Personal Research Guide

Librarian Interview and Research Planning: (Submit it by 05/12/19, 11:59pm)

Librarian Interview: For Project One, you will need to interview your disciplinary librarian to find answers to research questions. Some of those questions might focus upon certain aspects of your discourse community’s characteristics, as described by John Swales, might be about common research topics, might be about changes in your discourse community in the last 5-10 years, or about common terminology and lexis with your discourse community. Remember that your interviewee will not have the lexis (terminology) that we share as a class. You’ll need to use generalized lexis rather than specialized lexis. For example, rather than asking about intercommunicative practices, you’ll want to use the term written or oral communication. Or instead of discourse communities, you’ll want to use the term discipline or profession. Finally, your questions will be determined by your audience. If you are interviewing your librarian, then they will have knowledge regarding research skills, research tips, common databases, and general librarian support for research. They will not, however, have knowledge of your discourse community’s goals, beliefs, knowledge-base etc.; what it is like to work in your discourse community; etc. So plan your interview questions according to the audience you will be interviewing.

To help you, the following links are provided for you reference:

1. Discipline Specific Librarian and Research Guides

1. Gale Encyclopedic Resource

1. Quick Overview and Examples of Discourse Communities

Research Planning: According to Swales, an academic discourse community is selective with membership, whereas general or non-academic discourse communities are less selective. Note, here, his distinction of an academic discourse community acts more like a “Specific Interest Group.” Download this document and answer each of the questions (1-4, including all letters after each). Then, at the end of this document, write at least 5 interview questions you will ask the librarian. Questions begin on page two.

1. What can you describe and discuss when it comes to the following 6 categories of your academic discourse community and what do you still need to find out (potential research questions):

a. Broadly agreed set of common PUBLIC goals

b. Mechanisms of inter-communication among members

c. Uses participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback

d. Utilizes and possess one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims

e. In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has developed some sort of specific lexis

f. Threshold level of members with suitable level of expertise and understanding of relevant content

2. What contemporary major topics of conversation as well as any significant changes in your chosen field of study has taken place over the last 5-10 years?

a. What do you already know?

b. What do you need to know?

c. What questions do you need to develop for your own research and interview with your librarian or guidance counselor for finding out the major topics of conversation and any significant changes in the discourse community over the last 5-10 years?

3. Can you begin to develop short list of the most important terms, acronyms, and key words that make up the disciplinary lexis.

a. What do you already know?

b. What do you need to learn?

c. What questions do you need to develop for your own research and interview with your librarian or guidance counselor for developing a list of important terms, acronyms, and key words?

4. 2-3 of your own research questions about the contemporary major topics of your discourse community.

a. These questions and their revisions will continue to drive your research over the course of the semester.