Wednesday, October 20, 2010

OCC Week 8: Research

This week, we focused on strategies for effective research. We discussed the importance of research questions in guiding our work. We also laid out the five steps for writing a research paper: prewriting, locating sources, evaluating sources, inside-out drafting, and revising.

A key factor in locating sources is using time efficiently. Once again, utilizing a method becomes vital to succeeding at this goal. Having a method to use each time we write provides a roadmap for more efficient and effective experiences. As we use the method, we can revise our steps and tinker as needed without having to "reinvent the wheel" for each new writing assignment. This method should cut down the time we need to spend researching because we won't waste time closely reading materials that won't help us directly answer our research question.

With this in mind, answer the following in your comment this blog:
  1. What is the research question you have chosen for your response paper?
  2. Based on your research question, where did you search for possible sources? What keywords did you use to search? Did you have to modify your search terms?
  3. Were you able to use the time-saving techniques discussed in class (titles, table of contents, indexes, abstracts, graphic highlights, section titles, introductions, conclusions, topic sentences)? Specifically describe two time-saving techniques you used and how they helped or why they didn't work for you.

12 comments:

  1. The research question I came up with after reading Why We Flirt is “if some people choose not to flirt or don’t really know how to does that mean they will not be successful at finding a partner and/or reproducing?” When researching on this topic I went straight to our english reading book and read the article for all my information. When reading the article the technique I used that I found extremely easy and very helpful was the annotation method. All through the reading I was able to produce questions that came right to me after reading a certain section and simply just jot it down in the margin. I was able to circle words I did not know to look up the definitions for so I was able to understand the paragraph more clearly, I also was able to jot down ideas or comments, if I agreed or disagreed with something, my own experiences, and even watching friends from the side.

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  2. 1. After reading the essay "Why Marriages Fail", the research question I came up with was, What are the most important factors leading up to Marital Breakups?
    2. One of my sources was the actual essay itself and also I looked on OCC's library website. I looked under databases to see what I could find and articles as well. At first I searched for the word "Marriage" but then I had to modify the search to something more specific. I used "Marital Breakup" as a key word too.
    3. I was able to use abstract and section title techniques. Both techniques allow you to look for info relating to the research question. If the section title has no relation to the research question then there's no point in reading whats to follow. Both methods save time and lets you eliminate the material not correlating to your research question.

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  3. 1. The research question I’m using for my response paper is; is flirting intentional or unintentional, and what effects can it have?
    2. I only had to modify my search terms a little bit. I used key words like, relationships and psychology. Mainly I searched for research on the internet, but I’m going to the library for other sources.
    3. One time saving technique from class that I used was paying attention to the section titles. They give you an insight to what that whole section is about, then it won’t take me as long to search for the specifics.
    Also, I know how to make sure that my sources are credible. Certain sites and books can be irrelevant either because of when they were written or who wrote them.

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  4. 1. The research question I chose to do after reading "Why We Flirt" is; Is technology affecting the way people flirt?

    2. First I went in our book and took out information I thought was useful for my research question. Then, I went on the internet and looked for articles or books about technology and flirting. I used topics I found in article like technology and flirting, flirting on the computer, and internet flirting.

    3. One time-saving technique that I used was section titles. It allows you to see what the section is about just by its title which can lead you to deciding if the section is right for your topic. Another technique I used was reading the introductions before reading anything else. This led me to see if the article was worth my time reading. It would have key words or things the article would be going over which would let me see if the article was good to use.

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  5. 1. After reading “Why Marriages Fail”, my research topic will be, what are common factors for failing marriages?
    2. I did some research on the internet and looked at occ’s library to look for books that could of use. When I started my research the first word I used was divorce and I also searched under family and relationships. When I used the internet I searched under reasons for divorce and that brought up many results. I really didn’t modify my search terms because the word divorce is pretty much straight to the point.
    3. I saved lots of time when I was looking at books by reading the table of contents, that showed me exactly what was included in the book and if it was even worth reading. Another thing I looked at was the published date because I want more recent information and I looked at topic sentences because just from that first sentence you should have a clear understanding of what the paragraph is about.

