LASS: USE THIS FORUM TO POST YOUR RESPONSES
This required exercise will give you a way to check your present level of skill as a researcher. How well can you do the following?
- Develop and revise a research topic
- Identify effective search terms
- Find sources in library databases
- Evaluate what you find
- Cite your sources
- Integrate information into your research project
These steps constitute the research process. You can apply your research skills not only in the classroom but in the workplace and in your personal life, too. Being able to find, evaluate, and use information is a vital aspect of being a lifelong learner. These are the same skills you will use whether you are researching for a class project, buying a car, planning a vacation, or even conducting research for a work-related project.
Please answer each of the questions below. For the purpose of this exercise the focus will be on obtaining scholarly articles. Click the links below to review library skills that will help you complete this exercise. Each link provides more information about that particular step in the research process.
Choosing a Research Topic
1. What is your research question or research topic? Be sure to choose a topic directly related to this class.
Creating a Database Search
2. What are the main keywords from your research question, as well as any synonyms or related words? Connect these terms with Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) to create a search statement. What is your search statement?
Using UMUC Library OneSearch
3. After running your search statement in UMUC Library OneSearch how many results did you get?
Selecting a Library Research Database
4.After running the same search statement in a single database chosen from an appropriate research guide how many results did you get? Which subject guide and database did you choose and why?
5. Compare and contrast the results from your searches in #3 and #4.
Evaluating What You Find
6. Is this a scholarly and/or authoritative article? Choose one article from either search and answer the following questions:
- How can you tell if it is scholarly and/or authoritative?
- Based on the article's abstract, is it relevant to your research question/topic focus? Explain.
- Is this article current enough for your assignment? Explain.
- Is this article in-depth enough to be useful for your research? Explain.
- Is this article available in full text? Explain.
- Are there any subject terms listed in the article record that you could use to run another round of searches with greater focus on your topic? Show how you would incorporate these terms into your initial search statement:
Using MLA Citations to Cite Your Sources
7. Provide an MLA Works Cited list citation for the article you chose:
Integrating Information into Your Research Project
8. Write two or three sentences describing what you learned from the article and/or how you can use the article in your research project:
Evaluating Web Resources Exercise
Please read Evaluating Web Resources from the UMUC Library Web site.
For this exercise answer the following questions using the information from Evaluating Web Resources as a guide:
- What is the Web Site you chose?
- Who is the Web Site's author?
- Is the Information on the Web Site Accurate?
- Is the Web Site Well-Maintained and Current?