Secrets of My Research Success Transcript
Starting Your Research
Think back on the last time you needed information. Perhaps you were planning a
vacation or determining where to go to purchase the latest technology gadget. Maybe
you were at work and your supervisor asked you to locate information needed for a
project. Possibly you had to write a research paper for your class. Where did you go to
find that information? How did you decide whether it met your needs? How did you use
it?
Welcome to the Secrets of my Research Success. Here you will learn the research skills
and concepts needed to locate, evaluate and use information. What you will learn as
you move through each of these topics is transferable. You will use these same skills to
meet your research needs during your academic career and after you graduate.
Throughout this research process tutorial, you will have the opportunity to reinforce
your learning through a game related to the concept or skill learned. At the end of the
story you will be able to test your overall knowledge through a final quiz.
Good luck and happy researching!
The Hollywood rumor mill has been working overtime. The takeover of Morris Studios
by a major production company seems imminent. Employees and investors are anxious.
In a world of uncertainty, can anyone come through with information to help?
Meet Quentin Austin,
•
UMUC student with a research assignment due this week
•
Personal assistant of Allison Morris, the famous film producer
Meet Danielle, a colleague of Quentin at Morris Studios
Meet Mike, a librarian at UMUC
Starting Your Research
Time: Day 1
Place: Morris Studios lunchroom
1
Quentin: My research assignment is coming up. But with the tense situation at work, I
can't even start to think about the assignment.... Hi, Danielle.
Danielle: Hi, Quentin. This whole corporate takeover thing really has me on edge. I
don't know anything about it so I Googled corporate takeovers, but there was so much
information that I couldn't find anything useful.
Quentin: Wait a minute. I know how we can find information about all of this
takeover stuff. A librarian from UMUC talked about the whole research process in one of
my classes. He also showed us how to locate better information using the library
databases, instead of relying on just the Internet. Since I'm a student at UMUC I can
access these databases and I can contact the librarian for help on how to use them.
This is great! I can use this as my paper topic. Not only will I be able to get research on
corporate takeovers for my class, but I'll also be able to learn what the takeover may
mean to us.
Quentin calls the UMUC library and talks to Mike…
Quentin: …and so I want to locate information on corporate takeovers and how it
affects employees.
Mike: A good place to begin is by doing some background reading on the topic to get
a better overall understanding of it. Preliminary exploration of your topic will provide
you with key ideas, terminology, and dates necessary to help you in the narrowing or
broadening process.
Quentin: Where can I go to do this?
Mike: You may want to begin with print books or e-books because books can provide
a comprehensive overview and point you in the direction of more focused subtopics.
Click on the e-book collections link.
Quentin: Okay, I am there.
Mike: E-books can be found in a variety of places, such as some library databases, the
Internet using sites such as Google books or Project Gutenberg, and in UMUC’s E-Book
Collections. UMUC offers access to a large collection of e-books through NetLibrary.
Let’s start with NetLibrary. Click on the NetLibrary link and you will see the Basic Search
screen. Enter the phrase corporate takeovers, and put the phrase inside quotation
marks. Using quotation marks around a phrase of two or more words tells the database
to search for that exact phrase—those two words together in that order.
2
Quentin: Okay, I did as you said and got 50 results.
Mike: This is what I found, too. You notice as you look through the titles that within
the abstract for each one the words are highlighted to show you how they are used
within that title. You can click on the View this E-book link and find the table of
contents. If you click on each link of the table of contents you can read each chapter
online. Notice also that you can search within the book by entering terms under Search
this eContent. As long as you continue to page through this book it will remain as an
active session, but after 15 minutes of inactivity, the book will revert back to the
collection and you will have to search for it again.
Quentin: Do I have to look through all 50?
Mike: No, you can try to focus this a little more by going back to the Basic Search and
enter the terms 'corporate takeovers' as before and then add the word employees with
AND between corporate takeovers AND employees. By using AND you have signaled
NetLibrary that both terms have to be included.
Quentin: Okay, I tried this and found one title. In reading the abstract this looks like it
may be useful. Let me look through this and see what I find out.
Mike: Call back when you are ready and we can talk about how to find articles using
the library databases, which will provide more focused information. The library
databases are accessible to you as a student here at UMUC for your use in completing
academic assignments.
Quentin: Thank you for all your help, Mike. I will be back in touch.
Quentin calls back.
