Research Blog.

My name is Jennifer Braden and this is my research Blog.



ASSIGNMENT 1:

When I am given a topic or topics to research I generally feel confident that I can find information about the topic or topics easily. Slowly I realize that the research is not going to be as easy as I initially thought and grow frustrated with myself because I overestimated my ability. If given a selection I choose the topic that either interests me or that I am most comfortable with doing the research for. When exploring information on the topic I often find myself so confused and irritable because I often focus to try to find the information that I know that I will forget and the topic is asking. I tend to psych myself out and cause myself to stress about it. After a few days of stressing, I tell myself “so what if I forget something? I did my best work.” I tend to skip some steps of formulation. I stay confused and uncertain as I research. In formulation “uncertainty diminishes and confidence increases.” I get a focused perspective by my confidence continues to diminish. I tend to do collection as I am going on with the research. I do my best to try to record what I find interesting. I present the information in a way that I would talk to someone about the topic. I do not have much experience with doing research papers.

Reading this article I found myself feeling inadequate about the way that I preform research. It brought to my attention many things that I was not aware was part of the research process and many things that I have done. In the future, I plan on spending more time researching a topic when I have one in order to get a better understanding of this process and to focus better on the step formulation.

Week Two Assignment – Matching Resources

 

First: READ

First read the lessons and handout for this week.

 

Then: Match the following questions to an information source.

For each question:

·         When, during YOUR research process, you might ask this question. (remember Kuhlthau)

·         What source you would use to get information to answer the question.

·         Where is the source in the information cycle? (refer to the video from UW—1^st source, Day After, Weeks after, months to a year after an event, years later)

·         And how does that affect the credibility of the information?

·         Is this a primary or secondary source.

 

DO NOT USE THE WORLD WIDE WEB FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT!!

(and by the way, You do NOT need to answer the question)

 

1. I have to do a paper on biogeography but I don’t really know what that is. Where should I begin to find out?

 

Biogegraphy studies geographis space through distribution of species and ecosystems through time. To start researching this I would look for secondary sources like scientific papers.

 

2. I have heard that the climate is changing and some people say it is getting warmer. Where can I find information on climate change?

 

   For information on climate change I would look for scientific papers that support or falsify the theory of climate change. The thesis cannot be proven only supported by the scientific community.

 

3. I am a psychology major and I am going to be doing an internship at a group home. I hear that the young people who live there have problems with anger. Where can I find professional/ practical information from experts on how to intervene if someone gets mad and wants to fight?

 

I would ask psychologists or read a few psychology books that address the fear or issue. There might be a few psychology papers on issue that is present.

 

4. A professor is writing a grant to the National Science Foundation to get funding for a research project to study the effect of DDT on ground water. The NSF needs to know that there is a foundation of research on which to build this study. Where will the professor get the kind of information that will convince the NSF to fund the project?

 

The professor can research peer reviewed or papers that have been posted by the professionals who specialize in similar research. He could also perform a small experiment that will give him primary information he can use to convince the board to give him the grant.

 

5. I heard on the radio that there are killer bees coming north from Central America. How do I find out if they are in Washington State, yet?

 

You would have to learn what characteristics they have and do some research on them to gain secondary knowledge of them and then do primary research by studying the bee population in Washington where those killer bees might be based on the preferred climate of the killer bees.

 

6. I have heard that there was a man who was president of the United States for one day. Where would I find out who that was?

 

Using a government website or historical website.

 

7. My instructor wants peer reviewed articles for my research paper. What does that mean and where can I find them?

 

Peer reviewed means papers that peers of the same profession or learning profession have read the article. You can find them using a College or University’s website.

 

8. Where can I find some firsthand information about the pioneers who came west?

 

To get firsthand information about the pioneers you would have to read about it in diaries and letters that the pioneers wrote.

 

9. I need to know everything I can about honey bees. Where should I look?

 

Look at scientific papers in order to find out everything about honey bees. In most scientific paper they describe the types of bees that they use in order for their study or experiment can be done again to be supported or falsified.

 

 

 

10. What kind of outfits does Lady Gaga wear?

Lady Gaga wears crazy outfits.

 

Put the answers to these questions in your research journal/blog. When you are finished, please reflect on how this exercise relates to past and future information seeking. (about 100 words)

 

This questions are questions that can be asked to oneself in order to do a good research paper. I used a lot of these questions in order to do my own research in the past. Although, not all the time was I successful at finding the information that I needed. The information was well because I could not figure out where to look. In the future I am going to write some of these questions down and try to answer them before I do the research that way I have a better idea on where I am going to look rather than just starting to research and hoping that I find information. With all the questions if you get a specialized study or primary sources then primary information that can support your claims.