Research

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Research

• Research is to see what everybody else has seen,
  and to think what nobody else has thought
• Albert Szent-Gyorgyi,1937 Nobel Prize Winner
  for Medicine

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Intellectual exploration.
Research goes into worlds of knowledge beyond
personal experience to probe an issue or solve a
problem, but research requires a plan and
organization.
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Research Plan

• Develop a Topic or Focus
• Locate Sources (Two Types of Sources)
• Evaluate Sources for Validity
• Assess Sources for Usefulness
• Notes Quotes, Summaries Paraphrasing
• Citing Source to Avoid Plagiarism

• Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking
  and prying with a purpose.
• Zora Neale Hurston

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Develop a Topic or Focus

1. Start with your curiosity, and brainstorm broad
   ideas. Think about what you already know and what
   you want to know.
2. Conduct a preliminary reading of general research
   to discover what sources pertinent to your
   topic are accessible.
3. Refine general topics to a specific questionthat
   you can fully explore within the scope of your
   project.

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Know Your Sources
A world of information is only a mouse-click
away, but understanding and evaluating sources
will help you find the most reliable and useful
research to support your topic and satisfy your
curiosity.
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be
known. Dr. Carl Sagan
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Primary and Secondary Sources
A primary source is the work itself, such as The
Cask of Amontillado, Martin Luther Kings I
Have a Dream speech, A Separate Peace, or Romeo
and Juliet. Primary sources can also include
journalism, letters and diaries. A secondary
source is a work written about a primary source.
Examples include critical commentaries such as
Catherine Belseys essay The Name of the Rose in
Romeo and Juliet or critical essays in
Contemporary Literary Criticism.
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Classifying Sources
Consider this model of sources when selecting the
types of research that will most effectively lend
authority to your project.
General Encyclopedias
General-interest Magazines and Newspapers
Specialized Magazines
Trade Books
Government Documents
AcademicJournals
ScholarlyBooks
More Specialized KnowledgeMore Authoritative
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Evaluating Sources

• Ask the following questions to help you determine
  the reliability of your sources
• What are the authors credentials?
• In which journal or book is the essay published?
  (Academic journals required for literary
  criticism. For historical or social context,
  popular magazines and newspapers are acceptable,
  but use a critical eye to evaluate the reputation
  of the magazine for bias and reliability.)
• Does the article quote the text and subject you
  are researching and provide documentation?
• Does the article include a bibliography at the
  end? (Hint you can use a bibliography to locate
  additional resources on your topic.)

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Evaluating Sources
Lets take a test run See if you can pick out
the good from the bad and the ugly
There is nothing like looking, if you want to
find something. You certainly usually find
something, if you look, but it is not always
quite the something you were after. J.R.R.
Tolkien
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Assessing Sources

• Before you commit to a source, go on a date!
• Skim the intro and conclusion to consider the
  authors tone, point of view and what types of
  evidence he or she includes to support the
  thesis.
• And take a look at the references the
  essayists research could lead you to a more
  useful source!

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Collecting Information

• Cite the source and bibliographic info in MLA as
  soon as you access the essay. If you dont,
  Murphys Law says that later you will need that
  source and wont be able to locate it.
• Read the essay and copy down important passages
  word for word with all page references and
  punctuation. This is critical for documenting
  your sources and avoiding plagiarism (which
  results in an automatic zero).

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Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

• Quotations must be identical to the original,
  using a narrow segment of the source. They must
  match the source document word for word and must
  be attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing puts a passage from source material
  into your own words and must also be attributed
  to the original source. Paraphrased material is
  usually shorter than the original passage, taking
  a somewhat broader segment of the source and
  condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main ideas into
  your own words, including only the main points.
  Once again, it is necessary to attribute
  summarized ideas to the original source.
  Summaries are significantly shorter than the
  original and take a broad overview of the source
  material.

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Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

• Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many
  purposes. You might use them to . . .
• Provide support for claims or add credibility
  to your writing
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are
  now doing
• Give examples of several points of view on a
  subject
• Call attention to a position from which you
  agree or disagree
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase,
  sentence, or passage by quoting the original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting
  it in order to cue readers that the words are not
  your own
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing

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How to Quote, Paraphrase, Summarize

1. Read the entire text, noting the key points and
   main ideas.
2. Summarize in your own words the single main idea.
3. Paraphrase important supporting points.
4. Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages
   that you believe should be quoted directly.

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FAQ Research
For this research project, you will look more
fully into the social, historical and political
circumstances during the genocide from your
nonfiction novel group. Start with some general
research on the six required questions. Then
refine and narrow your focus on further questions
that draw your interest or curiosity.