Research Start-up Guide

Research Start-up Guide

What is Research..

As per Cambridge Dictionary

A detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new)
information or reach a (new) understanding

As per Oxford Dictionaries

The systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions

Research Start-up Guide

What is Research..
studious inquiry or examination; especially :
investigation or experimentation aimed at
the discovery and interpretation of facts,
revision of accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or practical application of
such new or revised theories or laws
Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Getting started
Understand your
assignment
Your instructor is the ultimate
resource for clarification of an
assignment, but the resources below
are also useful for understanding the
requirements of your assignment.

Getting started
Brainstorming
Research assignments are usually
structured around a question.
Sometimes your instructor will
give you a topic, but more
frequently your research question
will be up to you. If you do get to
choose your topic - it's more
important
that
you
choose
something you are interested in
than something you've only
chosen because it's easy to find
relevant sources

Getting started
Focusing on a Topic
It takes some effort to settle on a
"researchable" topic. That is, a
topic that is not too broad, too
narrow or so current that there's
no scholarly work for you to draw
from. You will likely have to adjust
your search terms numerous
times and possibly even tweak the
focus of your topic before you find
a good set of sources to consult.

Getting started
Information Sources
Think about what kind of
information you need before you
search. And note that you may need
new information at various times
throughout the research process, not
just at the beginning!

Research Information Sources

Types of information Source..
Primary
Primary sources are original materials on which other
research is based.
They are from the time period involved and have not been
filtered through interpretation or evaluation.
They are usually the first formal appearance of results in
physical, print or electronic format. They present original
thinking, report a discovery, or share new information.

Primary Sources
Examples include:

Audio recordings
(radio programs)
Video recordings
(television programs)
Diaries-----Letters------ e-mails------- Speeches
Interviews
(oral histories, telephone, e-mail)
Literary creation: novels, short stories, poems, etc.
Journal/News paper articles published in peer-reviewed publications
Original Documents
(birth certificate, will, marriage license)
Patents; Photographs
Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and symposia
Annual report, treaty, constitution, government document
Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls)
Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing)
Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures,
musical scores, buildings, novels, poems).

Web site.

Secondary Sources
Secondary sources
Secondary sources are less easily defined than
primary sources.
They are interpretations and evaluations of primary
sources.
Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather
commentary on and discussion of evidence.

Secondary sources
Examples include:
Bibliographies (also considered tertiary)
Biographical works
Commentaries, criticisms
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias (also considered
tertiary)
Histories
Literary criticism such as Journal articles
Magazine and newspaper articles
Monographs, other than fiction and autobiography
Textbooks (also considered tertiary)
Web site (also considered primary)

Tertiary Sources
Tertiary Sources
Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of
primary and secondary sources.
Examples include:

Almanacs
Bibliographies (also considered secondary)
Chronologies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (also considered secondary)
Directories
Fact books
Guidebooks
Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources
Manuals
Textbooks (also be secondary)

Authenticity/Evaluation of the
Sources

Why Evaluate
You will need to evaluate each resource
you use for research, whether it is an
online or print journal article, a website, a
book, a newspaper article, or other source
that you want to cite.
Keep in mind that many publications have
a particular bias or agenda, which may
not be obvious at first glance.

Authority
Authority
It seems obvious to state that no one is an expert at everything but it's easy to overlook an
author's credentials - especially when reading something online.

some
some
some
some

authors write to share the results of their research with other scholars
are hired to produce articles for the general public
are passionate amateurs
publish fabricated or unproven research for a variety of reasons

Authorship
Is there an author of the work? If so, is the author clearly identified?
Are the author's credentials for writing on this topic stated?
For instance, journal articles often list the university or organization the authors are affiliated
with. If the author is affiliated with an organization, could this organization have a bias?
Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies?
Repeated citations by others and a substantial body of work by the author can indicate expertise.
Does the source represent a group, organization, institution, corporation or government body?
For online sources, is there a way to contact the author and/or organization?
Scholarly or Not
Is the work written by an expert in the field? (i.e., credentials? institutional affiliation?)
Is the work written for a scholarly/academic audience? (i.e., peer-reviewed? scholarly publisher?)

Accuracy
Accuracy
Is the source part of an edited or peer-reviewed publication?
Can factual information be verified through references to other credible sources?
Based on what you already know about the subject, or have checked from other sources, does
this information seem credible?
Is it clear who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented?
Is it on a site like Wikipedia which can be edited by anyone?
If data are presented in graphs or charts, is the source of the data clear?

