Doing Research Is Not For The Faint Of Heart It Takes Careful Thought And Plann

Doing research is not for the faint of heart. It takes careful thought and planning, diligence, and a detective’s mindset.

Locate > evaluate > use

This assignment will guide you through the steps of locating a credible source for a topic for a pretend paper.  You will find an article, evaluate the article, and demonstrate that you can properly cite your article. You MUST use the Jerry Falwell Library for your research. Be sure to watch the videos that are integrated throughout the assignment as they will provide you with valuable information. All yellow boxes must be addressed, and don’t forget to sign your name at the bottom of the assignment.

STEP 1: Prepare to Search

Choose One Topic

Mark your topic selection with an “X”

☐Time Management         

☐Learning Preferences

☐Adult Learning Theory

☐Academic Integrity

Find Your Focus

It is important to define your topic by determining your focus and selecting keywords to narrow your search; otherwise, you will end up with millions of possible articles.

What specific aspect of this topic are you interested in researching?Ex.:  The topic of academic integrity can be narrowed to avoiding plagiarism, integrity in the online classroom, or cheat sites.

What are you hoping to find regarding your topic? Answer here:

Determine Your Keywords – VIDEO TUTORIAL

List three keywords or phrases that first come to mind to use as initial search terms.

Hint: The general term/phrase listed above should be included as one of your five keywords.

Three keywords or phrases:

1.

2.

3.

As part of the exercise in generating keywords, list four other synonyms or different phrases that you might also use in your search.  

Consider using a thesaurus or identifying additional keywords / phrases from the results of your initial searches.

Synonyms or alternative wording for your keyword searches:

1.

2.

3.

4.

STEP 2: Locate a Source

Now that you have focused your topic and determined your possible search terms, it is time to locate and evaluate an article. Don’t forget to use the Jerry Falwell Library databases.

Use the Library Databases – VIDEO TUTORIAL

The library databases page is here: https://www.liberty.edu/library/databases/

For this project, please useEBSCO QuickSearch or ProQuest Central.

Select one of your keywords and run a preliminary search.

How many sources did your initial search return?

Initial number of results:     

STOP!

If your search returned a couple thousand or a few hundred results, that is too many to look through. You must work to narrow your results to focus on the specific aspect of your topic. It’s helpful to start with a broader set of results and then continue to narrow down from the initial results that are returned. Your article must be relevant to your SPECIFIC topic; you don’t want just ANY article that mentions your broad topic.

Narrow Results by Using Filters – VIDEO TUTORIAL

Each database offers various filters, usually on the left side of the screen.  Adjust the date options to the last five years and check the box that returns full-text articles.Be sure to check the box for peer-reviewed articles.

List all filters and parameters that you used in your search:

Try out some Boolean Operators or Wildcards to limit your search.  Hint – find search tips here.

Which Boolean Operators or Wildcards did you try? Answer here:                            

It is usually necessary to alter search terms. Earlier in this assignment, you listed 5-7 keywords and phrase ideas for your search.  Try various combinations as you search.Which terms you find were the most effective?

List your top 3 search terms here:

1.

2.

3.

Continue to repeat your search, adjusting your search terms, tools, and parameters until you get a manageable number of results.  You should have less than 100.

How many results did you have in your final, most narrowed search?

Final number of results after filtering and limiting your search:

~ Choose one relevant, focused article which you might use in a potential project.~

All of the items below are typically found on either the first page of the article or the summary page on the library website.

What is the title of the article?

What is the name of the journal in which the article you chose was published?

Paste the permalink for this article in the box. Use this tutorial if you are unsure how to locate or create the permalink:  http://www.liberty.edu/library/persistent-links-tutorial/

Provide two detailed explanations of how this article relates to or supports your specific topic.

The article relates to or supports my topic because:

1.

2.

Step 3: Evaluate the Article

Evaluating Sources –VIDEO TUTORIAL

Currency

In what year was your article published?

Is this a current article?

☐ Yes        ☐ No

Why is it important to use a current source?

Author’s Credibility

Who is/are the author(s)?

Peer Review

What is peer-review and why is it important? Provide your definition.

Is your article peer-reviewed?

☐ Yes    ☐ No

How do you know? Explain here:

Style

Does the article include a bibliography or works cited or references to other publications?  

This information is often available on the article information page or in the last pages of the article.

☐ Yes    ☐ No

How many sources are referenced at the end of this article?

☐ Fewer than 10 references

☐ More than 10 references

☐ More than 25 references  

Is the language technical and full of jargon or more general in nature?Provide a direct quote from the article proving its technical or general style.

☐ Technical      ☐ General

Direct quote:

Objectivity

How do(es) the author(s) provide objective or subjective support for the article’s points?

Provide an example of how the author objectively or subjectively supports the points made in the article:

Do(es) the author(s) address alternative viewpoints? Provide an example in support.

☐ Yes    ☐ No

Explain your response with a supporting example:

Summative Evaluation

Based on your initial assessment of the article, would this be considered a credible, scholarly source?

☐ Yes ☐No

Explain why this article would or would not work as a source for a paper:

Step 4: Use the Article

Avoiding plagiarism involves knowing how to properly cite any source information that is used inside your paper. Here is one of the best websites for APA formatting:  Purdue OWL

In-Text Citation

Two things to know:

1.        A signal phrase is necessary to distinguish between the writer’s thoughts and those of a source (utilized for direct quote, summary, or paraphrase). APA signal phrases use author’s last name(s), the year of publication, and past-tense verbs that should fit the context of the paper. Examples include:

A.       As Smith (2004) concluded,

B.       Johnson and Wales (2011) also asserted that

C.        According to Stevens (2014),

2.        APA requires that a page number be provided for all directly quoted material. It belongs in parenthesis after the quoted material but before the period. Examples include:

A.       Smith (2004) found that “students were thrilled to learn how create proper in-text citations” (p. 171).

B.       “Students were thrilled to learn how to create proper in-text citations” (Smith, 2004, p. 171).

SAMPLE APA in-text use with signal phrase, quotation, and ending citation:

Miars and Ford (2012) argued that “time management is one of the key foundations regarding student success” (p. 24).

Select a specific quotation from your selected article and show how you would integrate the quote into your paper using a signal phrase, proper punctuation, and APA in-text citation.

Include a signal phrase, quotation, and ending citation here:

Reference Entry

In addition to properly citing sources within the paper, you must also properly cite the source on the Reference Page so others can confirm your research. The reference entry contains publication information for the entire article as well as a DOI (digital object identifier), permalink, or database name to identify the retrieval source.

à         SAMPLE APA reference citation with DOI:

Sagarin, B. J., & Lawler-Sagarin, K. A. (2005). Critically evaluating competing theories: An exercise based on the Kitty Genovese murder. Teaching of Psychology, 32(3), 167–169. doi.org/10.1207/ s15328023top3203_8

à         SAMPLE APA reference citation without DOI:

Reitzes, D. C., & Mutran, E. J. (2004). The transition to retirement: Stages and factors that influence retirement adjustment. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 59(1), 63–84. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete

Create an APA reference entry for your selected article.

Note:  Many databases have a “cite” function that will give you a good start to your entry, but be sure to double-check the details with proper APA formatting.

Additional help regarding APA citations can be found using the links at Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/ 

APA Reference Entry for Your Article:

The above work was completed by the person whose name appears below:  ☐ Yes      ☐ No

Name: Enter Your Name Here.                                                  Date:     Click or tap to enter a date.

Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4.