageable number of returns to browse through.
- 14. “Speed Read” “Speed read” the abstracts and other descriptions of the returns to figure out pretty quickly if each return should go into the Yes, No, or Maybe column. Remember, for this essay you are not trying to find the perfect source that backs up your thesis. You are searching for two sources that offer different perspectives or possible answers to your research question. You definitely have some wiggle room here.
- 15. Let’s try ProQuest
- 16. Homework Use ProQuest (or Academic Search Premier or CQ Researcher if you’re already familiar with those) to find one of the two sources you will use for your Exploratory Essay. Do not frustrate yourself trying to find the “perfect” source. The source just needs to offer a perspective, or “possible answer” to your research question. Be prepare to write a 1-2 sentence “Introduction Summary” for this source in class (similar to what you do for the source you use in Reading Responses).