Page 1 of 6
ADMN 502A 01
Mary Chu’s lecture notes
Week 4: “Getting Started in Research”
Sept. 28, 2010
Messages from Profs:
1. Week 3 wiki feedback:
a. People agreed it was good
b. Clickable table of contents good to use
c. Font size good
d. Recommend setting up wiki pages so that links open up in a new window and
closing the linked file leads the user back to the previous page rather than
closing the wiki
e. Including shortcuts for Boolean tools and refworks info appreciated
f. The other section’s wiki was very wikipedia-like
g. Recommend using standard web-design principles for setting up pages:
i. To break up text, use line breaks between sections so “pages” delineated,
using the PB Works editing features icon for “inserting horizontal line”
ii. Spaces between lines
iii. “if it looks good, it looks good”
2. We were asked if there was support for the recent post protesting the grading of
classmates’ notes and wikis; no-one expressed support
3. Dr. Tedds welcomed KIS resource people in attendance for our group presentations:
Melissa Sexsmith and Paige Muttersbach , and Mel Moran (new to us)
Presentations
Each group presented their choice of information about their research project, for feedback
from KIS, profs and classmates. Each group got feedback specific to their project. Feedback for
general use is included here.
Group 1: Internal HR Consulting
Group 2:Wind Power Towers
Group 3:Reward-Based Programs to Encourage Healthy Living within BC
Group 4: Climate Change Courses for the Public Sector, Business Community, Journalists and
General Public: A Scoping Review Client Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions(Coralee Green
present for this portion)/UVic
Group 5: Adapting to the Digital Age: Case Studies in Library Digitalization for the Legislative
Library
Page 2 of 6
Presentation Feedback:
1. Title:
 A shorter title is not necessarily better – it needs to say what you want
 Define terms very specifically
2. Scope:
 use this section for jurisdictions
 limits protect against scope creep
3. Methodology:
 make sure you say exactly what you’re looking for
 make sure you include kind of research, types of searches and search engines etc, also
keywords
4. Preliminary findings:
 Include what you’ve found so far into a preliminary findings section; this will also help
you in putting together your outline and bibliography
5. Bibliography:
 good to start now
6. References:
 Distinguish between your references and what you’ve found so far in your readings (see
notes following)
1. Using human resources:
 KIS has some relevant SRs on file, knows of lots more, and knows whom to talk to for
other topics so use them!
 Be careful about asking “survey-type” questions when you’re searching for info to make
sure you don’t cross the line into human research – check with Prof Brady if unsure
7. The shiny ball effect:
 it can catch you by surprise
8. Cold contacts for info:
 Get feet in door asap if you need to get info via e-mail from someone – look at staff list
online, contact anyone whose title could be related to what you want
 send concise e-mail explaining who you are, who your client is, what your question is,
ask for any info and suggested name to try next if they can’t help you
 e-mail early and often
 don’t be afraid to call
 don’t hesitate to ask for evaluative material, which might not be sitting on the web but
might be in a drawer and not confidential
9. Comparing across sectors: When thinking about comparing across sectors (e.g. public,
private) to see what others are doing, think about whether there are certain factors that
affect success of initiatives in public sector (e.g. huge number of employees) and try to find
matches
10. Evaluations of new programs: If initiatives are entering new areas, there may not be
evaluations yet - don’t let that make your SR fall apart
Page 3 of 6
11. Profs’ feedback on formatting issues for research agreements:
 Need to include our names and contact info
 Need page numbers if more than one; OK to go to 2 pp if needed, but “should be” 1 p
 Signature page at the end
 Get a copy signed by the client and submit hardcopy to class
 Unsigned version to submitted electronically with Turnitin
 Make sure to follow the naming protocol instructions exactly
 If we want Dr. Tedds to look it over before the Oct 5 deadline, we can send it to her but
she may not have time to review it
Citations – (lecture format by Dr. Tedds, using ppt slides posted on Moodle)
Purpose of presentation: “How to figure out how to cite”, not “how to cite”
1. The Basics
a. “Editorial style” is not just “how to cite”, but encompasses citing, formatting, and
“how to write”
i. Info about “how to write” very important as it details the standard
expected of us: we are doing “scientific” writing within the social
sciences, and there are important parameters about how we must write
ii. There are many styles (e.g. APA, Harvard, Chicago, MLA)
b. UVic MPA program uses APA
i. Recommend purchasing APA manual as we will need it now and for 598
1. Buy 2nd printing of APA 6 Publication Manual; 1st printing had
many errors
2. available from bookstore ($34), online (cheaper), UVic library
reference section (no, can’t be put on reserve)
3. APA has rules for everything and they’ve changed over time, so
need to be current
ii. Note: it appears UVic Library’s Quick Style Guide may not be right; Dr.
