Research Skills Revision PDF

SKILLS REVISION I. Research - first start off with brainstorming and preparing research on your topic Sources of information you can have - Your tutor (notes, booklists) - Course textbooks - Bibliographies: A list of sources that you have consulted, referenced, or c...

SKILLS REVISION I. Research - first start off with brainstorming and preparing research on your topic Sources of information you can have - Your tutor (notes, booklists) - Course textbooks - Bibliographies: A list of sources that you have consulted, referenced, or cited in a piece of academic or professional writing. - Periodical indexes: Tools that help researchers locate articles in magazines, journals, newspapers, and other periodicals. - Using databases and information ▪ Periodical indexes are WITHIN bibliographies Using keywords Variants - Truncation: It explains how truncation helps expand search results by allowing variations of a word. For example, typing “compu” * retrieves results including “computer”, “computers”, and “computing”. - However, it may also return unrelated terms like “computation”. - Truncation uses wildcard characters, typically ”?” or ”*”, to broaden the search. Scope - Thesaurus: This text discusses scope and using a thesaurus for refining search terms. It highlights that broad terms like “education” can be narrowed to more specific topics such as “universities” or “schools”. Conversely, narrow terms like “computers” can be broadened to related concepts like “information technology”. - It suggests using synonyms or related terms to expand or refine searches. - A thesaurus is a resource that lists words with similar or related meanings and is often used in library catalogs to improve search strategies. Scope – Refining research/Boolean operators: OR: Broadens the search by including sources with either term (e.g., computers OR education). AND: Narrows the search by requiring both terms to be present (e.g., computers AND education). NOT: Excludes specific terms from the search (e.g., computers AND education NOT primary). Journals and other resources 1. Academic journals: An academic journal is a periodical publication in which researchers, scholars, and experts in a particular field share their findings, analyses, and insights. 2. Indexes: lists the title ,author and publication details of articles. 3. Abstracts: A summary of content of source. 4. Journal articles: a written piece of scholarly content published in an academic journal. Text organization: is how text is organized to help readers follow and understand information.  Research paper layout: Title Abstract Aims 250 words MAX recommendation Methods contribution Keywords: around 6. Findings 1. Introduction: 1.1 problem structure 1.2 importance of study 2. literature review 2.1 theoretical framework 2.2 genre 2.3 previous studies: what they lacked 3. methodology 3.1 sample/participants 3.2 data collections 3.3 data analysis 4. results - statistical analysis - informed consent: written or spoken 5. discussion 6. conclusion 7. references  types of text structures - definitions and descriptions: to draw mental images - sequence and order: chronological order - cause and effect: causal relationship - compare and contrast: mentioning differences and similarities - problem and solution: set up problem and propose solution Plagiarism Summarizing. Direct word (paraphrasing) using own words. (“-----”) - changing structure or sentence 3 or 4 words that are the same becomes plagiarism. Quoting - make sure to wrtite it exactly how it is - acknowledge the author - the use of “(…)” when quotation is longer than 40 words - ½ inch margin before quoting - RARELY USED If there is no page number, use paragraph number. Example: (para. 2) Direct quotation: 3-39 words Once it gets to 40 words, indent and write whole thing, ending it with a full stop. Example: Jeorge (2020, p.30) stated that: “insert 40 words”. You can also mention page number at the end of quotation. Full citation citation intext citation APA MLA (American psychological association) (Modern language assoc.) Linguistics. Literature. APA format in-text citation: Book: - (Author's Last Name, Year) - Example: (Smith, 2023) Book with Two Authors: - (Author 1's Last Name & Author 2's Last Name, Year) - Example: (Smith & Jones, 2023) Edited Book: - (Editor's Last Name, Year) - Example: (Smith, 2023) Website: - (Organization/Author's Last Name, Year) - If no date: (Organization/Author's Last Name, n.d.) - Example: (CDC, 2023) or (WHO, n.d.) Article: - (Author's Last Name, Year) - Example: (Johnson, 2023) If you're mentioning the author in the sentence: - Smith (2023) argues that... - According to Smith (2023)... For three or more authors: - First citation and subsequent citations: (Smith et al., 2023) For no author: - Use first few words of title in quotes for articles or italics for longer works - Example: ("Climate Change," 2023) or (*Global Warming Effects*, 2023) APA Format full citation: Books: Author, A. A. (Year). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher. Example: - Last, F. N. (2023). The title of the book: Subtitle. Publisher Name. Edited Books: Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher. Example: - Smith, J. D. (Ed.). (2022). A collection of essays: A thematic anthology. Academic Press. Websites: Author, A. A. (Date). Title of the webpage. Website name. URL Example: - Doe, J. (2023, July 4). The history of the internet. History.com. https://www.history.com/ Articles: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Journal name, volume number (issue number), page numbers. DOI Example: - Smith, J., & Jones, A. (2021). The impact of social media on mental health. Journal of Psychology, 123(2), 100-115. 