Quentin: …and so after doing some background reading I decided on my research
question, 'What is a corporate takeover and what are some of the possible effects on
employees?' I picked out the key concepts, which are 'corporate takeovers' 'effects' and
'employees'… but I don't know what to do after that.
Mike: Well, you're on the right track, Quentin. These key concepts, or keywords, can
serve as possible search terms. However, different databases use different terms to
search, so it is useful to create a search statement that includes other possible search
words, such as synonyms, for these terms.
Help Quentin Choose synonyms for his keywords.
Select the most relevant synonyms for each search term. Not all the words
will be used.
3
Search Terms:
•
corporate takeovers
•
effects
•
employees
Possible Synonyms: staff, mergers, consequences, achieve, workers, impacts,
workforce, outcomes, acquisitions, results, competitors
Please review the correct answers.
•
corporate takeovers: mergers, acquisitions
•
effects: consequences, impacts, outcomes, results
•
employees: workers, workforce, staff
•
other words, not correct answers: achieve, competitors
Forming a Search Statement
Mike: Now we need to put the various terms you have identified together into a search
statement. We can incorporate various searching techniques to help refine the process.
Learning the basics of how to search will save you much time and frustration, and these
techniques are the same for any research you may be doing, no matter what the topic
might be.
Let's first look at Finding and Combining Search Terms: Using AND. If you want to
include more than one keyword in your search, use the word 'AND' between each of
the terms. AND, along with OR-which we will discuss in a moment-are sometimes
referred to as Boolean Operators. Using AND serves to narrow a search by telling the
database that both terms must appear in any search results it returns to you. For
example, if you want to locate information on corporate takeovers and effects, you can
put the two together using 'AND'. You can also add the term employees using another
'AND':
corporate takeovers AND effects AND employees
You can further expand this search by also including the synonyms we listed, using the
word OR between them.
corporate takeovers OR mergers OR acquisitions
AND
effects OR consequences OR impacts OR results
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AND
employees OR workers
Keep in mind that using OR with search terms will provide more search results because
you are telling the database that any of these terms must appear in your search results.
You can group synonyms by putting parentheses around the terms. This lets the
database know that this is one concept, but it could be any of these words. For
example:
(corporate takeovers OR mergers OR acquisitions) AND (effects OR
consequences OR impacts OR results) AND (employees OR workers)
When parentheses are used, the terms inside the parentheses are searched first. If
more than one set of parentheses is included, usually the one on the left is searched
first. For some databases there is no difference in the search results between using
parentheses and not using them.
If you want to search for an exact phrase that has two or more words, you will need to
put Quotation Marks around the words in the phrase.
("corporate takeovers" OR mergers OR acquisitions) AND (effects OR
consequences OR impacts OR results) AND (employees OR workers)
Another useful trick is to truncate search terms. When you truncate a term you type the
root of a word, and then follow directly with a truncation symbol, usually an asterisk
(*), but check the database HELP screen to determine the symbol for that database.
So, for example, if we type in corporat followed by an asterisk (*) the database will
search for all words that begin with 'corporat' such as: corporate, corporation,
corporations, etc.
Although this is a useful tool, especially if you want to retrieve results with all possible
word endings, it may also add unrelated items to your results. Some databases may not
allow truncated words if the possible results are too large--- if this happens add more of
the root word and search again.
Quentin: Fantastic! Thanks so much for the refresher! So, I start out building a search
statement by using the key concepts or keywords from my research question. Those
would be:
Corporate takeovers, effects, and employees.
Then I add alternate terms or synonyms for my keywords:
For corporate takeovers alternate keywords could be mergers and
acquisitions, for effects, I could use consequences, impacts, and results,
and for employees, I will try using workers.
Next, I use the asterisk symbol to truncate words, so that the database will find all
possible variations on the word endings:
5
corporat*, takeover*, merg*, acqui*, effect*, consequence*, impact*,
result*, employ*, and work*
The next step is to be sure to enclose corporate takeovers in quotation marks so the
database searches the two words as a phrase:
"corporat* takeover*"
Then I join all the related terms with OR and enclose them with parentheses. That way
I will get articles that have any of those terms in them. Using OR will help expand my
search by looking for my keywords as well as alternate keywords or synonyms.
