Research Basics
10th Grade
10.8 The student will collect, evaluate, organize, and present information to create a research product.
b) Develop the central idea or focus.
c) Verify the accuracy, validity, and usefulness of information.
d) Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, point of view or bias.
e) Cite sources for both quoted and paraphrased ideas using a standard method of documentation, such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA).
f) Define the meaning and consequences of plagiarism and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information.
Welcome to the 10th grade research unit!
a) Use technology as a tool for research to organize, evaluate, and communicate information.
Electronic databases
Destiny - On line catalog of books in the library
Internet resources
Popular websites - suggest common websites with good articles
Other technology
Remember from last year...
Identify audience
Who will be reading your work? Find information with this person or group of people in mind.
Identify purpose: Easy as PIE!
Persuade - to cause someone to do something by asking, arguing or giving reasons
Inform - to give information to someone
Entertain - to provide amusement or pleasure
Identify useful search terms
Key words - expresses a central concept or idea about a topic.
Combine search terms effectively.
Boolean operators: are simple words (AND, OR, NOT) used as conjunctions to combine or exclude keywords in a search, resulting in more focused and productive results. This should save time and effort by eliminating inappropriate hits.
AND - requires both terms to be in each item returned. (Google automatically adds the AND)
OR - either term (or both) will be in the returned document. (Broadens search results)
NOT - the first term is searched, then any records containing the term after the operators are subtracted from the results. (Google uses a minus sign - instead of the word NOT)
b) Develop the central idea or focus.
Organize information and maintain coherence throughout the writing based on the topic, purpose, and audience.
Use organizational patterns and techniques, such as:
Comparison/contrast - Focus on how two things are similar (compare) and different (contrast)
Chronological order - Describes the sequence in which events occur in time
Spatial layout - Information is listed in order of location. Uses words such as next to, above, or to the right.
Cause and effect - Describes the relationship between two things: the WHY it happens and WHAT happens as a result.
Definition - Explains the meaning of a new word or phrase
Order of importance - Describes ideas in order of importance or preference
Explanation - Indicates that information explaining a concept or idea will follow.
Enumeration - Organizes lists of information: characteristics, features, parts, or categories (May use numbers - 1,2,3 or I,II,III)
Problem/solution - Describes a problem and then offers a solution to the problem.
Put it into practice!
c) Verify the accuracy, validity, and usefulness of information.
reliability
accuracy
relevance
differentiate between:
reliable resources
unreliable resources
Put it into practice!
d) Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, point of view or bias.
Who is the author or sponsor of the page?
Are there obvious reasons for bias?
Is contact information provided?
Is there a copyright symbol on the page?
What is the purpose of the page?
Is the information on the page primary or secondary?
Is the information current?
Can the information on the Web page be verified?
Put it into practice!
e) Cite sources for both quoted and paraphrased ideas using a standard method of documentation, such as that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA).
Put it into practice!
f) Define the meaning and consequences of plagiarism and follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information.
distinguish one’s own ideas from information created or discovered by others.
understanding that plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s ideas as one’s own;
recognizing that one must correctly cite sources to give credit to the author of an original work
recognizing that sources of information must be cited even when the information has been paraphrased
using quotation marks when someone else’s exact words are quoted.
plagiarism \ noun \ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm
the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person : the act of plagiarizing something
Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary