Tag Archives: research topic proposal

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

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

When narrow isn’t narrow enough Oct. 21

For me it was fairly easy to decide on a topic I wanted to take on for the research paper. The difficulty came in narrowing it down to something precise enough and manageable for a 5 to 8 page paper. In attempting to narrow my topic, I ended up asking myself more questions than can be covered in the paper. Badke says that a good research project should only deal with one issue expressed by one question. In choosing that one question, I have to decide which issue I am most interested in and which has the most adequate resources to successfully research and develop into a paper.

What would I do without Badke?

If I didn’t read the appendix of Badke’s book, I would have probably received a bad grade for my research paper.  Before reading and discussing what I wanted to write about for my research paper, my topic was very broad and it contained too many questions. On the sheet of paper Professor Leonard handed out a few weeks ago, I had written several questions for my proposal. Now I know that I initially made mistake. Without reading the appendix my research question would’ve been too broad and my research paper would be filled with just random questions that all referred to plagiarism. Now, after reading Badke’s book and discussing my paper with Professor Leonard, hopefully my paper shall be much more focused.

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

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.

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

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

Notes from today, and reading/blogging assignments for Monday, October 7

Today we discussed plagiarism and touched on issues of academic integrity. Slides from today are available here. On Monday, we will discuss access: personal, institutional, as well as the “digital divide.” Please read the following: Martin, The Politics of Research and Samuelson, Aaron Swartz: Opening Access to Knowledge.

Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post.

Be sure to bring the Developing a Research Topic sheet with you Monday; we’ll build in some time to work on it some more. I distributed the Research Topic Proposal guidelines in class; be aware that the first draft of that assignment is due October 16 and the final version is due October 23.Questions about the research topic proposal? Get in touch!

~Prof. Leonard

PS: those of you interested in privacy might be interested in PRISMBreakup, a series of events, workshops, and talks on the topic of surveillance, all taking place this weekend at Eyebeam, a gallery at 540 W. 21st Street in Manhattan.

Notes from today, and reading/blogging homework for Wednesday, October 2

Today we discussed privacy and how both our expectations of it and our definitions of it are changing in a digital, networked environment. Slides from today are available here.

On Wednesday we’ll continue our discussion of information ethics and focus on plagiarism. Please read Widdicombe, “The Plagiarist’s Tale” and Isserman, “A Lie of the Mind.” Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post.

Check back tomorrow for I posted the Research Topic Proposal guidelines. I’ll post them under Assignments tomorrow and distribute in class on Wednesday. Please get in touch with any questions you have about the research topic proposal.

~Prof. L.