("corporat* takeover*" OR merg* OR acqui*)
(effect* OR consequence* OR impact* OR result*)
(employ* OR work*)
Finally, I add AND to join all my key concepts together as I want to include all 3 key
concepts in my search. Now my search statement will look like this:
("corporat* takeover*" OR merg* OR acqui*) AND (effect* OR
consequence* OR impact* OR result*) AND (employee* OR work*)
Now I can start searching in some relevant databases for information on corporate
takeovers and their effects on employees.
Help Quentin learn to choose Boolean operators such as AND and OR
for his search statements.
1. The three words represent two concepts. Group them using the
correct Boolean operators to complete a search statement.
actor
film
movie
(______ OR ______) AND ________
2. The four words represent three concepts. Group them using the
correct Boolean operators to complete a search statement.
nominee
"foreign film"
"Academy Award"
Oscar
(______ OR ______) AND ________ AND ___________
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3. The three words represent two concepts. Group them using the
correct Boolean operators to complete a search statement.
"mystery film"
premiere
"thriller movie"
________ AND (______ OR _______)
4. The three words represent two concepts. Group them using the
correct Boolean operators to complete a search statement.
cartoon
sequel
animated film
(______ OR ______) AND ________
5. The four words represent two concepts. Group them using the
correct Boolean operators to complete a search statement.
fantasy
science fiction
saga
epic
(__________ OR________) AND (___________ OR___________)
Please review the correct answers.
1. (film OR movie) AND actor
Other correct answer includes:
o
(movie OR film) AND actor
2. ("Academy Award" OR Oscar) AND nominee AND "foreign film"
Other correct answers include:
o
("Academy Award" OR Oscar) AND "foreign film" AND nominee
o
(Oscar OR "Academy Award") AND "foreign film" AND nominee
o
(Oscar OR "Academy Award") AND nominee AND "foreign film"
7
3. premiere AND ("mystery film" OR "thriller movie")
Other correct answer includes:
o
premiere AND ("thriller movie" OR "mystery film")
4. (cartoon OR animated film) AND sequel
Other correct answer includes:
o
(animated film OR cartoon) AND sequel
5. (science fiction OR fantasy) AND (saga OR epic)
Other correct answers include:
o
(science fiction OR fantasy) AND (epic OR saga)
o
(fantasy OR science fiction) AND (saga OR epic)
o
(fantasy OR science fiction) AND (epic OR saga)
o
(saga OR epic) AND (science fiction OR fantasy)
o
(saga OR epic) AND (fantasy OR science fiction)
o
(epic OR saga) AND (fantasy OR science fiction)
o
(epic OR saga) AND (science fiction OR fantasy)
Database Selection
Quentin: Okay, so I have my search statement how do I know which databases to
use?
Mike: That is an excellent question! To search the UMUC databases you'll go to the
library homepage. On the page is a link to Search by Subject where you will find guides
on various subjects. Each guide includes relevant databases, Web sites, and print and
e-books. Click on this to locate the various subject guides. Remember that the
databases you choose depend not only on what your topic is, but also on what
perspective you are writing from and what kinds of materials you are trying to find. You
could examine this question from a business perspective, for example the possible
impact on profits, or a psychological perspective, for example, the individual effect on
employees, etc. Then, you will locate databases that include resources on whichever
particular topic you choose.
8
Quentin: Well, the subject guides sound great. Glancing through them I think that the
subject guide that I would start out searching in is "Business and Marketing".
Mike: That's a great place to start searching for articles on your topic!
Quentin: Okay, so I've gone into the Business and Marketing subject guide, and I see
the databases listed, with some short descriptions, but now what?
Help Quentin learn to choose the best databases for his search.
Read the descriptions for each of the databases listed below. Indicate which
two are the best databases for Quentin's topic.
EIU ViewsWire: Business, politics, finance, economics, regulations, trade and
industry information covered in articles and statistical data from 195 countries.
Business Source Premier: Business, management, economics, finance, accounting,
international business, and company and industry information journal articles, case
studies and industry reports from 1965 to the present. Includes Datamonitor company,
industry, and market research reports, EIU Country Reports and Profiles, as well as
country and product reports from other sources.
Lexis Nexis Academic: International news, business research, legal research,
medical research and reference sources from 1964 - present.
Academic Search Premier: Arts, humanities, science, social sciences, business, and
technology journals from 1965 to the present.
ABI/Inform Global: Accounting, business, finance, international business, marketing,
and management journals as well as company and industry topics from 1971 to the
present.
