Conducting Credible Research Key concept credible Preliminary Steps

Conducting Credible Research Key concept: credible

Preliminary Steps (prewriting) Determine topic Conduct preliminary research No Obtain credible research Choose a new topic Yes Narrow focus Complete research Write paper

Getting Started n Sources of information n Dacus Library n n Books—may use just one chapter Reference texts n n Encyclopedias (limited use) Dictionaries (limited use) Databases Internet

Library Databases http: //www 2. winthrop. edu/dacus/ n Search by n n n Subject Database name Scholarly publications Non-scholarly publications Professional publications

Publication Types n Scholarly publications n n n Professional publications n n n Faculty/researcher authors University published No advertisements or sponsors Subscription only Newsletters Journals Published for members Field specific Non-scholarly publications n n News stand magazines Newspapers

Using the Internet n Advantages: n n Convenient Easy to use Vast amount of information Disadvantages: n n Vast amount of information Not all websites are credible Links may not be up-to-date with latest material No publication date available

Internet Available Resources n n DOAJ (www. doaj. org) Open Secrets (www. opensecrets. org) n n n Transparency International (www. transparency. org) n n Ebook Political and economic analyses Ranks countries worldwide by corruption level CQ Researcher (http: //library. cqpress. com) n Analyses of issues in the news

Evaluating Open Internet Sources n Analyze website n n n About or About us Contributors Advertisements Links to other websites Analyze articles or pages n n Author credentials References

Websites to Evaluate n n n http: //www. nofluoride. com http: //medlineplus. gov http: //healthtips 360. com www. ageofautism. com/2010/01/vaccine s-dont-cause-autism-pediatriciansdo. html http: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articl es/PMC 3136032/

Final Words n n No information about a site provided: be wary. Watch for omissions; what is not there can speak volumes n n n Picture of man in white lab coat with stethoscope around neck but no title evident Excerpts from a larger document that could be taken out of context Check dates for currency