Amina Heyward

EDST 6216

CHAPTER
SUMMARY
Text Book Chapter Summary

Chapter 1 Research Basics

There is a distinct difference between the research paper and a report

The research paper is a compilation of other people written work gathered to prove your point
on a topic
Most important part of a research paper is the research question
The topic should interest you which helps in gathering sufficient and relevant resources
Make your research topic grow by feeding your curiosity or explorations
Ideas for a research can come about just by talking to other people

Chapter 2 Searching versus surfing: Locating quality sources

Although we have a tool such as Google a the tip of our fingers; there are important guidelines
to understand when using the World Wide Web for research
Internet research can sometimes be a downfall, providing non-credible resources
University online libraries are an under rated resource in research
When using google for research make sure the websites produced in your search are credible;
providing up to date information; shows authors information
The web provides a plethora of information in a google search
I find using keywords as well as Boolean style searches are very helpful
In the research paper its important to give credit where credit is due

Chapter 3 Become a research supersleuth

In doing research for a research paper you must

o Ask questions that lead to other questions
o Investigate to find the Hows and Whys
o Follow clues and be persistent
Keep track of your search very important
o In your online search, when you find a source
o Copy and paste in your bibliography/ work cited
Evaluate your sources, stick to confirmed credible sources

Chapter 4 How to surf the web without drowning

When searching the web for information specifically academic research its important to specify
your request so you get the best matches
A way to find resourceful information is to use search engines like Google Scholar or iSeek
instead of Google
 Customize your web search by using
o Boolean search combined with domain specification
o Boolean search combined with file type
o Boolean search combined with publishing year
Evaluate websites for credibility using the following criteria
o What is the Purpose? Inform, educate, sale
o Where does the information come from?
o Who is the intended audience?
o Is it up to date?
o What do others say about it?

Chapter 5 Field Research Online

Surveys and field specialist interviews are great additional sources for a research project
The data you gather is based on the questions you ask
Be knowledgeable of topic youre researching so that youre able to give proper inquiry and
feedback
Thanks to technology there are various options for making contact with an expert via email,
skype or face to face

Chapter 6 Academic Integrity

Online information from articles, books or other websites are copied and used by other web
pages constantly
Some sources online misrepresent to originator of an article, book or website
When writing academic papers we must be careful not to plagiarize
All plagiarism is wrong
o Deliberate plagiarism
o Accidental plagiarism

Chapter 7 Documentation Guidelines

Its a good idea to gather your resources as you write your paper
An annotated bibliography would be the best start
Know your source; is it a book, journal article or website
Rules for adding direct quotations
o No more than 15% of your paper should be direct quotation
o Avoid beginning or ending a paragraph with quotation
o Make sure your views are supported by the quotations
Chapter 8 Documentation: MLA Format
Two elements of an in-text citation
o Signal phrase
o Parenthetical citation
Parenthetical citation should include authors Last name page number
There are specific MLA citation for:
o Works by one or two authors
o Works of poetry
o Works by government agencies or corporate authors
o Works in web Publication
A basic work cited entry appears like:

Last name, First name. Title of container, Other contributions,

Version, Number , Publication date, Location.

Chapter 9 Documentation APA Format

One of the most common styles used in colleges and secondary schools
APA format and MLA format are similar styles in that both:
o Use the threefold system
o Parenthetical citation
o Reference list
Throughout paper quotation as well as citations are followed by authors and page number
APA formatting emphasizes the date of publication

Chapter 10 Documentation CSE Format

CSE (Council of Science Editors) documentation format is used mostly in the field of the sciences
One popular method of CSE is called the citation-sequence system
In-text citation in this format are indicated throughout a project only by sequential numbers
The citation numbers are typed using superscript
Author, page, and title of reference is only available in the reference list at the end of the
paper/project
Citation numbers throughout the paper correspond to numbered reference list ate the end of
paper

Chapter 11 Documentation CMS format

CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) documentation format is used in some history and social science
disciplines
 CMS format includes
o Footnotes
o Endnotes
o Bibliographies
Footnotes are indicated by superscript numbers within the paper
At the end of the report is a full page of endnotes from entire paper
Lastly the bibliography provides an alphabetize list of all sources used for paper/project

Course Reflection: EDST6216

The Digital Research & Information Literacy course is a very worthwhile course. I appreciate that all of
the assignments were hands-on and current tools that will be helpful throughout my college career and
beyond. Many of the tools we used in class I plan to introduce to my students in class this year. For
example, using Pickochart.com and Smore.com to create online posters great idea which I plan to
incorporate into my PBL lessons.

In addition to the online tools, the text book selected was very helpful. Again, it is a tool I can reference
moving forward. Also, it was helpful that this was a hybrid course, the in class sessions were
informative.