CCU Library: How: Research

How to Research

Research Process

1. Understanding the Assignment

2a. Topic Development - Discovery

2b. Topic Development - Refinement

Assignment

Understanding the Assignment

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Understanding the assignment prompt given by your professor is the first step in the Research Process. Each prompt can be divided into different sections, see the example below.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) can be given many titles: theological reformer and pioneer, leading intellectual, translator and Bible scholar, violent insurrectionist, divisive activist. Which one of these roles/titles has made the most significant lasting impact on history? Use specific evidence (events, documents, dates, etc.) to support your thesis and argument. This paper should be 10-12 pages, and should include at least 15 scholarly sources cited in APA style. Your paper should include a literature review, citing other scholarship on the angle of Luther’s legacy you have chosen to discuss.

Component	Excerpt from Assignment Prompt
Introduction	Martin Luther (1483-1546) can be given many titles:
Additional Information	theological reformer and pioneer, leading intellectual, translator and Bible scholar, violent insurrectionist, divisive activist.
Core of the Assignment	Which one of these roles/titles has made the most significant lasting impact on history?
Action Verb	support
Support Section	Use specific evidence (events, documents, dates, etc.) to support your thesis and argument.
Logistics	This paper should be 10-12 pages, and should include at least 15 scholarly sources cited in APA style. Your paper should include a literature review, citing other scholarship on the angle of Luther’s legacy you have chosen to discuss.

Taking this analytical approach will help ensure both that you understand the assignment and are prepared to move to the next step in the Research Process – Topic Development.

Discovery

Topic Development - Discovery

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Discovery Flow

Search for your Topic
1. EDS
2. Encyclopedia
3. Google
4. Wikipedia
Refine your topic to an aspect you wish to research, write down keywords as you find them.
Consider aspects your topic, such as historical, sociological, scientific etc.
Write a thesis (subject to change as you research more)

Disclaimer - The information you find in sources such as Wikipedia and Google is not to be confused with sources you should use in your project. These sources are to help discover and develop your topic and eventually lead you to the sources found in the "search" section of the Research Process. Wikipedia and Google are great tools to get started but are NOT considered scholarly themselves.

Refinement

Topic Development - Refinement

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Refinement process

Starting with Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany
1. Focus on ideology
Nazi ideology
1. Effects on church
Nazi ideology’s effect on the Christian Church

Thesis = The German Christian Church from 1932-1945 and why they adopted Nazi ideology

Search

Searching for Information

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Places to start searching -

Subject Guides – Lists Print and Electronic Sources specific to your subject.

Books

Catalog – A full listing of all CCU books, eBooks, CD’s, DVD’s and more

Prospector – A Collection of 30 million items available to any CCU student, faculty or staff

Interlibrary Loan – A conglomerate of many libraries throughout the world

Journal and Newspaper Articles, Primary Sources and more

E bsco's EDS – A combined search of CCU’s subscription journal databases

Su bject Guide s – Lists Print and Electronic Sources specific to your subject.

Web

Google’s Advanced Search – try limiting by domain to .mil, .gov, or .edu sites. When searching for images, try limiting by Usage Rights.

Google Scholar - A search of online eBooks, Journals and more. If you can't find the full-text of something you need, try searching CCU or using Interlibrary loan

Evaluation

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PDF of the Evaluating Resources Checklist

Evaluating Resources

When looking at a source, make sure you can check-off on all these criteria

For all Sources

AUTHORITY:

 Is there an author? Is the contact information listed for the author?

 What are the author’s credentials? Is the author cited by other scholars on this subject? Where does he/she work? What else has she/he written? Is she/he referenced by other scholars in the field?

CURRENCY:

 How important is it for your project to have the most recently published information?

ACCURACY:

 Does the author make clearly presented, logical arguments?

 Is the information detailed? Is there sufficient evidence to back up the arguments made?

 Is there a bibliography exhaustive (10 or more sources) and cite authoritative sources? Does the author acknowledge other scholarship, or situate themselves in the context of other literature written on the subject?

 Does the source present a particular bias?

 Are there graphics or charts included? Are they relevant and presented clearly?

 Is there original research presented?

 What is the author’s purpose?

COVERAGE:

 Is the information detailed and provide substantial evidence? Does it add support for what you are arguing with your project, or offer a valid counter-argument?

 What is the target audience? Is it appropriate for your project?

For Specific Sources

WEBSITES:

 Is the online source coming from a database or a website anyone can access? (If the source is from a database, then the likelihood of the source is credible is much higher.)

 What is the URL of the website? (If it ends in .gov, .edu, or .org there is an increased likelihood the website is credible)

 Is the website sponsored by a credible organization or institution? What is the sponsor’s stated philosophy?

 Is the page professionally presented, well written, and free from spelling and grammar mistakes?

 Are there links to other webpages? Are the links active? Do other websites link to this site?

 Is the information copied from another site?

 When was the webpage published? Has it been updated recently?

BOOKS:

 Who is the publisher?

 Are there book reviews of the book? Are the reviewers also notable scholars in this field? Do the reviews support the reliability and the validity of the book?

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

 Is the article scholarly? Where is the article published?

PRIMARY SOURCES

 Who is the author? What perspective does the author present?

 What was the author’s experience and/or role with the event reported/documented?

 Who is the targeted audience

(Other sources that present PRIMARY SOURCES)

 Who is responsible for the source presenting the primary source? If a webpage, what does the URL indicate about the sire?

 What is the source’s purpose in presenting a primary source?

 What is the format of the primary source?

 Is the document is a transcript, how was it originally transcribed, and is it accurate?

Cite

Citing Sources

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Citing your sources is a twofold process

Gather Information
Edit & Format

= Citation

Gather Information

Rather than grabbing each part (author, title, publication date, etc.) of a citation from an article or book individually, every library database and the library catalog offer a Cite feature. In the form of a link or button it most often lies on the top or right hand side of a database screen. This feature generates a citation of the research you are viewing in multiple formats. Simply click the “Cite” button, select the citation format you need, and copy and paste the provided citation into your document..

NOTE that this citation creator is imperfect. and while very close, doesn’t always create a citation you will end up using, While it does get you very close to an accurate citation and makes research much easier than creating each citation from scratch, it is not always correct. Ultimately, your grade depends on proper citations, , so do review each and every one of these citations for accuracy.

Edit & Format

Each school has specific expectations for editing and formatting papers and bibliographies. Please see the following resources for further help in this area.

CAGS Online Writing Lab [requires login into Connect]

CUS Writing Center on the Lakewood Campus.

Also check out the library's Writing Guide