Please review the correct answers.
EIU ViewsWire
-No. While this database may contain trade and industry information, the information is
from many different countries and may not be relevant to Quentin's search. This is not
one of the best databases on his topic that Quentin could select.
Business Source Premier
-Yes. This database is one of the best resources that Quentin could use to research his
topic because it covers the subject area and provides current information.
9
Lexis Nexis Academic
-No. Although this database does cover the topic of corporate takeovers/mergers and
would provide current information, since it offers information on a broad range of topics
Quentin may retrieve articles that are not relevant. This is not one of the best
databases on his topic that Quentin could select.
Academic Search Premier
-No. This database covers Quentin's selected topic and would provide current
information, but because it offers information on such a broad range of topics Quentin
may retrieve many articles that are not relevant. This is not one of the best databases
on his topic that Quentin could select.
ABI/Inform Global
-Yes. This database is one of the best resources that Quentin could use to research his
topic because it covers the subject area and provides current information.
Database Searching
Mike: Good choice, Quentin. ABI/Inform Complete and Business Source Complete are
two of the most recommended databases. Databases vary by year of coverage. So if
you need current information, make sure you check the years that are included by
mousing over the “i” icon.
For example, let's start with Business Source Complete. From reading the information,
we know that it covers many subject areas related to business. It also includes many
full-text articles.
Quentin: Yeah, that does sound like it'll work well for my topic. So, I just click on the
database name to enter the database?
Mike: Yes, but you will need to login by entering your last name and either EMPLID or
barcode number.
Quentin: All right, I'm in. So now I will just type in my search statement into the
search box and see what comes up…
("corporat* takeover*" OR merg* OR acqui*) AND (effect* OR
consequence* OR impact* OR result*) AND (employee* OR work*)
Um, I'm not sure this worked out the way it was supposed to. I've gotten so many
articles that I'll never be able to go through all of them! What did I do wrong?
Mike: You got such a large number of articles because this is a very broad topic. You
can further refine the topic and see what kind of results you get. Let's add some
additional keywords related to the motion picture industry to our search statement and
see how the results differ.
1
("corporat* takeover*" OR merg* OR acqui*) AND (effect* OR
consequence* OR impact* OR result*) AND (employee* OR work*)
AND ("motion picture industr*" OR "motion picture studio*" OR "movie
production compan*" OR "film production compan*" OR "film studio*")
Although you refined the topic, you still find articles that may not be relevant and those
that are totally unrelated to our search in the results list.
Quentin: So what do I do?
Mike: You need to locate the subject terms, which describe the main focus of a
particular article or book. Keep in mind that each database has its own terminology, so
these subject terms can differ between databases. There are a couple of ways to do
this. First, you can choose an article that appears to be relevant to your topic and see
what subject terms it uses.
Quentin: Okay, I'll choose these.
consolidation
and
motion picture industry
merger
of
corporations
Mike: After locating the subject terms, we need to enter them into the search box.
The Subject Terms can then become your new search statement. Enter consolidation
and merger of corporations and choose Subject Terms from the drop down menu.
Enter motion picture industry and choose Subject Terms from the drop down menu.
Quentin: This is great! This group of results looks more related and manageable.
Mike: Wonderful! Or, you can revise the search using the suggested subject terms
that appear on the left-hand side. For your research, you will want to choose scholarly
and peer –reviewed articles. Do you remember the discussion about them in your
library instruction session?
Quentin: Sort of, but it was kind of confusing and I didn't really understand it.
Mike: A scholarly, academic or peer-reviewed article is an article that:
•
has gone through a rigorous review process by other experts in the field
•
provides information on original research or experiments
•
often includes tables, graphs, and charts
•
has reliable and credible information
For more information, consult the library's guide Identify and Locate Scholarly Journals.
Go to the How Do I page of the library website, click on the Evaluate what I find? tab,
and then click on the Identify and Locate Scholarly Journals link.
1
In many databases, including this one, we can refine, or narrow down, our results so
that only the articles from scholarly journals appear. On the results screen at which we
are currently looking, click on 'Academic Journals.' Notice how your results got smaller?
Quentin: Uh-huh.
Mike: That's because the database selected only those articles from our original
results that are from scholarly peer-reviewed journals. To go back and view all of the
search results, scholarly or otherwise, click on 'x' button.
