Class Project for DETT611 at UMUC

1. Defining the Need for InformationFirstSteps for Initiating a Research EffortUsing ACRL Standards, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes Stuart Adams DETT 611 August 18, 2011 Information Literacy Module

2. First Steps for Initiating a Research EffortIntroduction & Overview Information Literacy skills are for life as well as for academics Scholarly Research is a more formal approach to building knowledge ALA /ACRL has established Information Literacy Standards This tutorial will focus on one standard and apply it to actual practice (Standard 1, Performance Indicator 1) Information Literacy is ““the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information.” - ACRL

5. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 1: Understand Your Research Goals What is My Purpose? What is the Class Assignment? What Rubric is Being Applied? What Results Have Been Negotiated? What Do I Want to Know Who Is My Audience ? Instructor Scholarly Community Co-worker, Boss, or Customer/Client Self

6. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 2: Develop Background Information and Understandings Review Your Course Materials Based on: Class Content What you already know Julia Spranger

7. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 3: Select a Research Topic Topic Source: Class Assignment Need to Advance the Scholarly Discourse Business or Personal Interest Could be based on systematic technique for creating a topic Battles Bull Run Vicksburg Gettysburg Atlanta “Mind Map” Battles Bull Run Vicksburg Gettysburg “Brainstorm” List Politics Abolitionists Republican Party Civil War Key Persons A. Lincoln J. Davis Gen. Lee Slavery Bull Run Vicksburg Gettysburg

9. Example: Important Battles of the Civil War chucka_nc Currier & Ives

10. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 4: Translate Research Topic Into a Research Problem Research Problem = Preliminary Research Question Get Started, Don’t Expect Perfection Be Creative: Example: “What battle was most important to the outcome of the Civil War?” A good problem, a researchable and answerable one, is… a result of a reflective act. It results from a dialogical encounter between rationality and creativity. – Dr. K. Abdul Gafoor

11. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 5: Perform Preliminary Research; Identify Initial Keywords Keywords: Gettysburg, R.E. Lee, Tactics, Infantry, Cavalry Union, Confederate Read, Read, Read (and take good notes) Begin to Capture a List of Key Words

13. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Step 7: Formulate Research Question Write Out Research Question in Formal Terms Example: Did Lee’s Tactical Mistakes on Day 3 Cost the South the Battle of Gettysburg and Perhaps the War? List Keywords Example: General Lee, General Meade, Tactics, Infantry, Cavalry, Peach Orchard, Seminary Ridge, Pickett’s Charge, Culp’s Hill, Union, Confederate. Currier & Ives

14. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Mapping the Steps to the ACRL Standards

15. First Steps for Initiating a Research Effort Conclusions Summary: Research is a Part of the Ongoing Process of Knowledge Building Which Begins With A Good Question Use the 7 Step Process to Set Goals, Pick a Topic, Do Preliminary Research and Refine the Problem into a Research Question This Approach is Effective and is Consistent with the ACRL Standards You can be a successful researcher if you can get off to a good start

16. References ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries). (2004.) Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards /information literacycompetency.cfm Bennett, E. , Berg, S., Brothen, E., Peterson, K. & Veal, R. (2006). Library research handbook. Cappella University. Retrieved 8/12/11 from http://www.capella.edu/interactivemedia/information Literacy/index.aspx Courant, P. (2008). Scholarship: The wave of the future in the digital age. In R. N. Katz [Ed.]. (2008). The tower and the cloud: Higher education in the age of cloud computing. (2008). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/thetowerandthecloud/PUB7202t Engle, M. (1996). Library Research at Cornell: A Hypertext Guide. Retrieved 8/12/2011 from http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/tutorial.html Gafoor, K. (2008). How to Arrive at Good Research Questions?. Online Submission, Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED507393.pdf Hisle, D., Gustavson, A., & Whitehusrt, A. (2010) Research basics 101. Retrieved 8/12/2011 from http://media.lib.ecu.edu/DE/tutorial/ChoosingATopic/topic.html Mackey, K. (2008). IRIS 4-2: Information & Research Instruction Suite for Two-Year Colleges. Clark University. Retrieved from http://www.clark.edu/Library/iris/index.shtml Moeckel, L. Thomas, P., Williams, P., & Kasowitz-Scheer, A. (2001). The productive researcher; Defining topics and generating keywords. Retrieved 8/12/2011 from http://library.syr.edu/ services/getting_help /instruction/productive_researcher/keywords/index.php Shepard, R.(2009). Starting a research project. Document posted in University of Maryland University College VLIB 101 6980 online classroom, archived at: http://webtycho.umuc.edu Williamson, F. (2006). Information literacy, A dean's perspective. Retrieved Aug 12, 2011, from Library Research Handbook: Your roadmap to information literacy: http://www.capella.edu/interactivemedia/informationLiteracy/interactive/faculty/faculty_master_outer_wrapper.asp Woodward, K. M., & Ganski, K.L. (2011). Information literacy tutorial; Module 1:How do I search. Retrieved 8/12/2011 from http://guides.library.uwm.edu/content.php?pid=121422&sid=1220668