PLUG-INs A Student’s Guide to Information Literacy

The RESEARCH PROCESS

The ideas in this presentation are based

on the Big6 TM model developed by

Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz in 1987.

For more information: www.big6.com

Sometimes students do not like

doing research because they say it is

confusing and frustrating.

Doing research is a

complex process.

You will see that research can be fun

and very interesting.

In this presentation, we will learn

how to break down the RESEARCH

PROCESS step-by-step.

Ask yourself : What am I supposed to

do?What do I need to know?

Step 1 is to define or

focus your research

question or topic.

What information do I need to answer

my questions?

What are the questions I need

to answer?

You need to write a report including ways that your school can recycle and reduce

rubbish.

For example, your general

topic is RECYCLING IN

SCHOOLS.

You need information in general about

rubbish in schools.

• What kinds of rubbish do schools create?• How much rubbish is there in schools?• Maybe, how much rubbish per student ?• How do schools deal with rubbish?• How much does it cost to deal with rubbish?

And, how schools are recycling their rubbish.

Next, you need information about how schools are

reducing the amount of rubbish

created.

How can your school reduce and recycle

rubbish?

Finally, you need to think about the situation in your

school.

Maybe, you should focus

only on paper rubbish or waste from the cafeteria,

not all rubbish.

Maybe, after thinking about

these questions, you will decide

that your topic is too big.

Maybe it would be better to research how your entire

town or city deals with rubbish.

Maybe, after thinking about the questions, you will

decide that the topic is not big

enough.

Step 2is to think about from

WHERE (in what kind of source) you will find the information you need.

• Newspapers• Magazines• Scholarly Journals• Books• Reference Books• Online Databases• Internet Websites• Personal Interviews

For example :

Why use a NEWSPAPER for research ?

• Articles about local events• Reports the “newest” information• Photos, charts and graphs• Letters to Editor tell what readers are thinking• Statistics and quick facts

What about popular MAGAZINES ?

• Easy to read short articles• Interesting articles about current events• General info and some details• Photos, charts and graphs• Letters to Editor tell what readers are thinking• Statistics and quick facts

What about a SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ?

• Written by experts• Sometimes peer-reviewed• Original research and case studies• In-depth articles with details• Bibliographies can lead to other info• Statistics• Photos, charts and graphs

What about BOOKS ?

• Overview & details about a topic• Analysis of topic• Sometimes original research• Sometimes many opinions & viewpoints • Bibliographies can lead to other info• Photos, charts and graphs• Statistics and quick facts

What about REFERENCE BOOKS like

encyclopedias ?

• Written by experts• Overview & details about a topic• Analysis & summary of topic• Bibliographies can lead to other info• Photos, charts and graphs• Statistics and quick facts• Should not be only source

What about specialized

ONLINE DATABASES ?

• Easy to use (after some training)• Newspaper, journal articles and books all from one search• Generally accurate information• Writers are experts• Details about a topic• Photos, charts, graphs• Statistics and quick facts

What about WEBSITES

from the Internet ?

• Easy to use• Free & available from home• New information• Variety of info• Popular opinion• Info not available in print• BUT need to be critically evaluated• Should not be only source

What about personal

INTERVIEWS ?

• First hand source of info• Can lead to other sources of info• New information• Very interesting and fun• Popular opinion• Info not available in print

After thinking about the sources of the

information for your topic (step 2) , you may decide to go back to step 1 and

change your topic.

This is a normal part of the RESEARCH

PROCESS. Discuss changing your topic with your teacher and explain

why.

It is OK to change the focus of your

topic or change your topic completely.

Step 3 in the RESEARCH

PROCESS is to locate the sources of information.

Where will you find :• Newspapers• Magazines & Scholarly Journals• Books & Reference Books• Online Databases

@ YOUR LIBRARY ! ! !

Go to the library and ask for help or make an

appointment with library staff.

Libraries are treasure houses of

information and librarians are experts

at finding information.

Review the other Plug In lessons about USING THE LIBRARY

CATALOGUE, CALL NUMBERS and

ONLINE DATABASES if you are not sure how to find library

resources.

You can use the library catalogue

from home too. Go to

library.hct.ac.ae

Finding people to interview about your topic can be easy or difficult. People mentioned in

local newspaper articles may be available.

To find good information from

Internet websites, review the Plug In

lessons about SUPER GOOGLE, WIKIs and QUESTIONS ABOUT

WEBSITES.

At the end of Step 3 (Locating the Information), you can still decide to go back to Step 1 (Deciding on a Topic) or Step 2 (Deciding the sources to

use for your topic).

Sometimes there are stones in

the road of research. Don’t worry; it’s normal.

You can make notes on cards, on regular paper,

or using your computer word processor. You can highlight articles you

have photocopied.

Step 4 in the RESEARCH

PROCESS is reading the information you

find and taking notes on the useful bits.

If you want to quote or paraphrase it, you will need the source for your Bibliography or

Reference List.

Be sure to note the source of all

information if you copy it to a card or

piece of paper.

Sometimes you cannot know what information will be useful, so take lots of

notes. You do not have to use all your notes in your

final report.

You can also make your own database,

chart or graph to organize the

information you find.

Again, you can decide to go

back to steps 3, 2 or 1 if you do not find the

information you need or if you are not happy

with your topic.

Take all the bits of information from different

sources and put them together in a new way using your own words.

Step 5 is to organize the information into a report or presentation.

Your teacher may require a rough draft before you turn

in the final product.

Maybe the final product will be a

written report. It could also be a

web-posting, a presentation or

speech.

Review the Plug In lessons on INTEXT CITATIONS if

you do not know how to do this.

When you are writing your report or presentation, if you

paraphrase or quote directly from a particular source, you must indicate this with

INTEXT CITATIONS.

Review the Plug In lessons on WRITING CITATIONS if you do not know how to do

this.

Included in your final product will

be a list of all the sources you read and used. This is called a

Bibliography or Reference List.

Step 6is to think about

and evaluate your final product and the

process.

• Did you do what was required? • Are you happy with your work? • What steps were easy ? • What steps were difficult? • What steps took the most time? • What steps had problems and why?• Would you do it the same way again?

Step 2 is to think about and decide what sources of information you need.

Let’s review. Step 1 is to think about and decide

on your topic.

Step 4 is to read and think

about the information

you find.

Step 3 is to locate the sources of the information.

Step 6 is to think about the process and

your product.

Step 5 is to write your report

including citations of sources.

Remember, sometimes you have to go back a step or two if you are not

happy with where you are in the process.

I hope this helps you understand the RESEARCH

PROCESS.

Ask your teacher or your friendly librarian

if you have any questions.

HAPPY READING !

Thank you for listening.