Tag Archives: research process

And the search continues…

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Thanks to Badke, my online search for information has improved from I search for information in my earlier research papers that i have dealt with. But now the biggest obstacle for me is finding scholarly sources since this is my first time ever trying to find one. Also this is my first attempt to creating a annotated bibliography. I was not here last class but I am trying my best on where to find said scholarly sources. I Know i can find some through a website called JSTOR but I am not familiar with this website and i certainly dont want to subscribe to anything.

Today’s summary, and reading/homework for Wednesday 10/21

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Today we continued our discussion of the research process, refining your topic, and creating search strategies. We spent time using easybib.com to create and manage bibliographies, and we also used bubbl.us to do some concept mapping. Slides from today are available here.

On Wednesday we’ll discuss — and do — advanced internet searching. Please read Badke Ch. 6 (all) and Ch. 7 pp. 161-164. Please view the web search strategies video from Common Craft. Remember, the final version of your research topic proposal is due at the start of class on Wednesday! See the assignment guidelines or get in touch with me if you have questions about the assignment.

~Prof. Leonard

The Struggles

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Research is often tedious, as it refreshing. Some difficulties that I found as I work was obtaining various court cases and documents (primary sources). When the media reports on Copyright Infringement, often, names are left anonymous and sentencing is also left in the dark. Thus, in order to successfully correlate infringement punishment and morality, obtaining court documents is a necessity. It is painstaking but its almost completed.

A strategy that I found exceptionally useful is the use of narrowing search parameters. Using “AND” frequently in search engines and databases has garnered better results than simply searching for a broad topic.

Summary of today (10/16), and reading/blogging for Monday 10/21

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Today we began our discussion of the research process, focusing on selecting and narrowing a topic, and deciding upon preliminary research strategies. Slides from today are available here.

For Monday 10/21, please read the following in Badke: Appendix 1 pp. 223-257, and review chapter 3 pp. 42-48.

Your first research journal blog post is due on Monday. Please write one blog post of at least 100 words that addresses these questions:

You are working on choosing a topic and developing a research question for your paper. What difficulties (if any) have you encountered as you work on your research proposal?
What strategies (if any) have you used successfully during this work?
What questions (if any) do you have about the assignment?

Looking forward to reading your topic proposal drafts! I will try to get comments and provisional grades to you before Monday.

~Prof. L.

Notes from today, and reminder about tomorrow’s reading & assignments

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Today we discussed the mechanics of searching, databases, and Boolean searching. Continue to use the search strategies we discussed — AND, OR, and NOT, “phrase searching,” truncation using the * symbol, and nested searching using parentheses around synonyms–and consider if your search results are different, better, worse, unexpected, etc. Slides from today are available here.

We meet tomorrow–Wednesday–as usual. On Wednesday, we will begin our discussion of the research process: assessing your research needs, preliminary strategies, and topic development. Please read Badke, chapter 2 and comment on one or 2 classmates’ blog posts for Wednesday. The DRAFT of your research topic proposal is due by 10 am as an email attachment to me, or turned in at the beginning of class.

~Prof. Leonard

Summary of today, and assignments/reading/blogging for Tuesday 10/15 and Wednesday 10/16

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Today we discussed metadata — data about data, including folksonomies and tagging, which we use on the course site, and taxonomies and controlled vocabularies (such as the Library of Congress subject headings). Slides from today are available here.

We meet on Tuesday, 10/15 and Wednesday, 10/16 of next week. On Tuesday, we will discuss search engine mechanics. Please read the following:

Badke, chapter 3
Liddy, How a Search Engine Works
Agostini, Search Engine Optimization and International Branding

Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post.

Since we meet 2 days in a row next week, I’m posting the reading & other assignments in advance. On Wednesday, we will begin our discussion of the research process: assessing your research needs, preliminary strategies, and topic development. Please read Badke, chapter 2 and comment on one or 2 classmates’ blog posts for Wednesday. The DRAFT of your research topic proposal is due by 10 am as an email attachment to me, or turned in at the beginning of class.

Enjoy the long weekend!

~Prof. Leonard