Using sources in your Advanced Higher Investigation Research

Using sources in your Advanced Higher Investigation

Research steps n n n Clearly define your selected topic Identify appropriate keywords Identify suitable information sources Search sources to find relevant information Evaluate information found Use the information ethically and responsibly

Planning your search n n n What is the scope of your subject? What do you already know? What do you need to find out? You may like to produce a mindmap to help you decide which areas you are going to research. Choose relevant keywords which you will use to search for information Decide where you will begin to look for information

What sources should you use? n n n You must use at least 3 references from different sources – either books, journals or the internet. At least 2 of the sources should be from books or journals (whether published or online). Using more than 1 page from a book, or more than 1 web page from a website counts as one reference only.

How to find good information sources n Book sources n Use the Library catalogue (OPAC) to check for books which might cover your subject. http: //prism. talis. com/eastrenfrewshire/ § Even if the book is not in Williamwood you may be able to borrow it from another East Renfrewshire library. § You could also check Glasgow’s OPAC to see if there any books relevant to your subject in The Mitchell Library. n http: //libcat. csglasgow. org/

Journal Sources n n East Ren subscribes to News. UK. As well as giving access to daily newspapers this also has a database of news topics which may contain articles relevant to your investigation. Access it via the link from Williamwood’s home page, and type in your young scot/library card barcode number (P 0……. ) http: //www. eastrenfrewshire. gov. uk/community-lifeandleisure/libraries/online_information_resources. htm n You can also access Encyclopedia Britannica online using your library card –this has some links to journal articles as well. n http: //library. eb. co. uk/storelibrarycard? target=/eb%3 Flibrar y_id%3 Deastrenfrewshire&id=eastrenfrewshire

Web Sources n n To find the most relevant sources you need to be quite specific in the search terms you use. A ggod place to start is http: //www. noodletools. com/noodlequest/ just answer the questions and noodle tools will find the most useful search engines for your request. Advanced Google search may be useful http: //www. google. co. uk/advanced_search? hl=en Another place worth checking is the Librarians’ Index to the Internet http: //www. ipl. org/ - this includes daily science news and covers a huge variety of topics

Searching web sources n n Once your search results appear skim and scan the abstracts for relevance, rather than just clicking down the list. Evaluate each source as you go. Make a note of the url of any source which may be useful. Just copying and pasting the url into a word doc headed with the date, will give you enough information to enable you to start building a reference list later.

Website Evaluation n A CAB A: Accurate? n n C: Current? n A: Authority? n n B: Bias? n n Where does the information come from? Is the information correct? Can you check the information by using any other sources? When was the website last updated? Is the information likely to be out of date? Who is the author of the website or webpage? Can you check whether they are a reliable source of information for your subject? What type of organisation made this website? Are they likely to be trying to put forward a particular point of view for a political/religious/ commercial/ or other reason?

Using your sources n Every direct quote from a source should be in inverted commas. n Follow the quote with the author’s name and year of publication in brackets n All information not in quotation marks should be written in your own words. n Rewording or summarising information from a source and not referencing it is plagiarism, if you are discussing someone else’s facts or theory make sure you say where the information came from.

Avoiding Plagiarism n n Ensure that any source you use is correctly referenced. Every time you look at a source make a note of its details, and if it is a web source also add the date you looked at it. Use this record to build your final reference list. Your reference list will enable anyone who reads your work to check your sources.

What information do you need for each source used? Web sources It is not always easy to find the individual author of an online article, but as many of the following as you can find should be included in your reference list: Author, date, title, publisher, URL, date you accessed the material If you cannot find the author of an article use the organisation’s name as your reference. It is important to add the date you looked at the material, as it may have been updated between when you first accessed it and someone checking your information.

How to find author information from a web site § § § Check the bottom and top of the article to see if there is an author’s name and/or copyright details. Click on the home page of the website and read the “about us” section to see if you can find a name. Check to see if there any references within the article which might help.

Referencing a web source Use the following format: Author/editor (or organistion if no named author) (date written) title. URL: Visited: Month and year eg: The Mammal Society (2006)Position statement: badgers and bovine tuberculosis URL: http: //www. abdn. ac. uk/mammal/badgers_tb. shtml. Visited: August, 2007

Referencing a book source Find the information by using the title page and the back of the title page – NOT the cover. The format should be: author/editor. (year of publication) Title, publisher, place of publication, page number(s) (Note: -if there is an editor rather than an author put (ed. ) after the editor’s name) e. g. Wright, R (2005) Environmental Science: towards a sustainable future, pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, p. 446.

Referencing a journal article n n n Use the following format: Author(s)(surname, initials)(year of publication) Title of Article, Name of journal, Volume number (part number if appropriate), page number(s) e. g. Bowsher, C (2007) Designer Starches, Biological Sciences review, 19 (3), pp 18 -20.

In conclusion n n You should consult at least 3 sources for your investigation. Make sure any fact or opinion not your own is correctly referenced, both within the text of your report and at the end. Conclude your report with a list of all references in alphabetical order by author’s surname. Refer to your candidate information sheet for the correct way to cite and reference each source.