Currency
Is there a date stating when the document was originally created?
Is it clear when the source was last updated, revised or edited?
Are there any indications that the material is updated frequently or consistently to ensure
currency of the content?
If online, are any links to other websites current?

Objectivity
Is the page free of advertising? If the page does contain advertising, are the ads clearly
separated from the content?
Does the page display a particular bias or perspective? Or is the information presented
factually, without bias?
Is it clear and forthcoming about its view of the subject?
Does it use inflammatory or provocative language?

Scope
Coverage

Does the source update other works, support other works you've read, or add
new information?
Does the source cover the topic comprehensively, or does it only cover one
aspect?
Make sure to analyze enough sources to obtain a range of viewpoints on all
facets of the topic.
For books, a table of contents and index can be helpful in assessing the coverage
of the work.
For online sources, is the site complete or still under construction?
Does the source seem stable, or is it likely to change much between the time you
read it and the time your research is finished?
For online sources, if there is a print equivalent to the website, is there clear
indication of whether the entire work or only a portion is available online?

Purpose and Audience

Why was the source created - to educate? sell a product? advocate a viewpoint?
Is the publication aimed at a general or a specialized audience?
Is the source too elementary, too technical, too advanced, or just right for your
research needs?
Which parts of the information presented are fact and which are opinion?

Source of Information
Primary Sources are the direct evidence or
first hand accounts of events without
secondary analysis or interpretation. A
primary source is a work that was written or
created at a time that is contemporary or
nearly contemporary with the period or
subject being studied.

Where to search Information

Libraries/ Open Digital Libraries

Search Engines
Scholarly Websites
Experts/Researchers in the specific
field
Commercial Information
Government Websites

Libraries

Searching in Public/Academic Libraries

Surfing for catalog
Surfing for relevant e resources
Surfing relevant Magazine/Journals

Digital Libraries
Project Gutenberg -www.gutenberg.org
arXive e-prints - www.arxiv.org/
Digitallibraries.com - http://
www.digilibraries.com
Internet Classic Archive - http://
classics.mit.edu
Google book Library Project
Hathi Trust

Search Engines

Google
Ask.com
Bing
Yahoo

Scholarly Websites
iSEEK Education: iSeek is an excellent targeted search engine, designed especially for students, teachers, administrators, and
caregivers. Find authoritative, intelligent, and time-saving resources in a safe, editor-reviewed environment with iSEEK.
RefSeek: With more than 1 billion documents, web pages, books, journals, newspapers, and more, RefSeek offers authoritative
resources in just about any subject, without all of the mess of sponsored links and commercial results.
Virtual LRC: The Virtual Learning Resources Center has created a custom Google search, featuring only the best of academic
information websites. This search is curated by teachers and library professionals around the world to share great resources for
academic projects.
Academic Index: This scholarly search engine and web directory was created just for college students. The websites in this
index are selected by librarians, teachers, and educational consortia. Be sure to check out their research guides for history,
health, criminal justice, and more.
BUBL LINK: If you love the Dewey Decimal system, this Internet resource catalog is a great resource. Search using your own
keywords, or browse subject areas with Dewey subject menus.
Digital Library of the Commons Repository: Check out the DLC to find international literature including free and open
access full-text articles, papers, and dissertations.
OAIster: Search the OAIster database to find millions of digital resources from thousands of contributors, especially open access
resources.
Internet Public Library: Find resources by subject through the Internet Public Librarys database.
Infomine: The Infomine is an incredible tool for finding scholarly Internet resource collections, especially in the sciences.
Microsoft Academic Search: Microsofts academic search engine offers access to more than 38 million different publications,
with features including maps, graphing, trends, and paths that show how authors are connected.

Expert/Researchers
Teachers/Educators
Researchers
Professionals working in the related field

Commercial/Subscribed
Information
Book Vendor/Publishers: Science Direct,
EBrary
Journal Publisher Platforms: Sage
Journals, Jstor
Other statistical Information Sources:
Capitaline, Euromonitor, etc.

Government Websites

MOSPI - Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation www.mospi.nic.in

Census of India censusindia.gov.in

Gujarat State Portal portal.gujarat.gov.in

Department of Science and Technology www.dst.gov.in

Reference
http: //
help.library.ubc.ca/planning-your-resea
rch/getting-started-on-your-research
/
https: //
www.library.uq.edu.au/how-to-guides/t
ypes-information-sources
http: //
guides.library.yale.edu/content.php