Article Selection
Quentin: Hmmm… from looking at the titles of the articles, some of them sound good.
But how do I know if the article is relevant to my research ?
Mike: First you will need to evaluate individual articles to determine whether any of
them are worth pursuing. You don't want to read a twenty-page article and then find
out that it is not related to your research. Although scholarly articles are good sources,
articles from magazines and trade publications, which are written to provide news or
information to members within a specific profession, may also contain information
relevant to your paper. Remember that some topics will not have a lot of scholarly
articles published about them. Let's look at this Wall Street Journal Article as an
example.
It opens up the record to get more detailed information about the article. If you are
looking for scholarly articles, the author's credentials and journal name will be
important. If current information is important you will need to pay attention to the
publication date. The number of pages is also something to consider. If an article is
only 1-2 pages it can't go into any depth to be valuable for a research paper. However,
if you are looking for quick information a shorter article can be useful. Remember to
also look for the subject terms and include any that appear to be useful for further
searching. Finally, you will want to read the abstract or summary to get an idea of what
the article is about.
Help Quentin learn to sort the articles he's found to decide which to
keep.
Read the citation and decide if it is relevant for Quentin's paper.
1. Williams, A. (2005). Surviving a corporate takeover. Harvard Business
Review, 59 , 5-10.
1
2. Thorson, J. (1979). Corporate mergers in America: are they ethical? Journal
of Business Ethics, 46 (1), 22-40.
3. James, F. (2006). Are corporate takeovers leading to the downsizing of
America? Business Strategy Review, 27 (3), 88-100.
4. Stevens, S. (2004, July 7). 'Takeover' is a lost cause [Review of the movie
Corporate Takeover: A How to guide ]. Rolling Stone, 293 , 28.
Please review the correct answers.
1. Williams, A. (2005). Surviving a corporate takeover. Harvard Business
Review, 59 , 5-10.
Relevant. This article is recent, appears in a respected journal, and has an
adequate number of pages that will make it useful.
2. Thorson, J. (1979). Corporate mergers in America: are they ethical? Journal
of Business Ethics, 46 (1), 22-40.
Irrelevant. Although the article is from a reputable journal, the information
in this article may not be current enough to use in a paper.
3. James, F. (2006). Are corporate takeovers leading to the downsizing of
America? Business Strategy Review, 27 (3), 88-100.
Relevant. This article is recent, appears in a respected journal, and has an
adequate number of pages that will make it useful.
4. Stevens, S. (2004, July 7). 'Takeover' is a lost cause [Review of the movie
Corporate Takeover: A How to guide ]. Rolling Stone, 293 , 28.
Irrelevant. This is a film review and it would not have the type of
information that is needed to write a paper.
Article Access and Evaluation
Quentin: So, if I see an article that I want to read, how do I get it?
Mike: Some of the articles are available in full-text from
results list for individual titles and within the full record
(either HTML or PDF) availability. Whenever possible, it is
PDF version, because it has all of the pictures and text that
the database. A link in the
for each indicates full-text
a good idea to choose the
the original article contains.
1
HTML documents will open more quickly, but may not include graphs, charts or
pictures.
If there is no full-text link, there is a yellow 'find it' button, which will automatically
check to see if the article is available in full-text from another database. Because fulltext may not be included in the same database that you search, it is better not to limit
your search to Full-text only. Let's click on the yellow 'find it' button.
If the full-text is available elsewhere, the name of the database will appear in a pop-up
window. Click on the “Read full text at" link. Some databases may ask you to perform
your search again, while others may take you directly to the article or its journal's table
of contents. For more information on this feature, you can go to the Find It FAQ page.
Go to the How Do I? page of the library Web site, click on the Find materials? tab, and
then click on the Find It: FAQ link or on the Finding Full-Text Articles with Find It link.
Quentin: That's great! I would have completely missed that feature if you hadn't
shown it to me. But what happens if it isn't in any of the library's databases?
Mike: Well, then you can request it through our DocumentExpress service. If it says
not available online, the option 'Request it from DocumentExpress' will appear in the
popup window. Just click the 'Request it' link. For more information see the 'Using
DocumentExpress for Articles' guide. Go to the How Do I? page of the library Web site,
click on the Find materials? tab, and then click on the Using DocumentExpress for
Articles link.
