OnRamps Research Guide
What to do? Make a plan!
OnRamps_Big6Handouts.pdfHere's a worksheet (embedded below) to plan your research, following the Big6 Process detailed below.
Use this link to make a copy in your Google Drive: (click the "USE TEMPLATE" button) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fEEP5TYHHPhfxy0KXcaQAhuDMcAsBvL9xJN5ldg8_Os/template/preview
Research_Worksheet_Jane-Sharka_Naperville-Central-HS.pdf
Step 1: Task Definition
Define the information problem: First and foremost, you need to make sure you understand what the problem or question is that you're being asked? Did you choose your own topic? Can you explain what it is you're supposed to do in your own words?
Identify information needed: Now that you understand the task, create or find the guiding questions that will drive your research. Come up with 1-5 questions to narrow your focus as you find & read information.
Task Definition
Task definition is by far the most important step and should not be neglected. You need to have a clear idea of what you are expected to accomplish in order to pursue your research in the best way. Understanding what's expected of you and what your final product should be is what best enables you to decide on the appropriate resources to use and what and how to extract the information you need. This is also critical in planning your time and materials needed.
Use the planning worksheet to write down, in your own words, what the assignment or task is,and then create that list of guiding questions.
Your assignment:
"research a current (within the past two years) controversy of your choice in any area of gender, race, and/or ethnicity in American identity. You will blend primary and secondary research on your chosen controversy to create an Annotated Bibliography. This assignment is your opportunity to explore the argument you plan to make in your final project."
Headnote and Annotations
Your bibliography will consist of a headnote with six annotations from the genres listed below to get a variety of viewpoints. The headnote accomplishes two objectives:
1. Synthesizes the research findings for the assignment in 250-350 words, and
2. Proposes an argument you anticipate making in your final essay for the course.
Each annotation will be a formal entry of 150-250 words to help the reader understand the significance and relevance of the source.
TOPIC FINDER TOOLS
Gale Topic Finder
Video tutorial https://support.gale.com/doc/galetools-video6
To access the Topic Finder, go to the Advanced Search screen or look for the button in your search results page
Pew Research Center Topics https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/
Step 2: Information Seeking Strategies
Determine all possible sources: Where will you look to find information? Are you required to use certain kinds of resources, like books, articles, interviews, podcasts, or websites?
Select the best sources: Use the guide below to understand what databases are available and what they each offer.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT:
Genres and Currency of Sources
To ensure your research represents a wide range of perspectives and supports a strong final argument, you will collect six different sources across genres on the topic of your choice.
Use the following list to guide your search, and be sure to note that some of these have specific timeline requirements:
• One peer-reviewed journal article published within the past ten years
• One non-fiction book no more than ten years old (e-books are permitted-see UT libraries database for extensive selections)
• Two editorials that agree with your position published within the past two years
• One credible editorial that disagrees with your position published within the past two years
• One contextualizing document appropriate for your topic such as a law case or a statistics report, (for example, if your bibliography studies the rhetoric of interracial marriage you might want to include the final decision from Loving v. Virginia). This source does not have a date requirement, but rather should be chosen based on its relevance to understanding the topic.
• Optional-You may include an annotation for an image, video or other textual object in addition to the six required entries.
Step 3: Location and Access
Locate sources (intellectually and physically): Where will you go to get the information you need? For example: your school library, your local library, an adult, your school-issued laptop. It all depends on the type of information you need to get.
Find information within sources: Do you understand how to use the information sources needed? (Database, newspaper, Internet site, person, etc.)
LOCATE THE SOURCES
Possible Access Points:
FWISD Online Resources (databases) https://sites.google.com/site/fwisdonlinelibrary/
SHHS Library Catalog https://fwisd.follettdestiny.com/common/welcome.jsp?site=197
UT Austin Databases: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/az.php
Use the drop-down menus to refine your search
UT Austin Library Catalog https://www.lib.utexas.edu/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
Google Scholar setup https://sjny.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=46392782
USE THE SOURCES
Website Evaluation / Checking Resource Credibility
Acknowledge and Identify BIAS (Balance, Intent, Accuracy, Slant)
CRAAP Test: This acronym stands for:
Currency: Consider whether the source reflects recent research. Is it up-to-date? For instance, a peer-reviewed journal article published within the past ten years would likely meet this criterion.
Relevance: Assess whether the source directly relates to your research topic. Ensure it aligns with your chosen controversy.
Authority: Investigate the author’s credentials. Is the publication respected? Is the author an expert in their field?
Accuracy: Examine whether the source supports its arguments with evidence. Look for reliable data and well-researched content.
Purpose: Understand the author’s intention. Is it informative, persuasive, or biased?
