conducting research methods for finding informative resources

Conducting Research

Methods for Finding

Informative Resources

Table of Contents

1. Choosing a Topic for Research1. Teacher Assigned Report2. Student Initiated Research

2. Locating Informative Resources1. Using the OPAC to Find Books2. Resource Folder, Magazines & Newspapers3. Online Websites & Documents

3. Applying the Resources Effectively1. Plagiarism 2. Credits - Citing used information

Choosing a Research Topic

1. Teacher Assigned Report1. Subjects related to assignment

1. Science – Minerals, Inventors

2. Social Studies – Civil War, States, History

3. English – Writers, Poets, Fictional Characters & Stories, Grammar Usage, Parts of Speech

4. Math – Mathematicians, Inventors, Theorists, Problem Solvers, Architects, Building Contractors

2. Student Generated Research1. Background info for Book Reports

2. Student Interest Projects – You Choose the Topic

3. Teachers allow students to choose a topic from a list

Locating Informative Resources

Questions about

Resource Locations:

* Where is the fiction

section located?

* What type of books can be found

in the fiction section?

Adventures, Mysteries, Sci-Fic, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy


Questions about Resource Locations:

* Where is the non-fiction section located?

* What type of books can be found in the non-fiction section?

Environment, Plants, Animals, Organisms, Planets, Writing Skills, Sports, Drawing, Historical Events, States, Countries, etc.



* Where is the reference section located?


in the reference section?

Encyclopedias, Atlases, World Records, Resource Files, Dictionaries, etc.



* Where is the biography section located?


in the biography section?

Biographies of Famous Celebrities, Politicians, Inventors, Authors & Other Influential People



* Where is the paperback section located?

* Where is the magazine section located?


1. Logging into the Computer1. Username:

1. Last name + First & Middle Initial + Birthday Month + Birthday date

1. Ex. cannonrc0325

2. Password:1. Complete Birthday (Month + Day + Year)

1. Ex. January 1, 1993 = 010193


1. Locating the Destiny Media Center Lookup or Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)

• Left-Click on the Start Button• Left-Click All Programs• Left-Click School Apps• Left-Click on the MEDIA CENTER LOOKUP

See Next Slide for Display


Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)


• Using the OPAC (Basic Search)1. Find the Search Spacebar

2. Type any Keywords, Title, Author or Subject into the Spacebar

1. Example: Type Treasure Island in the spacebar

2. Click the Hot Button to retrieve the book’s record

3. Repeat this process for all OPAC inquiries

4. Use the Accelerated Reader Subcategory1. Search by Reading Level

2. Search by Points Value


1. Type Searches in Space Bar

2. Click Keyword or Subject

3. Look up by Reading Level or Point Value


1. Search Results Will Be Displayed Here

Double-click

Title Card Hyperlinks to see the Complete Title Record

Number of Available Copies


Summary of Book

Call Numbers

Toggle Between Title Cards

AR Quiz Info


Using the OPAC (Power Search)1. Open the Destiny Media Center Lookup2. Click the Power Tab on the right side of the

OPAC3. Type any Keywords, Title, Author or Subject

into the Spacebar1. Example: Type Treasure Island in the spacebar

4. Type additional Keywords in the space provided5. Optional: Click Boolean Terms – And, Or, Not 6. Optional: Accelerated Reader Subcategory

1. Search by Reading Level2. Search by Points Value


Keyword Search

Power Search Tab

Boolean Terms

AR Reading


Using the OPAC 1. Scan the List of Resources

1. Each record includes:1. The Title of the book

2. The Author of the book

3. An Overview of the book

4. AR Information (if it is an AR book)

5. Call Number – Where the Item is Located

2. Narrow your list of resources, by:1. Determining which resources are currently available

2. Determining which items are actually related to the topic

3. Determining which items are the most appropriate resource for the assignment


Using the OPAC (Visual Search)

1. Click the Visual Search Tab on the left side of the OPAC

2. Click on an interesting Visual to see which books the Media Center has related to the subject

1. Example: Animals – Bears

3. List will only contain books about Bears

4. Repeat this process to find additional books, using some of the other visual icons


Visual Search Tab

Visual Icons

More Specific Visuals


Visual Search Tab

Resource List on Animals – Specifically Bears


Using the OPAC (Category Search)

1. Click the Categories Tab on the left side of the OPAC

2. Select a Category related to Research Topic1. Example: Click Careers, if you were looking for

books related to the topic of Career Education

3. Narrow down the list, by scanning the title cards to determine the best resource to obtain

4. Repeat the process for each search of a category


Click on Categories Tab


Scan over list of Resources

Click Title Hyperlink to access Title Card

Click on Careers to access resource list


1. Using the OPAC1. Write down the resource on a piece of paper,

It should include:1. The Title of the Book – Ex. Treasure Island or Spiders2. The Call Numbers – Ex. FIC STE or 595.4 ZAB

2. Locating the Resource on the Book Shelf1. Call #’s depict where the items are Located

1. Ex. FIC = Fiction2. Ex. 796.33 AME = Non-Fiction3. Ex. B = Biography4. Ex. REF 912 SCH = Reference


1. Determining the Need for the Resource1. Quickly Scan through the Materials

1. Look for Good Information or Data

2. Return the Resources Not Needed to Drop Bin

2. Make sure that the material is appropriate and correlates to your assignment.

1. Ex. Science project on Physical Planets1. You would not want a book on Space Exploration

2. You would want a book on Earth, Mars, Saturn, etc.


1. Resource File Folders1. Folders w/ Pre-discovered files or documents for quick &

easy access to data or information 2. Materials are available upon request

1. Must ask a Media Staff Member for access to these items

3. These folders generally contain:1. Reproducible Documents that can be copied for Quick & Easy

Access to Data, ex. Resource File on Countries around the World 2. Articles related to the folder topic

