Research Process

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The Research Process

As we all know the process of researching for an assignment can be very stressful. This section of the Briarcliff Library webpage is meant to help guide students through this task as smoothly as possible. Besides The Big6™ process outlined below, you will also find links to web sites that will be useful during any stage of your research and downloadable documents.

Helpful PDF Documents

Briarcliff LMC Research Paper Style Guide

Punctuation, Formats, Documentation, Plagiarism, Outlining, Note cards and more

Briarcliff LMC MLA Citation Examples

Sample MLA citation examples for many types of entries.

Research Exploration Sheet

Use this guide to decide if you can find enough information for your research topic.

Big6 Research Worksheet Guide

These worksheets guide you through the Big6 steps to help you solve your information problem.

The Big6™ Skills

The Big6 is a process model of how people of all ages can solve an information problem.

Task Definition

1.1 Define the information problem

1.2 Identify information needed (to solve the information problem)

• What is my current task

• What are some topics/questions I need to answer?

• What information will I need

Information Seeking Strategies

2.1 Determine all possible sources (brainstorm)

2.2 Select the best sources

• What are all the possible sources to check?

• What are the best sources of information for this task?

Location and Access

3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)

3.2 Find information within sources

• Where can I find these sources?

• Where can I find the information in the source?

Use of Information

4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)

4.2 Extract relevant information

• What information do I expect to find in this source?

• What information from the source is useful?

Synthesis

5.1 Organize from multiple sources

5.2 Present the information

• How will I organize my information?

• How should I present my information?

Evaluation

6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)

6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

• Did I do what was required?

• Did I complete each of the Big6 Stages efficiently?

The "Big6™" is copyright © (1987) Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz. For more information, visit: www.big6.com Handout created by: Barbara J. Shoemaker, School Media Specialist, Mill Road Elementary, K-2 Red Hook Central School District, Red Hook, NY

Task Definitions

What is a thesis?

Need to develop a thesis? Use this site to help you create a solid thesis statement.

KWL Charts

Use this link to download a KWL Chart to help you determine topics of interest or develop questions to guide your research.

Information Seeking

Search Engine Chart

A chart of the major search engine capabilities and searching options

Choosing the Best Search Engine for Your Information Need

This site provides an extremely helpful chart that suggests the best search engine for your research task.

KidsClick! Worlds of Web Searching

The Ramapo Catskill Library System presents kid-friendly activities that guide students through Internet searching.

Four NETS for Better Searching

This guide helps you make the most out of Google’s advanced search option to produce more relevant search results.

Finding Information on the Internet

Although geared for college students this site contains great tutorials, activities, and printouts for finding and evaluating information on the web.

The Boolean Machine

An interactive Boolean machine that illustrates how the “and”, “or”, and “not” operators work.

Web Search Strategies

An online tutorial on using search engines and subject directories for finding the information you need.

Use of Information

You Quote it, You Note it

This link takes you to an interactive tutorial, from Vaughan Memorial Library, on plagiarism and ethical researching.

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

This useful chart, created by Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza, defines each writing technique and suggests when it is appropriate to use when writing a research paper.

Internet Citation Generators

Use these sites to generate MLA style citations for your works cited page or bibliography. Cut and paste perfectly formatted citations into your document.

Easybib.com

Landmarks Son of Citation Machine

Miscellaneous

TinyURL.com

Shrink up those long URLs with this handy tool.

Teacher Unit

Mr. Posner

Critical Evaluation of Websites

Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanies

http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html

Burmese Mountain Dog

http://descy.50megs.com/akcj3/bmd.html