Tedds will talk with MPA librarian Inba Kehoe; refer to the book instead
c. “Citation” is another name for “reference”
i. Important to spend time on this because:
1. it is an important way to respect and give credit to those who
have contributed to the topic before you, and should not be
viewed as onerous
2. accuracy is key, as the citation is a roadmap back to the source:
need to pay attention to “mechanics” – source, author, title, date
etc.
ii. 2 parts to APA citation style – “in-text”, and reference list(=bibliography)
1. make sure you have both components; only references cited in
the paper are to be in your reference list
2. an annotated bibliography is not the same as a reference list
Page 4 of 6
2. When do I cite?
a. Ongoing struggle; most of us will have problems about when to cite
b. Baseline: need to cite when something is not common knowledge
c. Cite when quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, using someone else’s stats and
numbers or ideas as the basis for your own ideas and research
d. We have probably been underciting
e. if you go back and read your paper, and realize you should have cited something
but can’t find it, you need to find it
f. Dr. Tedds’ context: poli sci getting more into ideas and philosophy – need to cite;
when citing a stat (econ) – harder to say it’s plagiarism by comparison
3. How often to cite?
a. If a whole paragraph is based on one cited item, ideally you would cite multiple
times. However an easier way is “Tedds (2005) investigated…and her results will
be summarized here…” followed by page numbers at the end
i. In this example, not appropriate to simply put one citation at the end of
the paragraph, as that means it’s a citation just for the final sentence:
need to set the paragraph up
b. If an author is citing another author, APA says “Tedds as cited by Scott…”
i. Dr. Tedds’ expectation of us is to go back to the original for citing, making
sure the 20 person cited and interpreted properly
ii. If something original has restricted access, then “Tedds, as cited by Scott,
said…” and cite Scott using APA
4. Where do I place citations?
a. In text where you need them – may not be at the end of a sentence
b. Note: don’t say “Many researchers have found…”; do say “Many researchers
(e.g. Tedds, x, y, z) say…”
c. Remember APA requires citing when we use figures – info goes below the figure
d. Page numbers: APA says they are not required if you’re not quoting directly. Dr.
Tedds wants us to put page numbers in so the reader can track back to the info
and check facts
5. Why do I care?
a. Because of the risk of plagiarism (every year there’s at least one case in MPA)
b. “Opportunity cost is low” says the economist!
Plagiarism(lecture format by Dr. Tedds, using ppt slides posted on Moodle)
1. Definitions:
a. The action or practice of taking someone else’s work, idea, etc., and passing it off
as one’s own; literary theft –Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2006
Page 5 of 6
b. Taking credit for another’s work, whether in part or whole, and whether
intentionally of accidentally
i. 2nd part is the difficult situation – if it was an accident, why are you at
fault?
2. Clear calls and judgment calls
a. Different faculty have different standards and ways of enforcing – need to get a
feel for the particular prof’s preferences (e.g. in 502a you cite; in 504 don’t want
citations in briefing notes)
b. Jobs are lost over plagiarism (e.g. Owen Lippert story – Conservative staffer who
plagiarized Australian PM’s speech for Stephen Harper)
c. Our MPA program is professional; what is our responsibility?
i. Dr. Tedds led a discussion about not citing sources for government
memos/briefing notes
1. Her position is that just because it is currently the standard not to
cite is not a reason that it should stay that way – throwing out the
challenge to us: should be on the list of things that are done.
Examples:
a. is it OK to cut and paste for Cabinet memo?
b. Is it OK not to cite for briefing notes?
c. What if you are a new analyst and you can’t find where
your predecessor got their info for a briefing note that you
need to work on?
2. “If you had to read to get the info, then cite.”
3. For the Owen Lippert saga, could have been solved with “In the
words of the Australian PM,…”
ii. Important points from the 11 examples in the Plagiarism “Quiz” posted
on Moodle and Learning Scenario on Moodle:
1. Changing a preposition or adding words in between isn’t
paraphrasing – need to dramatically change the structure of the
ideas to qualify – if you can’t, then use a quote, BUT
2. For a quotation to be acceptable under APA, the way it’s worded
needs to be the only way to say something. Otherwise you need
to be able to critically analyze and put things together
3. If you change certain words and put them in square brackets and
reference under APA convention, that’s OK
4. Using phrases depends on whether they are common (“At this
time”) or uncommon
5. What about a word or phrase that’s well expressed in your
source? – depends on what the word is – OK if it’s in common
knowledge
6. You have to be contributing to the literature to get an A+ at the
graduate level, so not OK if you try to pass off someone else’s idea
as your original idea
Page 6 of 6
7. Probably OK in the “harder social sciences” to follow someone
else’s style and organization BUT in some disciplines, organization
and style are actually considered contributions (e.g. in English)
8. Dr. Tedds’ take: “Remember it depends – hard and fast rules in
context”
3. What if you are accused of plagiarism?
a. Tools – Grad Calendar info with steps explained; Ombudsperson there to help
you
b. You should consider representation to help you keep a clear and cool head
c. It’s not a signal of guilt if you do get representation
d. Don’t let it happen – we have been informed of everything at play and have the
resources at hand to help us determine whether it’s plagiarism or not
e. The Honor Statement (posted on Moodle) was passed out; must be handed back
signed for next class
i. If any problem signing, see Dr. Tedds during her Monday office hrs
Next Week
Submit:
1. Signed Honour Statement (hard copy)
2. Finalized Agreement of Research (hard copy & online)
Part 1 Laurie Waye from the Writing Centre - Literature Reviews
1. Remember to:
a. Review the readings & SR Instructions
b. Gather together the literature for your SR, know it well and bring your SR
materials to class
c. we will start to organize research for outlines in the workshop
Part 2 Philosophical Issues in Research with Prof. Brady