ORGINAL POST:
I am looking for a research progression or hierarchy. I heard about it in library
school, but can't find my notes!
It was set out as a list of steps to investigate a problem and says something like:
Encyclopedias first (because they have a broad or overview range of information)
Books, then articles. Internet was last. I seem to remember that there were six
levels.
My elementary kids, when they hear “research,” rush straight to the computers to
type their topic into Google.
Conclusion: I *think* I am going to create a poster of a "Research Mountain": you
start at the bottom with the sources that give a broad base of
information (like encyclopedias) and "climb" up to the narrow information offered
on the internet.
Thanks for all your help!
Ruffin
*************
I use what I call a "research strategy" with my high school students --
1. Background Information
2. Books
3. Magazines
4. Internet
I have a "tip sheet" where they record the materials they found in the proper
format for their eventual bibliography.
Not sure where this whole strategy originated - it's been used here for at least 7
years.
**************
The progression would change depending on the topic. You would want to utilize
newspapers and magazines sooner for a contemporary subject than a
historical one for example.
Also, there would (or should) be a hierarchy to Internet services. Online
Encyclopedias would be synonymous with paper (and would be preferred in
some cases), as would a magazine database.
The person who put Internet last was probably not thinking of utilizing a resource
evaluation, but rather was assuming that websites in general
weren't as reliable a resource. A somewhat common and very outdated assumption.
**************
http://webster.commnet.edu/libroot/IDS/researchprocess.htm
offers this set of steps I’m excerpting here:
Step 1: Identify your topic.
Step 2: Design your research strategy.
Step 3: Find background information: “A Reference Source is a book or database
which gives brief information or an introduction to a topic. There are
many types of reference sources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs,
directories, anmd sources for statistics. Increasingly many of
these sources may be found online.
Look up your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopedias. Read articles in
these encyclopedias to set the context for your research. Note any
relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles.”
Step 4: Use catalogs to find books.
Step 5: Use indexes to find periodical articles.
Step 6: Use indexes to find newspaper articles.
Step 7: Find Internet resources.
Step 8: Evaluate what you found.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruffin Priest
Media Specialist
Seawell Elementary School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
rpriest@chccs.k12.nc.us
"Safety is all well and good: I prefer freedom." - E.B. White,Trumpet of the Swan
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