Lateral Reading
from the News Literacy Project, here
Lateral reading helps you determine an author’s credibility, intent and biases by searching for articles on the same topic by other writers (to see how they are covering it) and for other articles by the author you’re checking on. That’s what professional fact-checkers do.
Questions you’ll want to ask include these:
Who funds or sponsors the site where the original piece was published? What do other authoritative sources have to say about that site?
When you do a search on the topic of the original piece, are the initial results from fact-checking organizations?
Have questions been raised about other articles the author has written?
Does what you’re finding elsewhere contradict the original piece?
Are credible news outlets reporting on (or perhaps more important, not reporting on) what you’re reading?
The ART of reading laterally:
🚩 More than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 — a new record
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03974-8
Databases - Searching
Read an overview of your topic to get a sense of the vocabulary related to that topic, as well as the people and events that play a major role. You'll use that information to get keywords and phrases you can use in seraching for more informatoin.
The Gale Opposing Viewpoints database is a good place to start.
ProQuest: Sirs Discoverer also has an issues section with overviews.
Keyword generation
https://library.louisville.edu/research-diy/keywordsWrite out your research question. For example: "How does exercise affect the mental health of college students?"
Pull out the most important words from your research question. exercise, mental health, and college students.
Think of synonyms for these keywords. Exercise: workout, fitness. College students: university students, post-secondary students.
Think of broader keywords. Mental health: well-being. Broader keywords are helpful if you aren't getting enough results.
Think of narrower keywords. Mental health: anxiety. Narrower keywords are helpful if you're getting too many results.
Start searching a library database with your keywords. Remember to try out different keyword combinations to get the best search results.
Collect additional keywords as you search.
BOOLEAN OPERATORS
AND: Think of “Straight and Narrow.” When you use AND, you’re narrowing down your search. It retrieves results that contain both (or all) of your specified keywords. For example:
If you search for “Anthropocene AND climate change AND ecosystem,” you’ll get results that discuss all three aspects together.
OR: Imagine casting a wider net. OR broadens your search. It retrieves results that contain at least one of your chosen keywords (though not necessarily both). For instance:
Searching for “horticultural OR agricultural” will give you results related to either term.
NOT: This one’s like a filter. NOT excludes specific keywords from your results. Use it when you want to find results containing one keyword but not another. For example:
If you search for “centrifugal NOT centripetal,” you’ll exclude anything related to centripetal.
Quotation Marks (“”): Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. For instance:
Searching for “Newtonian mechanics” will retrieve results with that precise phrase.
Parentheses ( ): Just like in math, parentheses group things together. They allow you to control the order of search terms. For example:
(rural OR urban) AND sociology will first find results related to rural or urban, and then refine them based on sociology.
Asterisk (*): The wildcard! It helps you find variations of a keyword. For instance:
Searching for "Develop"* will return results with words like “development,” “developer,” and “developing.”
Step 4: Use of Information
Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch): Now that you have your information resources, use them! Read the articles, listen to the audiobooks, watch the videos, listen while asking questions in an interview, hold the artifacts, etc.
Extract relevant information: Take notes! Use the guiding questions you created in Step 1 to identify relevant information. Don't write things down word-for-word! Capture key words and phrases, make an outline or a list of bullet points.
ENGAGE WITH THE SOURCES
This is where you have to read, listen, watch, etc.!
Have your guiding questions in mind as you read.
EXTRACT INFORMATION FROM THE RESOURCES
Note-Taking:
Links for AVID Two & Three-Column Note Templates: https://avidopenaccess.org/resource/digital-templates/
Two-Column Notes Templates Three-Column Notes Templates
Database Tools
Make use of the tools available within the database.
Date/Year Search Limiter
Saving to Google Drive (in some cases, it will save your highlights!)
Highlights and Notes
Citations
Step 5: Synthesis
Organize from multiple sources: Gather all your notes. Organize them according to your guiding questions or outline you created; whatever plan you created for organizing your final product. Think about how to best present the information you've gathered based on your final product. Is it a speech, a poster, a research paper, or a diorama? Different products present information in different ways.
Present the information: Share your final product with the world!
Evaluation
Judge the product (effectiveness): Hopefully you're proud of your final product. Based on the feedback you've received and your own reflection, how well did you do? Do you feel like you did your best? Was the information recevied as you intended?
Judge the process (efficiency): After reflecting on the final product, is there something you now realize you could have done differently? Consider things such as the information sources you used, the notes you took, the time you spent, and the way you compiled the information. What could you do differently next time that you think would be better? What worked well this time that you want to remember to do next time?
Information about the Big 6 can be found at https://thebig6.org/