10.1037/psy0000000 Chapter in a Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In Editor, A. A. (Ed.), Book title: Subtitle (pp. page numbers). Publisher. Example: - Smith, J. (2020). The psychology of color. In A. B. Editor (Ed.), Visual perception: A comprehensive guide (pp. 100-120). Wiley. Conferences: Presenter, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of presentation. Paper presented at the Name of Conference, Location of Conference. Example: - Smith, J. (2023, June). The future of artificial intelligence. Paper presented at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, New York City, NY. The editor is stated as (Ed.) The volume number in the chapter in a book is stated as vol with pp meaning the pages in between parentheses. Volume number: number of years a journal has been in publication. Issue number: number of individual publications during the year. ▪ Full citations in the Reference list are arranged alphabetically by last name MLA citation - First letter of each word is capitalized “The Secret History” - First initials only matter if authors have same last name Asad, S. (1989) Asad, M. (1999) Basic Structure of MLA In-Text Citations: Author's last name and page number in parentheses: (Smith 234) If author is mentioned in sentence, just use page number: Smith argues that "quoted text" (234) No author? Use shortened title in quotes: ("Article Title" 45) Key Formatting Rules: Double-space all citations Use hanging indents (first line starts at margin, subsequent lines indent) Italicize larger works (books, websites, journals) MLA (Modern Language Association) format for a book citation: Examples of MLA Citations for Different Source Types Book: o Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Website: o Lastname, Firstname (if available). "Title of Page." Name of Site, Date of Publication or Last Update, URL,Date of Access. Article in a Journal: o Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year of Publication): Page range.Medium of Publication. In MLA: - volume number: Vol.25 - issue: no.1 - for literature In APA: - volume: in italics - issue: in bracket - for linguistics  II. Reading Carefully reading Reading Skimming (over all impression of text) Reading quickly Scanning (for particular information) Skimming - helpful for proof reading - reviewing already read text Look for structural cues: Headings, subheadings, and section titles give you the main topics First and last sentences of paragraphs often contain key points Bold or italicized text highlights important information Lists, charts, and diagrams summarize key information Scanning The main purpose of scanning is to locate specific information quickly - like finding a date, name, or particular fact in a text. - scanning must be done at 1500 words per minute Keep the specific information you're looking for clearly in mind Use your finger or cursor to guide your eyes down the page Move your eyes in a systematic pattern (typically top to bottom) Look for distinguishing features like numbers, dates, capital letters, or key terms Skip anything that doesn't match what you're seeking ▪ Check Types of questions on (pg 73) of handout Things to know about books Edition: number of times a book has been published. Preface: Small part where authors of the book provide an intro of what the books about and recognizing the efforts of other authors and students appreciating the valuable insights. Blurb: Summary of the book. index: An index is a detailed alphabetical listing found at the back of a book that helps readers quickly locate specific information within the text. Page numbers where the topic appears Cross-references to related topics using "see" or "see also" Subentries that break down broader topics into specific aspects For example, an entry might look like: Photography, 45-48 digital cameras, 46 editing software, 47 history of, 45 see also Cameras; Digital imaging Ff/f is put to show you the page cameras, 46f authors index: an index that lists the names of whose research is cited throughout the book. Intensive and extensive reading Extensive: reading for entertainment purposes , caring about ideas. Intensive: analyzing the text, studying it line by line. Reading Pre-reading. While reading. Post reading Revise pages 61,62,63 from handout.  III. Note taking Modes of recording advantage disadvantage Writing down every word from Don’t miss a fact Time consuming source Using outline notes Easy to organize May miss details Using diagrams Good for memorizing Can be confusing Underlining/highlighting Important points noted Relies on personal judgement of what is important Computer scanning Digitally saves document Requires printer Photocopying Creates exact copy of material Doesn’t invole active engagement Making notes in margins Helps connect ideas while Limited space reading Audio recording Captures everything Time consuming to listen to  Commonly used symbols while note taking is equal to, the same as, = is not equal to, not the same as, ≠ therefore, thus, so, ; because, ; or , plus, and, more, + minus, less, except, − greater than, > less than, < much greater than, >> much less than,