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Rescue for the Technical Researcher & Writer The Research Process 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Planning the project Selecting / refining a topic Finding sources Evaluating your sources Organizing your findings Writing & revising Time Management Planning 5% Topic Selection 5% Writing & revising 40% Organizing your information 5% Topic focus 15% Gathering information 30% http:core.lib.purdue.edu/plan4.htm Tips for the Time Challenged •Identify your deadline or other key dates, and work backwards to today •Chunk up your research tasks, and spread them through your calendar •Allow yourself a little more time than you may actually need Understanding Your Assignment Format of the project (research paper, oral presentation, technical report, design . . .) Length Audience Assessment criteria Citation style (APA, MLA . . .) Exploring your Topic Chosen for you, or choose for yourself Refine your topic to something that is interesting to you Too broad / too narrow dilemma Your overall topic is computer security Do you write about all the security dangers that a computer faces? Too broad Do you write about the proper use of computer passwords? Too narrow Do you write about backup hardware and procedures? Just right Keep Exploring •Brainstorm ideas for a topic •Come up with keywords •Create a Concept Map •Expand your search using alternate keywords procedures (plans, actions, processes) hardware(equipment, tools, drives) Search Hint: Use quotation marks for phrase searches e.g. “backup procedures”, “backup plans” Concept Map - Web External Hard Drives Backup Servers Hardware Optical Storage Manual vs. Automatic Backup Hardware & Procedures Procedures Company Policies Looking for Information Check the Internet for: Wikipedia (great source to get ideas) Free Online Journals ( DOAJ) Current information (online newspapers, articles, studies. . .) Association/Organization pages for current research in the field YouTube, TeacherTube etc. Evaluate your Sources Accuracy Does the source seem correct? Do you need to check the information with a second source? Currency Is this source up to date? Objectivity Is this source unnecessarily biased? Coverage What is the purpose of this source? Authority/Reliability Who is the author / publisher of this source? Going Beyond Google Holland College Library has licensed several databases that provide access to full text articles and current information. Other links to free access databases are included as well: •Academic Search Premier •CPI-Q (includes Canadian magazines and newspapers) •Access Science •SCIRUS - science-specific search engine •ScienceDirect •DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journals Let’s Do a Search!