Doing the Research
Gathering Evidence
for a PPA Project
Kathryn Frech
Seton Catholic Central H.S.
kfrech@syrdiocese.org
Review –
The PPA Steps

The PPA Steps
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/
plegal/ tips/ppaqe.html
Problem – Evidence – Causes
Policy – Alternatives - Solution
PPA Step 2
Gather the Evidence
Worksheet 2
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/wo
rksheet2.doc
“Present evidence that a problem exists.
Be as specific as possible and cite at least
one source of data”
PPA Step 3
Identify the Causes
Worksheet 3
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/wo
rksheet3.doc
“Briefly list several underlying factors that
contribute to the problem that you have
identified (support these factors with
evidence)“
Evidence Gathering

Find Your Sources


Locate books, articles, etc.
Evaluate the Information

Is it something you can use?
Finding Sources

Books
(library circulating and reference books)

Periodicals
(magazines, newspapers, journals)

Online
(personal webpages, corporate sites, news organizations,
nonprofit groups …)

Other
(tv shows, movies, letters, interviews …)
Finding Sources –
The Search Process


Key words/ideas to look for –
what terms define your project?
Range of information
general/background (encyclopedia,
news segment, overview article)
 specific (books, in-depth articles,
company/government reports …)

Finding Sources –
Search Techniques

Knowing where to look
Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need
(http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/
information/5locate/adviceengine.html)


Search tricks and tips



Boolean terms (AND/OR/NOT)
Phrase search (“find in quotes”)
Advanced Search (example: Google Adv. Search:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search)
Web Search Strategies in Plain English
from The Common Craft Show (http://www.commoncraft.com/)
Finding Sources –
Search Engines

The Big 3


Clustering Search Engines


Bing – Google – Yahoo
Carrot2 – Kosmix – Yippy
Picture/Video Search Engines

Behold – Blinkx – Google
[image source: http://www.openclipart.org/detail/24012]
Finding Sources –
Search Engines and More

Specialized or Reference Search



Infomine – Refseek – SweetSearch
Databases

free (in NY) : NOVEL NY – New York Public Library

school subscription: FirstSearch – Newsbank
Subject-Specific Websites

NASA – National Archives – USA.gov
Evaluating Information

Look for

Authority

Objectivity

Reliability

Pertinence
Evaluating Information –
Authority

WHO wrote it?



Organization?
Expertise?
Associations?
Examples (discuss ) :
3rd grade class? Museum?
Business? Newspaper? College Professor?
Government Agency? Lone Hobbyist?
[image source: http://freegraphicsart.com/1094-feather-pen]
Evaluating Information –
Objectivility

Point of View


Biased POV


Biased or Objective?
Selling product or viewpoint?
Objective POV



Dispassionate?
Looks at all sides?
Offers sources for further research?
[image source: http://www.pdclipart.org/displayimage.php?pid=17519&fullsize=1]
Evaluating Information –
Reliability

Data


Source


What does the information say?
What is it based on (study, experiment, survey,
compilation)?
References/Citations

Where is it from? Did the authors do their own
work or are they using data from somewhere else?
If so, what source?
Evaluating Information –
Pertinence
The Best Information
Is Useless to Your
Project if it Doesn’t
Actually Apply to Your
Problem (Policy Issue)
REM:
Where Do the Puzzle Pieces Fit?
Don’t Try to Put Steak in Fish Stew.
NOTE-TAKING REVIEW

Each source - bibliography worksheet.

Each idea - separate note/section.

Each idea - summarize in own words.

Each printout, document file, cut-and-paste highlight and write summaries/notes.

Each note - source info. Have exact page/url as
well as book or main website.

Overviews and complex ideas – outline and
notes.
Online Notes

Bookmark/Webclips online (sites)


Bookmark/Webclip programs


Delicious, Diigo, Historio.us
Evernote, QuotePad, Zotero
General online notes

Google Docs, Thinkfree, Ubernote
Citation Elements
WHO ?
WHAT ?
WHERE ?
WHEN ?
Works Cited
book: Author. Title. Place: Publisher, Date.
offline article: Author. “Article Title.” Magazine
Date, pages.
online article: as above, plus
Online Site. Online Publisher. Date Accessed
<url>.
website: Author, “Article title.” Website. Site editor.
Version number(s). Date Published or Updated.
Publisher. Date accessed. Location or <url>.
Writing Your Citations

Proper Format (MLA Style)

Research Paper Handbook


Available in Library
Available on school network
in drive S: Shared Files
Putting It Together


Now that you have the information, go back
to Steps 2 and 3 of the PPA.
Look at your worksheets -- Do you have
ENOUGH information?


No or Not Sure: Find some more data. Be sure to
check as you go along to see how it all fits
together.
Yes: Great! Now go put it together! You’ll see as
you go along if you need to fill in anywhere.
Continuing On



You’ve found and evaluated sources of for your
Public Policy Analysis.
You taken notes from your sources and made sure to
have the proper information for your citations and
bibliography.
Having completed Steps 2 and 3(*), you are ready to
go on to Step 4 of the PPA. Keeping the information
you’ve already found in mind, fill in some tentative
answers (or questions!) to bring to class the next
time we meet.
*check your assignment sheet for deadlines
Happy Researching!