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  6. 1.) Is privacy important for both citizens and government? ("Misguided Zeal of the Privacy Lobby")
    2.) Keywords: Privacy, Privacy Rights, No Privacy, Too Much Privacy
    OCC books showed plenty of useful sources. Online had many reliable dot.gov websites that fit perfectly in my larger topics.
    3.) The "further-reading" box is a pretty godly internet tool. One source led to another seamlessly and easily and soon enough I had dozens of book sources available.
    Secondly, section headers for books are perfect because they are general topics that describe the paragraph. All I had to do was match section headers to my broad topics and BOOSH; a whole papers worth of info at my fingertips.

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  7. 1. The research question that i chose to use after reading "Binge Drinking, A Campus Killer" is, Are campuses doing enough to stop kids from binge drinking?

    2. Some of the key words that I used while looking for information were Binge, Drinking, College students, and partying. I used mostly the internet for my research.

    3. Two time saving techniques that I used that helped were reading the topic sentence and using the index. By reading the topic sentence, I was able to see if that paragraph would have any information that would be useful to me. By using the index, I was able to quickly find keywords that would help me with my research.

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  8. My research question for "Why We Flirt", Is flirting an act that suggests a greater meaning of something for those who are in relationships?

    I did have to modify my search terms to find credible sources and accurate information. So far the source of all my information is the internet. I seem to be having trouble finding books about this topic, its going to take some digging. The terms I have used to search for information are: flirting research, flirting, and psychology of flirting.

    One technique I used to evaluate whether or not the source would be helpful was reading the abstracts, and if there wasn't one, I would start with the first paragraph then make my decision. Also the highlights provided by my search term was helpful to locate where the information was exactly.

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  9. 1. I read the essay “Why Marriages Fail?” and chose this for my research question “Is The Happily Ever After Marriage Just Fairy Tale Like The Books They Come Out Of?”
    2. I search OCC’s library database website for possible books on this topic I was searched the internet and I also looked into other libraries for other books that OCC may not have had. First I tried failed marriages and I got a lot of marriage help advice and counseling. Then I tried adding the words in modern society and got more articles to work with.
    3. Two time saving techniques that I used were the tables of contents and abstracts. I liked using these techniques because it save a lot of time and I don’t have to read things that don’t pertain to my topic. They also sometimes gave me ideas on other keywords I could use to search for articles. It was also helpful if I could go right to certain pages of the book on the website to see if it was going to be something I could use

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  10. 1)The research question I have chosen for my paper is, “Are couples more likely to be unfaithful or faithful while in a flirtacious relationship?”
    2)The sources I used were the article and I searched the online database for the library and didn’t find anything so I searched the internet and found a few articles. I did have to modify my search terms so I searched “flirt” and “why we flirt” and “flirtacious behavior.”
    3)I was able to use the time saving techniques, I think most of us use them though and don’t realize what we’re doing. I used mostly the section titles and topic sentences, which I didn’t realize is what I normally do anyways. They do help because then I know whether or not the article has anything to do with what I’m

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  11. 1.My research question is “why do we flirt” although I think I might change this before the paper is complete.

    2.I first went to the library to get sources. It was tricky to find them because the library search engine was very meticulous. After that, I also looked at our online library source that was a little easier. I was able to find material using key words such as ‘flirting, relationships, etc.”

    3.The first time saving trick I used was reading the table of contents that was a huge help. I was able to get the general idea of the chapter as well as judging whether the book was going to be a good choice. The second one I used was the reading of the thesis and topic sentences. I had not heard of that before until I learned it in class. I really liked the way you could get a really good Idea of what the chapter was like without having to read the whole thing.

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  12. 1.The research topic I chose to do is “Binge Drinking: A Campus Killer” and the research question I came up with was “Should campuses be alcohol free?”
    2.I searched on the OCC internet library and I looked under databases. I just typed in exactly what my question says. It pretty much searches itself.
    3.One of the things that saved me time was looking at all the chapter titles so I could find exactly what I was looking for and not unnecessary crap. Another was looking up key words to search my topic better.

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