After you’ve located a topic and research question, you can begin to find evidence and develop your claim. This tip sheet will endeavor to point you in the right direction: how to best find data and evidence from research sources.
The Research Process
Explore library resources: printed works and databases. In this semester of remote learning, you will be using the Baruch College library database, which provides access to electronic catalogues, and numerous databases. I recommend OneSearch, Academic Search Complete, and JSTOR, although there are endless other good ones, so have a look around. These databases are only available to people with a university ID (you).
Here is the library website.
Here is where you can find specific databases.
Try the “Ask a Librarian” function to have a live instant-messaging conversation with a librarian at any time of day (may I suggest running your research question by them?). Students from past classes have reported this to be very helpful and kind of fun.
Remember: you need to include 5 sources on your Annotated Bibliography, and 3 of these must be peer-reviewed. Most of the journal articles you’ll find in library databases will be peer-reviewed, but when in doubt, check the published: peer-reviewed articles will be published by a university press.
Explore online resources. Use keywords in search engines to narrow down your search. Use “and” in between keywords if you want both terms to be present in a result for it to be called up.
Follow the rules of “Boolean searching” to streamline the efficiency of the ol’ Google search bar.
Conduct interviews. Some evidence is best obtained through direct interviews. If you can talk with an expert–and this includes family members and friends with relevant knowledge sets–you might obtain research you wouldn’t be able to find online. Ask for firsthand accounts, biographical information or suggestions of other places to look or other people to consult. The following guidelines will help you conduct effective interviews:
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- Determine the exact purpose of the interview, and be sure it’s directly related to your claim.
- Prepare a list of both factual and open-ended questions. Leave plenty of space for notes after each question.
- You can read you questions off over the phone, on Zoom, in person, or by email if the subject prefers an asynchronous interview.
- When you cite the interview, be sure to include the subject’s name and title, as well as the date and place of the interview.
- Thank the interview subject. Maybe they’ll want a copy of your final paper?
Draw upon personal experience. Your personal experience won’t be sufficient enough to carry the paper’s entire argument. However, that’s not to say it isn’t a powerful technique for drawing readers in and making them care about the topic.
Evaluating Sources
Use the BEAM method to categorize each source. Practice knowing how and why each source will appear in your paper.