Quentin: Okay, so let's say that I locate an article and go to the detailed record, read
the abstract and decide to read the entire article. Then I access the article, read it and
it seems pretty good. How do I know whether I should use it in my paper or not?
Mike: When deciding what to use for your paper it is important to keep in mind that
there are no hard and fast rules to follow; however, you might want to consider:
•
Who the intended audience is or whom it was written for
•
How objective or biased it is and what kind of bias it has, if any
•
If there are any other sources that support this article
•
If the author's affiliation and credentials are available
•
The currency of the article (example: is the information up to date ?)
•
If the sources used are referenced
•
If there are any graphs, charts or pictures
1
Quentin: Well, that all seems reasonable. Thanks for all the help Mike! I think that I'll
spend some time checking out a few other databases to see what kind of information I
can find.
Mike: That's a good idea Quentin, since different databases will find different articles.
Keep in mind that different databases may use different subject terms. It is best to start
by running a keyword search, and then checking to see what subject terms are used by
the database.
Remember, if you need more help, please get in touch with us again. We're available
24/7 by chat or e-mail. We also have walk-in and IM hours.
Remember you can also access other UMUC resources to assist you, including:
•
The Effective Writing Center where you can submit your paper for review,
ask a writing-related question, and find writing resources.
•
Computing Resources Find information concerning your use of UMUC
software and equipment, and locate computer labs.
•
Career Services where you can learn about upcoming job fairs, talk to a
career counselor , and get career advice.
•
Department of Student Success where you can find a mentor or tutor,
and strengthen your leadership skills in online clubs and honor societies.
Internet Resources and Evaluation
Day 2
Danielle: So, I guess you feel pretty good about using library databases instead of a
Web search engine, right Quentin?
Quentin: Yes, the librarian explained to me that the Internet has led to a huge
increase in the amount of information available and that you can often find useful
material for research from Web sites. However, for the purposes of research, it lacks
the credibility of established publications, or that librarians provide when choosing
materials for their library. Plus, as a UMUC student I can get access to resources for
free through the databases that I either couldn't find on the Internet, or I would have
to pay for if I weren't a student.
For searching the Internet, he also advised me to keep in mind that in addition to
Google and Yahoo!, there are specialized search engines that may be more appropriate
for specific types of research, such as Scirus, a science-specific search engine, and
USAGov, which indexes government information only.
1
Mike also mentioned that it is important to remember to always evaluate anything that
you find on regardless of whether you found it in a database or on the Internet.
Danielle: Why would someone need to do that?
Quentin: Because some Websites are out-of date, biased, or inaccurate, it is crucial
that people doing research on the Internet learn how to critically evaluate the material
they find. The Search the Web and Evaluate Resources guide on the UMUC Library page
gave me a checklist to follow.
Help Quentin choose between library databases or Internet
resources.
Read the description on the ticket and decide which resource it best explains.
1. Offers easy access to scholarly, peer-reviewed journals in full-text for free.
2. Can find information from many sources, including: the government, private
companies, and advertisers.
3. Able to easily determine the name of the publications that are being
searched, as well as the years that are available and the subjects that are
covered.
4. May not be able to verify the accuracy or the source of the information.
Please review the correct answers.
1. Offers easy access to scholarly, peer-reviewed journals in full-text for free.
LIBRARY DATABASES. You may or may not be able to easily find scholarly
and peer-reviewed journals on the Internet. Furthermore, the articles may
available in full-text only for a fee.
2. Can find information from many sources, including: the government, private
companies, and advertisers.
INTERNET RESOURCES. Typically, library databases do not contain
information from advertisers.
3. Able to easily determine the name of the publications that are being
searched, as well as the years that are available and the subjects that are
1
covered.
LIBRARY DATABASES. While you can sometimes find the names of the
publications that you are searching on the Internet, you may not be able to
easily distinguish the years covered or the topics addressed. Although the
Internet has a lot of information, there is no guide as to what is included.
4. May not be able to verify the accuracy or the source of the information.
INTERNET RESOURCES. With library databases you have the ability to
verify the source, the publication name and the author name of a particular
article. Furthermore, most publications indexed in databases have some sort
of review or selection process to choose items that appear in their journal.
Citation and Plagiarism
After work that evening, Quentin continues to research his topic and get
started on his assignment for class when he realizes that he doesn't
really know how to cite his sources. He again calls the library for
assistance.
