LIB300

1. Research
Week 9
Outlining Proposals

2. Deadline of submissions:
Item Report/Proposal Part Week & Day
1. Topic,Thesis Statement & Academic
research questions
Week 8, Sunday
2. Outline Proposal Project Week 9, Sunday
3. PPT Slides Drafts Week 10
4. Final Project Week 11- 12
5. Final Presentation Week 11- 12

3. Supporting your Messages with Reliable
Information
1.Plan your research
2.Locating Data and Information
Primary research – collection of new data,
through surveys, interviews, and other
techniques.
Secondary research – research done previously
for another purpose; sources for such research
information include magazines, newspapers,
public websites, books and other reports.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

4. Supporting your Messages with Reliable
Information
3. Evaluating Information Sources
Does the source have a reputation for honesty and reliability?
Is the source potentially biased?
What is the purpose of the material?
Is the author credible?
Where did the source get its information?
Can you verify the material independently?
Is the material current and complete?
Does the information make sense?
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

5. Academic vs. Popular (Commercial) Sources
Academic Sources
• Authoritative: academic sources identify the qualifications and expertise of the writer.
• Sourced: academic writing is careful to credit the origins of information and ideas,
usually by means of a reference list or bibliography.
• Peer-reviewed: other academics have read the source and checked it for accuracy.
• Objective: academic sources aim to examine a topic fairly.This does not mean that they
never take a side, but that the source does not ignore alternative positions on the topic.
• Written for academics: academic sources target university lecturers, students, and
professionals interested in the theoretical side of a topic.
Popular (Commercial) Sources
• Are often written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
• Use language easily understood by general readers
• Articles not evaluated by experts in the field but by editors on the staff
• Rarely give full citations for sources
• Shorter articles giving a broader overview of topics

6. Academic vs. Popular (Commercial) Sources
Academic Sources
Popular (Commercial) Sources

7. Academic & Professional Sources
Business
• TheWall Street Journal
• The Economist
• International Journal of Management and Business Studies
• Journal of International Business Studies
Design
• International Journal of Design
• The International Journal of Art, Culture and DesignTechnologies
• Design Issues
• Design Studies
Psychology
• British Psychological Society
• simplypsychology.org
• American Psychological Association
• plosone.org

8. Use of GeneralTopic Sources
General topic sources are, in general, less reputable than sources dedicated
to specific topics. It is important that your research comes from sources
which specialize in the topic your are writing about.

9. Using Google
Using google.com will provide more popular or commercial results.

10. Using Google.com

11. Using Google Scholar
Using scholar.google.com will provide more academic and scientific results.

12. Using Google Scholar

13. ERIC: Education Resources Information Center
www.eric.ed.gov

14. ERIC: Education Resources Information Center

15. Journal
abstract:
example
An abstract of a
journal article
summarizes
• the main
argument.
• research methods.
• findings and
conclusions.

16. .net
Network
Site
Clues on URL

17. Supporting your Messages with Reliable
Information
4. UsingYour Research Results
- After you collect data and information, the next step
converting it into usable content.
Quoting means reproducing the content exactly and
indicating who created the information originally
Paraphrasing is expressing someone else’s ideas in your own
words.
Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing but distills the
content into fewer words.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

18. Conducting Secondary Research
• Newspapers and periodicals – popular magazines, general
business magazines, trade journals, academic journals
• Business books – provide in-depth coverage and analysis
that often can’t be found anywhere else.
• Directories- include membership information of all kinds of
professions, industries, and special interest groups
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

19. Conducting Secondary Research
• Almanacs and Statistical resources - handy guides to
factual and statistical information about countries,
politics, the labor force, and so on.
• Government publications – Information on laws,
court, decisions, tax questions, regulatory issues, and
other governmental concerns
• Electronic database – offer vast collections of
computer-searchable information, often in specific
areas such as business law, science, technology, and
education.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

20. Primary Research
Surveys Interviews
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

21. Surveys
• Need to be reliable, valid, and representative in for order
to be useful
• Provide clear instructions to prevent mistaken answers
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

22. Interviews
• Can take place online, over the phone, or in person, and
they can involve individuals or groups
• Open-ended questions, which cant be answered with a
simple yes or no, can provide deeper insights, opinions and
information
• Arrange the sequence of questions to help uncover layers of
information
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

23. Choosing research
topic

24. Choosing a ResearchTopic
When you come to research a topic, there are two possibilities
that will be dealt with here:
• You know nothing whatsoever about the topic
• You know something about the topic, but you would like to
know more.

25. Preparing to research a topic
Brainstorm one of the following topics and briefly discuss it in
your group. Jot down your questions and first thoughts in the
form of a branching diagram.
Thailand’s local firms expanding globally
Local Goods vs. Imported Goods
High EmployeeTurnover

26. Practice: Conducting Secondary
Research
• Select any public company and find the following information
a. Names of the company’s current officers
b. List of the company’s products or services (or, if the company
has a large number of products, the product lines or
divisions)
c. Some important current issues in the company’s industry
d. The outlook for the company’s industry as a whole
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

27. Examples of Final
Report/ Proposal
Topics

28. Final Report/ProposalTopics
Topic 1:
Your challenge is to identify opportunities to increase the number
of students of STIU --- any kind of marketing strategies.The
following suggestions may help.
Research recent most popular colleges or universities and try to identify why
they have been popular.
Research the growth of their population. Show some graphs and figures.
Consider location, school campuses, facilities, programs offered , lecturers,
play essential roles
Conduct surveys and interviews to find out why they like pursuing their
education in those universities or colleges.
Summarize your findings in a formal report.
Propose Marketing strategies to help increase STIU’s student population
considering those things you have found out.

29. Topic 2
In the HR point of view, quick turn over of
employees nowadays has been an issue. What do
you think can be done to retain employees
especially the good ones?
Research companies (at least 2) which has the fastest turn over.
Show some graphs and figures.
Identify the causes
Propose some solutions