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Research Strategy
Many books and online resources are available to help you. They include information on English usage, grammar, punctuation, and style as well as information on the research process. Some of them are discipline specific while others are general. A search in the catalog using report writing will give you a list of the books in the Clarkson library.
1- Choosing a Topic
2- Finding Background Information
3- Finding Materials
4- Finding Journal Articles
5- Finding Internet Resources
6- Evaluating Resources
7- Citing Sources
1 - Choosing a Topic
Selecting a topic can be a challenge. Whether you are given a topic, a list to choose from or you come up with your own topic, finding something of interest to you will make your research easier. Taking the time to read background information in encyclopedias, current periodicals, textbooks or general books may help you decide on a topic and help you narrow or broaden it.
After selecting your topic, write it as a short sentence or question. Choose terms, concepts and keywords that describe your topic.
You also need to think about the assignment. Is this research for a 2 minute speech or a 20 page paper? What types of materials do you need - journal articles, books, newspapers? Are Web Pages acceptable?
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2 - Finding Background Information
If you need a broad overview or a quick summary, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks are good sources for finding information about your topic. Biographical references can be used to find information about names.
You may need to narrow your topic by time period, geographic area or a particular aspect of your topic. Or, if your topic is too new or too narrow, you may need to think about a broader aspect. You can get ideas for either narrowing or broadening your topic as you read background information.
Encyclopedias: Use to find general articles about a topic. The library has general encyclopedias and subject-specific encyclopedias for science and technology, psychology and religion as well as other subject areas. Many encyclopedias also include bibliographies with the articles which you can use as a starting point for your research.
Dictionaries: If you are unfamiliar with the terminology of your topic, use a dictionary to help you define your terms. It may also give you ideas of synonyms that you can use in your search for more information. In addition to general dictionaries, the library has subject-specific dictionaries.
Handbooks: Subject specific reference books which can be used to get concise information and data. Handbooks will help you with terminology related to your topic.
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3 - Finding Materials
Horizon is Clarkson's online catalog and can be used to locate materials owned by the Clarkson library. Books, journals, government documents, and theses and dissertations written by Clarkson students are available.
You may also borrow materials from SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University and Canton College of Technology.
A regional catalog, ICEPAC, can be used to locate material not only in the academic institutions but in the public libraries in our region.
Material that isn't owned by Clarkson may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
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4 - Finding Journal Articles
You can use abstracts or indices to find citations to journal articles. Clarkson has abstracts and indices available in print as well as online. Print resources usually include subject and author searching. Online resources may also include special searching fields such as publication name and address of author and allow limiting by date. Some online resources have the full-text of the article as well as the citation.
The print abstracts and indices are located in the reference section of the library. Online abstracts and indices are listed at Finding Articles.
Some of the databases are subject specific but others are collections of files which cover many different subject areas. Make sure that you select a resource which is the most appropriate for your topic.
Since the time period covered varies widely among the resources, you should check the dates of coverage to determine if the time period you need is included in the resource that you are using. Try the print indices if the online resources don't have the dates that you need. Most print resources began before online resources and can provide coverage of the older material.
Check the Detailed List for information about subject coverage and dates covered.
You can also use references found in bibliographies that are included with some encyclopedia articles, books, and journal articles as a starting point to locate materials.
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5 - Finding Internet Resources
There are many ways to locate information on the Internet. In addition to standard search engines, there are academic and professional directories which are arranged by subject with sites which are selected by individuals who have knowledge of a particular area. You should find out how sites are selected to determine the reliability of the sites that are listed.
There are also ways to search the "deep Web" or those resources whose content is "invisible" to standard search engines.
The following sites have information on searching the web, the various types of search engines, and tips on efficient searching.
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6 - Evaluating Resources
There are some basic criteria that can be used to evaluate resources. Materials that you locate using one of the abstracting or indexing services have usually been through a review process before being accepted for publishing. Web pages need to be evaluated by you.
Author: Is an author given? Is an affiliation listed? Are credentials given? Is there a way of contacting the author?
Publisher: Is an organization listed? Is the Web page part of an official Web site or an individual's page?
Accuracy: Is the author or organization promoting a particular point of view? Are verifiable facts given or is it an opinion page?
Bibliography: Are references and sources listed?
Currency: Has the page been updated recently? Do the links work?
Links to pages giving detailed information on evaluating resources:
From University of California Los Angeles
- Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources
From The Wolfgram Memorial Library at Widener University
- Evaluate Web Pages
From University of California Berkeley Library
- Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
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7 - Citing Sources
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