Friday Module: Library Workshop, Due 9/10

*Note to the Invention Activity Module: While I applaud many of you for your goal of publishing in current field journals and believe that you should attempt this (for the experience and hope that they send revisions with intent to publish) you are undergraduates doing research. This is not bad. This simply means that you need to research for undergraduate specific areas to showcase your work. Finding undergraduate journals or conferences open to submissions beyond a specific university is a challenging research task. Think outside of the box. Dig. I will ask for this list of possible "showcase" places/sources again and next time I expect that each of your really research possible undergraduate showcases, like the National Research Conference here.

In class this week we are discussing the actual research process of locating secondary source materials. While most of you are already familiar with the library’s resources and have already learned how to access research materials, the library’s vast resources still can be somewhat overwhelming.

Most students (and sometime researchers) go to what they know works. The discipline database search is not incorrect. In fact, searching by a database suggested for your discipline is a great way to narrow your search results and find meaningful work that informs your own research project.

In order to achieve well-rounded research, scholars must go beyond obvious sources of information and look for answers that are not always so easy to find. Broadening your research circle by looking for resources of different mediums and types, locating interdisciplinary approaches or reading the results and conclusions of research on your topic done by scholars in another discipline, or by expanding your search terms and key words can help you to balance your research and help you to think about your topic in unique and challenging ways.

To this end, this week’s module is all about doing it differently.

For those of you just starting to formulate your topic this is a good opportunity to see what is out there. For those of you immersed in your thesis, this is an opportunity to come out from the tunnel of your research in an attempt to see your project with new eyes.

The Library Workshop: Loosening the Belt, Undisciplined Research

Assignment Directions: Complete three of the six questions. Cite all sources according to style guidelines. And, as the Research Process is a lot like 7^th grade math, show your work (i.e. “I went to xyz database where I found abc”).

1.     Conduct a basic catalog search for your topic. Then, using the library’s subject headings, compile a working list (through hyperlinking to other subject headings) of possible search terms for your topic.

2.     Compare the results of searching the same precise topic in a database suggested for your subject area, two scholarly databases from/for differing fields, WorldCat, and a database geared toward Women/Gender Studies. Discuss how the different disciplines approach the topic.

3.     Compare the results of searching the same precise topic but looking for different mediums. Discuss how the different types of sources treat the topic.

4.     Compare a popular source and a scholarly source on your topic. Explain how the style, perspective, and audience change the research, conclusions, and/or evidence.

5.     Research your specific topic in the literature of the 70s and 80s. Research the same topic in the literature of the 90s and 00s. Discuss the evolution of the field based on this exercise.

6.     Research a seminal scholar or text through reviews, citation index, biographical information, etc and discuss the effect of scholar/work on the discipline.