First Steps in Electronic Research
http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/eresearch/eresearch.html

Michael Krauss
(krauss@lclark.edu)

Academic English Studies (AES) , Lewis & Clark College

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1. When you first begin a research paper, you will choose a topic. You will also suggest some research questions. You will write a preliminary thesis statement. These may change as you learn more from your research, but you need them in order to begin the research process.
   
   
2. Sample Topic = Medical Marijuana
   1. Sample Research Questions = What is marijuana? Who uses it? How is it used? Why is it used? What are the health risks of marijuana? What are the health benefits of marijuana? What is medical marijuana? Is medical marijuana legal in the U.S.? Should it be legal?
      
      
   2. Sample Thesis = Marijuana can have negative health effects, but it also has positive effects on people with certain diseases; therefore, it should be legal to use marijuana when prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons.
      
      
3. Think of several keywords that will be useful when doing research. Your teacher can help you. Example: marijuana, medical marijuana, marijuana risks, marijuana dangers, marijuana benefits, marijuana legalize
   
   
4. When you do research, do *not* first go to the Web and use a search engine such as Google.
   Look for sources in this order:
   1. Get background information: Use encyclopedias to educate yourself on your topic.
      1. Watzek Library --> Reference Shelf-->Encyclopedias-->Encyclopedia Britannica (use articles from the encyclopedia itself, not links to Web sites). You may also want to check the paper-based encyclopedias in the library. World Book Encyclopedia is a good place to start.
         
         
   2. Get background information: Books may be good sources for background information. You can check the Table of Contents or Index to get an overview of the topic. Remember, you do not have to read the entire book. You can find a chapter or even a few pages that relate to your topic.
      1. Watzek Library --> Search Library Catalog --> Keyword
         
         
   3. Web Directories provided by your teacher - These are collections of Web sites that your teacher knows are reliable. You may or may not find your topic here. If you find resources, you should still check the articles for objectivity (are they "biased" = present only one viewpoint or "balanced" = present both sides of an issue)?
      1. KidsClick - put word in search box
      2. Topics of Interest (Ohio U.) - Look to see if your topic is listed.
      3. Public Agenda - Click on the "Public Agenda Issue Guides" in the bottom left corner of the page. See if your issue is listed.
      4. MarcoPolo Search - The results will give lesson plans for teachers. You will learn important issues and may find other links to explore.
      5. Multnomah County Library Homework Center - Look at the subject categories where your topic should be.
         
         
   4. Academic Journals - You must have at least one article from an Academic Journal.
      1. Try this first: Watzek Library --> Journal articles and research guides --> full text databases --> ECO
      2. Can't find articles? Try Watzek Library --> Journal articles and research guides --> full text databases --> Academic Search Premier
      3. Can't find articles? Try Watzek Library --> Journal articles and research guides --> full text databases --> Expanded Academic ASAP.
         
         
   5. Newspapers - You can often find very current information on your topic by searching newspapers. You can limit the dates during which you want to search.
      1. Watzek Library --> Journal articles and research guides --> full text databases -->Newspaper Source
         
         
   6. Search Engines - Google and Brainboost (good for very specific questions)
      1. Remember--start out with a broad search and then narrow by adding more search terms. Example: marijuana, "medical marijuana", "medical marijuana" legalize, "medical marijuana" legalize risks, "medical marijuana" legalize benefits, "medical marijuana" legalize risks benefits

         Each search become more specific and will give fewer results. Putting quotes around words makes the search engine find those words together. When finding articles using a search engine, it is very important to evaluate them using this checklist.

         1. Using the checklist (my students have this in their Research Packet), evaluate the Web site "The Truth About Marijuana." Based on your evaluation, would you use this source in your research paper? Why or why not?

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 11/7/06