Quentin: So, if I quote something directly, I need to cite it. But if I paraphrase it and
change the words around, then I don't, right?
Mike: Actually Quentin, you must always give credit for information you obtain from
another person or source—even if you paraphrase it. If you don't, you could be accused
of plagiarism, which could mean serious consequences, such as receiving a failing grade
or even being expelled.
Quentin: Ohhhh, I wasn't aware it was that serious.
Mike: It is, but if you spend a little time making sure that you understand how to
correctly paraphrase, quote and cite sources, then you shouldn't have any problems.
Here is an example of a properly formatted APA citation. Note the order of the
elements: authors, date published, article title, journal title, volume, issue, page
numbers, retrieval date and DOI(Digital Object Identifier).
Cartwright, S., Tytherleigh, M. & Robertson, S. (2007). Are mergers
always stressful? Some evidence from the higher education
sector. European Journal of Work and Organizational
Psychology, 16(4), 456-478. doi:10.1080/13594320701606391
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Also, the library offers a few resources that may help you out on the library Web site.
Citation Resources includes many citation guides and tutorials and a subscription to
RefWorks, an online tool that allows you to build and manage your own personal
database of references. You can also generate in-text citations and lists of references in
various citation styles to use in your paper.
Help Quentin learn how to cite correctly.
Put each element in the proper order to create a correctly formatted APA
citation.
Author's last name, First Initial. (date). Article title. Journal title, volume (issue), pages.
Retrieved from journal's homepage URL
1. New York Times,
Waxman, S., & and Barnes, B.
p. C.1
http://www.nytimes.com
(2007, November 17).
Discontented DreamWorks is in talks to join NBC.
2. (2007).
Mergers 101 (part two): Training managers for culture, stress, and change
challenges.
39(4),
Industrial and Commercial Training,
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ict
191.
Appelbaum, S.H., Lefrancois, F., Tonna, R., & Shapiro, B.T.
Please review the correct answers.
1. Waxman, S., & and Barnes, B. (2007, November 17). Discontented
DreamWorks is in talks to join NBC. New York Times , p. C.1. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com
2. Appelbaum, S.H., Lefrancois, F., Tonna, R., & Shapiro, B.T. (2007). Mergers
101 (part two): Training managers for culture, stress, and change
challenges. Industrial and Commercial Training , 39(4), 191. Retrieved from
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ict
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Conclusion
Day 3
Quentin: Hello, Danielle.
Danielle: Hi, Quentin. How is your research paper coming?
Quentin: It's coming along well. Working with the librarian, I learned a lot about the
research process. And it really is a process. So many skills are involved.
For example, I never knew how important it was not only to pull keywords out of my
research question, but to also find alternate terms for those words so that I can create
good search statements.
I also learned that creating a good search statement using Boolean operators is
necessary if you really want to focus your results when finding articles in the library
databases.
You know, I used to think all library databases were the same, but choosing a database
that is appropriate to your topic will make the research process go faster and reduce
your frustration. Since I had a business-related question, he showed me how to identify
appropriate business related databases. That was a big help.
Of course, once you find your articles, you still are not done. I used to just take the first
few articles I found. But now I look at them critically to see their relevance, currency
and length. I also want to make sure they are from a respected journal - scholarly and
peer reviewed if possible. However, some topics are not covered in scholarly or peerreviewed journals, so it is a good idea to look at articles from magazines and trade
publications as well.
Another thing I learned to do is look at Web sites with the same critical eye. Evaluating
the information you find is so important. You can't take everything you find at face
value.
Finally, when writing my paper, I learned how to appropriately cite my sources and
avoid plagiarism. I want to give credit where credit is due. I certainly didn't come up
with all these ideas in my paper on my own.
I have to say that this has been a great learning experience for me, but I know I still
have much more to learn and the UMUC librarians are there to help me.
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The Result
Quentin went on to get an A on his research paper. Morris studios was purchased later
that week by a major motion picture studio. Quentin's research skills and new
knowledge of corporate takeovers allowed him to progress rapidly in the new corporate
structure. He went on to become a high-level executive in the industry. You can see his
work at a theater near you.
Congratulations! You have completed this guide to the research process. In order to
assess what you have learned, a final quiz is coming next. Please click on the start
button when you are ready. A new window will be opened. You may be asked to login
to take the final quiz.
Secrets of My Research Success
http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/research_tutorial.cfm
accessed October 17, 2011
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