Research Log #2

Research Log 2 Guide

Research Log Project 2—Detailed Instructions Many students get very good grades on Research Log #1, but lower scores on Research Log #2. Log 2 is harder and requires you to explain coherently some choices you have made. Please read all these instructions carefully. Log 1 is worth 10 points/10% of your grade, but Log 2 is worth 25 points/25%. This is a large part of your final average, so make sure you pay close attention to the instructions. Use proper capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. After you have worked completely through the Week 3 content, click on the link for Research Log #2. Read through the entire project. Some decisions you make early will have a big impact on your success. I want you to see what the entire project entails before you begin. Research Log Project 2 Overview: The purpose of the Research Log Project is for you to find the very best article using your revised search strategy, based on the criteria that we have learned about in Weeks 2 and 3. You will read the article (so you MUST have the full text) and explain to me how your article meets the four evaluation criteria. SAVE your project often. Don’t forget to click “Submit” when you are sure you are finished. Step 1: Thinking Back to Project 1 Part A: Record your research question from Research Log Project #1. Part B: Copy your search statement (exactly!) from RL #1 Do NOT make your revisions here. Step 2: UMUC Library Database Search (5 points)

Part A: Select one of two databases to search in the UMUC Library: MasterFILE Premier or Academic Search Complete. Part B: Answer the 3 questions given. Look at your search results in the database you searched, and list any additional keywords you might not have thought of, but noticed within the article titles, subject headings, article abstracts, etc. Part C: Revised Search Statement – this is where you should revise your original search statement based on my feedback on Log 1. You MUST revise your statement here in some way, even if you received full points on the first Log project. One common mistake here is that people want to revise the research question. Don’t do that! Your research question remains the same – simply revise your database SEARCH statement. Step 3: Subject Guide/Research Guide Search (5 points) Part A: Select a Research Guide. Click the hyperlink in the instructions for the UMUC Library Subject Guide list (it will take you to a list of Research Guides - this is a recent name change), and choose one that you believe is relevant to your search. Part B: Database Name. Once you have selected your Subject in the Research Guides, select one of the recommended databases. List it here. DO NOT use OneSearch! OneSearch is NOT a database - it is a search engine for accessing all the UMUC Library databases at one time. It is a helpful tool, but not one we are using for this assignment. Instead, look at your subject’s Research Guide, and use one of the recommended databases. Part C: Record the search statement in the box that you used to search the selected database. Again, this is not a RESEARCH QUESTION in sentence format it is the SEARCH STATEMENT. Look this up if you have forgotten the difference. Step 4: Select a Relevant Article (5 points)

Select a FULL-TEXT, IN-DEPTH article that is relevant to your research question. The article should not just be a brief overview of the topic, but should address the key concepts of your research question and be as in-depth as possible, preferably written by an expert or credentialed author(s) in the field. Do not select very brief journal articles, newspaper articles, research starters or encyclopedia entries that would be useful only for background research. Make sure that you can explain how your article MEETS the four evaluation criteria (Step 6). If you can’t, pick another article. It MUST be full-text, as you MUST read it. An abstract is not an article. In Step 6 you will be evaluating the article on the four criteria discussed in the modules (authority, reliability, coverage, and currency). Part A: Title of the ARTICLE Title of the JOURNAL Part B: Article Type

Part 1: Is the source of the article scholarly, trade, or popular?

Part 2: How can you tell? Do not guess. Many of the databases will also help with this. Click on the JOURNAL name in most databases and you will get a description of the Journal. You can also use Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory (another database) for a description of the journal. Ulrich's does not contain individual articles, but it does list information about journals. A full description of the periodical will come up with what type it is. Part C: If you need to use FIND IT, then you are moving away from your original database. Pay attention to where you are sent. The database that has the full-text of the article is the one to use in your citation. Step 5: Article Evaluation (10 points)

Part A: There are 4 selection criteria: authority, reliability, coverage, and currency. At minimum, you should write a complete sentence explaining how your article meets each of the criteria. If your article DOES NOT meet one or more of the criteria, then you should probably select another article. However if you still feel that the article is relevant and in-depth enough for your topic, discuss HOW and WHY it is questionable in one area. For further discussion of these criteria, review Week 3 Content. TIP: Please note that currency does not mean that the article has a date (not does it refer to money). Almost all articles have a date. The main question regarding currency for your research question is: is this information recent enough to still apply? For example, an article about computer software from 2000 is no longer current. Most scientific, medical and technology topics need articles published in the past 5 years. Part B: Article Relevancy – discuss why you think this article is relevant to your research question. What made you select it? This should be at least two full and complete sentences, but can be a paragraph or more. Project Tips: Start early and save often! Proofread, proofread, proofread. Ask me questions, BEFORE turning in the project.