Erin Tolman - EN101

EN 101

Stepping into the Scholarly Conversation: Research Foundations

• Homework Module

• Research Process
• Pre-Research Tools
• Lateral Reading

• Library Website/SCOUT
• What is a database?

• Group Activity: Cadets teach databases

Agenda

What is a scholar?

Scholar: A person who contributes to the body of knowledge in their area of expertise through original research, analysis, and publication.

How your research process may feel

research

Identify topic

Background reading

Narrow topic

Formulate research question

Find and evaluate sources

Formulate thesis

Write and cite

As scholars, it is imporant to recognize that research is an iterative and recursive process. Research is discovery; it’s about being curious and open to new ideas and ways of understanding information about a certain topic.

A word about research...

Pre-Research Tools

Google Wikipedia Generative AI

• SCOUT is a great place to start when conducting research

• Research is an iterative and recursive process

• Lateral Read to determine credibility
• There is ALWAYS a librarian to help!
• Make an appointment
• Visit the Help Desk

Top Takeaways

How do you evaluate information?

Lateral Reading: the act of reading across multiple sources to verify information.

LATERAL READING

01

stop and identify the source

Before diving into the content, pause and note the website or source you're examining.

02

Leave the site

Open new browser tabs and search for information about the source itself, rather than continuing to read the original content.

03

Find what others say about the source

Search for reviews, fact-checks, or analyses of the source from reputable organizations or fact-checking websites.

04

Evaluate FOR authority and purpose

Search for reviews, fact-checks, or analyses of the source from reputable organizations or fact-checking websites.

05

Return to the original source

After gathering external information, return to the original source and evaluate its content in light of what you've learned.

06

REFLECT and DECIDE

Explicitly decide on the source's reliability

library.westpoint.edu

Library Website

• Find physical items (books, DVDs)
• One path to resource sharing/ILL
• Limiters/Filters
• Access to our databases

SCOUT Highlights

Scholarly journals: Peer-reviewed articles presenting original research or analysis * Books and book chapters: In-depth explorations of topics, often by experts in the field * Conference proceedings: Presentations and papers from academic conferences * Theses and dissertations: Original research conducted by graduate students *Technical reports: Detailed accounts of research projects or studies * Magazines: Periodicals covering general interest or specific topics * Newspapers: Current events and news articles * Websites: Online resources varying in credibility and purpose * Blogs: Personal or professional online journals * Government documents: Official reports, statistics, and policies * White papers: Authoritative reports on complex issues * Patents: Detailed descriptions of inventions * Encyclopedias: Broad overviews of topics, often considered tertiary sources * Dictionaries: Definitions and explanations of terms * Textbooks: Educational materials summarizing key concepts in a field * Handbooks: Quick reference guides for specific subjects or professions * Primary Sources * Diaries and personal letters: First-hand accounts of events or experiences * Interviews: Direct conversations with individuals * Photographs and films: Visual documentation of events or subjects * Working papers: Preliminary research findings * Policy statements: Official positions on various issues * Fact sheets: Concise summaries of key information * Annual reports: Yearly summaries of an organization's activities * Podcasts: Audio programs on various topics. * Social media posts: User-generated content on platforms like Twitter or Facebook. * Video content: Educational or informational videos on platforms like YouTube.

Types of information you will find in databases

1.Cadets will work in small teams to search a specific database 2.Talk with your team about what to teach 3.Peer Teach about your database 4. Each cadet fills out handout; leave handout for librarian

Group ActivityLibrary Database Teach In

Your topic: What role does food play in transforming immigrants' cultural identities?

Group ActivityLibrary Database Teach In

• SCOUT is a great place to start when conducting research
• Databases expand your research arsenal

• Research is an iterative and recursive process

• Lateral read to determine credibility
• There is ALWAYS a librarian to help!
• Make an appointment with your company librarian
• Visit the Help Desk
• Chat/ChatBot

Top Takeaways

How your research process may feel

The research Essay process

Identify topic

Background reading

Narrow topic

Formulate research question

Find and evaluate sources

Formulate thesis

Write and cite

Research is:

• Iterative
• Recursive
• About discovery

library.westpoint.edu

find and evaluate sources

Use SCOUT and databases from the USMA Library website to find primary and/or secondary sources about your research question.

Narrow your topic

After reading about the topic, it is time to narrow down the scope of your research. Two methods of achieving this are:

• Limit by geographic location
• Limit by time period

formulate thesis

A thesis is the answer to the reserach question you began with. For example, if your research question was: Why did the demographics of the West Point Corps of Cadets change between 1970 and 1990? Your thesis could be: The demographics of the West Point Corps of Cadets changed between 1970 and 1990 because of reasons x, y, and z.

Background reading

Background reading:

• Provides a general overview and context for the topic
• Is usually secondary source material
• Is essential for narrowing your topic and formulating a research question

Formulate Research Question

For academic work, we formulate complex questions based on our curiosity, and conduct research to lead us toward an answer. For this process, research questions should be:

• Interesting
• Clear
• Complex
• Focused
• And most importantly: researchable

Identify a topic

Topics may be

• Assigned by a professor for a paper or project
• Something of personal interest for your own independent reserach
• Intially very large in scope

How you *should* be evaluting websites

Lateral reading is a skill used by professional fact-checkers to jump outside a source and use new browser tabs to seek additional information about a source's credibility, reputation, funding sources and biases.

When you encounter an unfamiliar website:

• Open a new browser tab
• Go to several credible newsources and other references to better understand if the website is credible.
• Reflect and decide

Write and cite

As you write your paper, don't forget to cite all of your sources. Why cite?

• Give credit to the ideas of others
• To participate in the scholarly conversation
• Provide readers a path to follow back through the development of your ideas
• Add authority to your work
• Avoid plagiarism
• Place your work in context