Finding Scholarly Research on Your Topic

1. Finding Scholarly Research on Your Topic

2. Your Research Journey… • You have, at this point, found information on your topic from general sources – news articles and the Internet. • Along the way, you have learned more about your topic.

3. Your Research Journey… • Journal articles will present current in-depth information and/or scientific research being conducted on your topic, or one aspect of your topic. • You should be looking for a journal article that can provide factual, scientific information to answer one or more of your remaining research questions.

4. Your Research Journey… • Journal articles are VERY SPECIFIC documents. They are not written like articles, they do not tell a story, and they do not give broad overviews. • Journal articles, especially in the sciences, explain the hypothesis (theory) of researchers. Then the article shows how the researches tested their hypothesis. At the end, they explain what they learned from their experiment. Remember lab reports in middle school? A journal article is like a detailed version of that.

5. Your Research Journey… • A journal article will investigate ONE SMALL part of your broad topic. • You might not understand everything written in the article because it might be very scientific. If you can understand it generally, that is okay. But it if it very complex, you should find a different article.

6. Characteristics of Journal Articles • Now, please take a look at the example article I have provided for you – either in class (for my Metro students) or in the Lessons tab (for my online students). • Notice the different sections of the article – there is an introduction, sections that describe the study and investigation, and discussion and conclusions sections to share findings.

7. Characteristics of Journal Articles • As you see the different sections, take note of how this shows the progression from main idea or theory, through experiment, to the conclusion that the researchers determined.

8. So what can you learn from this article? • You can learn details about the issue. • You can learn about new findings and key information. • You can see what researchers or professionals are concluding about your topic. • You can learn who prominent researchers in the field might be. • You can find other resources from the references section.

9. What can’t you learn? • You will not find any kind of encyclopedia-like information in the article. • You will not find general information. • You will not find information that an average person would be interested in.

10. Beginning Your Search • Now, let’s talk about the search you will do using either Gale Academic One File or EBSCO’S CINAHL (if you are a business of paralegal student, please refer to the Lexis Nexis videos for instruction on this topic). • For this example, we will use EBSCO’s CINAHL database and will use an example search. • You have spent time conducting general research on your topic. And you have narrowed your topic down and created research questions.

11. Beginning Your Search • Choose a research question to begin your search with. • You want to find the answer to the question in an article found on the database. On the following slide, you will find step by step instructions on how to go about this:

12. Beginning Your Search • 1) Really think about your question. Identify the main points of the question and underline the key words in the sentence. • 2) Noticing the important words from your question, make a list of possible keywords. • 3) Now, think of synonyms for each of the keywords so you have backup choices. • 4) Think about what publication dates you might want your article to have. If it is a medical issue, or something in the business field, especially, you need a RECENT article.

13. Beginning Your Search • When you go to search, try out a few different searches using different combinations of search terms. • Use the video tutorials I provide to help you with this, especially with the evaluation and selection process.

14. What to do when you don’t find an article you like? • Try thinking of other synonyms and other words to use instead, for example: instead of • Try using more specific words if you get too many results, for example “fibromyalgia” AND “yoga” instead of “fibromyalgia” AND “exercise” • Try using more general words if you don’t get any or enough results, for example “prostate cancer” AND “alternative therapies” instead of “prostate cancer” AND “homeopathic medicine” • Revise keywords: Look in the titles and Major and Minor Subjects for suggestions (see next slide)

15. More on Revising Keywords • The words in the major and minor subject areas of the articles’ citations are all links to searches using that particular word. You can click on them to find more results using that word, or you can remember them, and start a new search using one of those words in combination with your other terms.

16. More on Revising Keywords • Use the suggested word option on the search screen. As you start to type in words, the database will offer selections. Try out different searches with these suggested words. • The suggested words are often best, since they are words the database already recognizes.

17. More on Revising Keywords • For example, if wanted to learn more about the ways yoga can help people with depression, I would conduct both searches for “depression” AND “yoga” as well as “depression” AND “yoga therapeutic use”. I might also try “depression” AND “yoga postures”. “Yoga jainism” or “yoga tantric buddhism” would only work if I wanted to look at the connection between depression and yoga and religion. • It is important to choose keywords that suit your purpose.

18. Final Tips for Searching • For each search you complete in Gale Academic One File or CINAHL, make sure you complete the following on the search screen: • 1) Use appropriate keywords and Boolean operators • 2) Check the box next to “Full Text” • 3) Indicate what date range you would like to search within • 4) Check the box next to “Peer Reviewed”