Research+Guide

= Welcome to the Penn Tech Research Guide (a work in progress!) =

Why do research?
Research is a life skill. We are always seeking information. What car or stereo should I buy? Which college or career program should I choose? Which book should I read next? How can I sell this idea to my boss? How can I convince the school board to act on my proposal? Our ability to use information helps us reach conclusions, make our choices, and communicate more effectively.

Information fluency is the ability to access, evaluate and use information from multiple formats -- books, newspapers, videos, the Web, or any other medium. Information fluency is a set of competencies, skills that will grow with students, even when current operating systems, search engines, or platforms are obsolete. Information problem solving skills are required across all disciplines.

The American Association of School Librarians offers a downloadable copy of its Standards for 21st Century Learners. The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to
 * 1) inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge;
 * 2) draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge;
 * 3) share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society;
 * 4) pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

The following sections will help you in completing a successful research project!

Where do I start?
The research process and the writing process are connected. Research is of little value unless you can effectively communicate your new knowledge. The same skills that you use to write an expository paper are used to develop the research paper or a project in any medium. Asking solid questions, developing a clear and focused thesis, sketching an outline, drafting, revising, peer reviewing, and editing all are steps with which you are already familiar. The research process is //recursive//. Although we list steps, you will find yourself going back and forth among the steps, returning to several as you refine your work.

Try following these steps:

 * Read about a broad topic with "peripheral vision," looking for subtopics and important terms. You may choose to check reference sources for context as you get familiar with a subject.
 * Identify focused questions you are interested in investigating
 * Gather a working source list
 * Take notes on note cards
 * Look for patterns of information in your sources, your notes, your notecards.
 * Develop clear and focused preliminary thesis.
 * Gather information and evaluate the sources of information. Have you gathered a variety of quality materials? Have you gathered both and secondary sources?
 * Identify strong supporting points and rank them, making certain that the research and logical reasoning support them. Make sure that the evidence you collected is strong and that is directly supports your thesis.
 * Develop an outline or storyboard or construct a visual organizing tool to organize your ideas and evidence.
 * Prepare a rough draft WITHOUT USING NOTES, making sure that your own voice as a writer is clear
 * Add research documentation to the draft.
 * Have a peer review your work
 * Revise/edit your draft
 * Prepare, proofread, and submit your final copy

Working source lists
Gather a large list of books, articles, and other sources of information on your topic. Even if you are not sure the source will have what you want, keep accurate information on EVERY source in case you do need it later. If you are using Web pages, you might want to print out the first page of the document, making sure the URL is printed on the page. Locate your sources through the online patron catalog, in print and online reference works, databases and journal indexes, other bibliographies, and sources suggested by your teacher or librarian.

//Don't forget these sources!//
The following are examples of high-quality subscription databases available as a library resource through CCTS and the JerseyClicks state-wide database service. Many of these sources are available from home with a password. See Mr. McDivitt or Ms. Korn for more details on remote access.

For a list of all our premium subscription content, check out the Catalogs & Databases page of this wiki. Your teacher may suggest you use scholarly,rather than popular sources. Your teacher may require you to use a combination of primary and secondary sources. You probably use secondary sources-essays, criticism, reference books, articles-regularly. A primary source is a firsthand account or direct evidence. Primary sources include legislation, speeches, autobiographies, novels, plays, poems, short stories, letters, historical documents, diaries, photographs, pamphlets, songs, political cartoons, and maps. Our Primary Source pathfinder might help guide you.