2. Magazines & Newspapers1. Materials are located across from the paperback books2. These items are not cataloged into the OPAC system

1. Will not find them in the Online Card Catalog OPAC

3. These items are for in-library use only


1. Magazines & Newspapers1. How to Find Good Information in these Resources:

1. Use the Table of Contents & Indexes to find topics of interest

2. Browse the magazines for:

1. Current events both Nationally & Internationally

2. Popular Topics of Discussion or Debate

3. National or State Projects Being Implemented

4. National or International Disasters or Tragic Events

5. Political, Social or Economic Situations

3. Browse the newspapers for:

1. Local current events

2. Local Weather patterns

3. Local Issues of Interest or Debate, i.e. school events, activities, county projects or topics of discussion

4. Limited National & International News


1. Online Websites & E-Documents1. First, know what is being researched, i.e. Topic

2. Brainstorm - write down some sub-topics that can help you find additional information pertaining to your research

3. Now you should be ready to conduct some internet research

4. Begin by left-clicking on the Internet Explorer Icon

5. Locate a Kid Friendly Search Engine, like provided:

1. www.askforkids.com/

2. yahooligans.yahoo.com/6. Type the web address in the address tool bar

7. Press Enter to retrieve the search engine website homepage

Search Engines – an entry level search mechanism that was created to retrieve resources quick and easily from a central database


1. Online Websites & E-Documents1. Access the search engine

2. Locate the search box, usually found at the top of the webpage.

3. Type in the subject or topic being researched into the search box space provided

4. After pressing enter on the keyboard, the internet connection will run the search clues through the database to find resources with the same keywords.

5. The results will be displayed on the webpage. (10-10,000)

6. Single-click on a result to access it

7. Scan over the results to see, which ones appear to be related to the topic being researched


1. Online Websites & E-Documents1. Determine which resources will bring you the best

information, by examining the websites for creditability1. Good Creditable Websites

1. .ORG = Organizations - very creditable, non-profit organizations, facts supplied by research documentation

2. .EDU = educational - very creditable, non-profit, education purposes only

3. .GOV = governmental websites - extremely creditable, government controlled, facts about politics, government programs, policies, laws, etc.

2. Bad Non-Creditable Websites

1. .COM = commercial websites - very opinionated, full of unreliable information, commercial advertisements, & personal views or ideology


1. Online Websites & E-Documents1. Determine which resources will bring you the best

information, by examining the websites for OBJECTIVITY1. Good Websites

1. Provide actual research data & analysis from real research2. Provide Documentation of the Research3. Quote Creditable Individuals that are related to the topic4. Companies, generally have no monetary interest behind the

website5. No opinions are drawn or made about the topic of discussion

2. Bad Websites1. Incomplete or obscure information is presented as fact2. Sponsored by commercial advertisers or corporations with a

vested interest in the topic ($$$$)3. People present personal views or ideology as fact4. No documentation of research conducted


References1. Encyclopedias – a collection of resources that are

arranged alphabetically by there Subject 1. Ex. Planet Earth – Do you look in the E or the P

encyclopedia2. Atlases – a collection of maps, often including illustrations,

data tables, charts & topical graphs3. Biographies – a written account of the life of something, i.e.

person, animal, or an historical building, landmark, or treasure4. Almanac – an annual publication that usually contains

astronomical & meteorological data (Space & Climate Data) as well as any general information that was deemed important or influential to the community.

5. Dictionary - a reference that contains words that are arranged alphabetically and generally contain information about their meaning, pronunciations, functions as well as any syntactical or idiomatic uses

Locating InformativeResources

References

Table of Contents – A list of subjects discussed in the resource as well as the page #, in order to find it.

Index – a list of bibliographical information or citations that are arranged in alphabetical order according to Author, Subject, and/or Keyword

Glossary – a collection of textual terms & definitions that explain or detail the meaning of the term

Cross-reference – a notation or direction at one resource (generally a Book or Filing System), which describes where to find additional pertinent information from another resource

Applying the Resources Effectively

1. Plagiarism – the act of copying another person's work word for word and then trying to pass it off as your own

1. Consequences1. (Real World) Result in a lawsuit 2. (Real World) Results in the loss of creditability3. (Real World) Result in loss of job4. (School) Results in failure of the assignment5. (School) Results in discrediting the students integrity6. (School) Could result in the student being restricted from using

the internet in the future2. Don’t Plagiarize Good Information! Quote it!

1. Not Plagiarism if:1. Quote the words or sentences exactly as they were printed “”2. Cite the source after the quote, ex. (Author, Page #) 3. Cite the information in your bibliography (credits)

Applying the Resources Effectively

1. Credits - Citing resources, in order to give credit to the authors for their original work

1. Citing Printed Resources (Books)1. Author L. Name, First, Title, City: Publication, Date

2. Example: Simmons, Johnny, Escape from Oregon, Portland: Scholastic, 2004

2. Citing Websites1. Author L. Name, First, “Title”, Title of Website,

URL, Access Date

2. Example: Sims, John, “Captive”, Freedom to Explore, www.freedomtoexplore.com, May 3, 2006.

Credits:

IAC Search & Media, Inc., “Ask for Kids”, Ask for Kids Search Engine, www.askforkids.com, January 16, 2006

Yahoo, Inc., “Yahooligans”, Yahooligans Search Engine, http://kids.yahoo.com/, January 16, 2006

conducting research methods for finding informative resources

Documents

informative resourceslocating

informative resourceslogging

biography section

fiction section

reference section

resource locations

magazine section

paperback section