Supplementary Material
Appendix
Chapter 3: Plan
Exercise: Reviewing Search Strategies [Answer Key]
- Now that the team has a draft thesis statement, the next step would be to:
- Enter the thesis statement into a database, rather than the catalog [If the team enters a long string of words, such as a thesis statement or a whole topic or research question, into a database, catalog, or search engine, it will try to find items that contain that exact phrase. This type of search won’t be very successful.]
- Select keywords and enter them into Google [Using keywords is a good approach, but Google won’t provide results that are academic in nature, so it is not the best place for the team to turn. In addition, some thought needs to go into selecting the keywords.]
- Dissect the thesis statement to determine key terms, related terms, and Boolean operators or other searching techniques [Yes, you are right—this is what the team should do. They can then develop a good search to start off with.]
- If you are interested in the use of social media such as Twitter by college students for research purposes, which of the following is the best general search strategy:
- (social media and Twitter) and research and college students [There is a problem with one of the Boolean operators.]
- Social media and college students and research purposes [This doesn’t capture the potential search terms. In addition, using “research purposes” might miss a lot of good sources because it might not always be phrased that way.]
- (social media or Twitter or Facebook) and research and college student* [This is the best strategy of those presented here. Facebook, as you know, is a very popular social network tool, and should be included in the list. If you are searching in a web search engine, use the phrase “college student*” (with quote marks). This isn’t needed for most databases.]
- The best place to start the search online is:
- An online guide on the library’s website [Yes, if there is one available, this would be a great place to start. The librarian who created the guide will provide tips for how to proceed. This will help you with your planning.]
- Google [Google might provide a few good sources, but it will require a lot of sifting to find them. There are far better places for the team to start.]
- The library’s catalog [The catalog might provide some good sources. Keep in mind that because library catalogs contain a limited number of entries, the team might need to consider a broader search than it would use in a database.]
- When searching a subject-specific database, it is especially important to…
- Use any search refinements they provide that make sense [Yes, this is important, but the team shouldn’t stop with this strategy.]
- Check for the best subject headings to use [Yes, this is important, but the team shouldn’t stop with this strategy.]
- Both a. and b. [Correct! The team members will get the best results if they use both of these search strategies.]
- Sarah realized that the order for doing the best research most often includes these steps
- Select topic, select keywords, do search, read and understand results, create product [The first steps are fine, but most often, it is not a straight shot from topic selection to product creation, as implied by this set of activities. Try again.]
- Select topic, select keywords, do search, read and understand results, revise search and return to the process as needed, create product [This is a great strategy to follow. It is important to realize that topics and search strategies are revised throughout the process and this has an effect on searching for and finding information. The best researchers don’t skip this part of the process.]
- Check for online assistance on the library’s website, do the search, revise the search as needed, create product [A number of steps are missing in this strategy. Look for a better one.]
Chapter 4: Gather
Chapter 4: Gather
Exercise: Primary Sources [Answer Key]
- Where would you find a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in which he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”?
- Web site of Presidential Speeches [It is true, it should be here, but where else would it be found?]
- Newspaper article dated Oct. 29, 1941 [It is true, it should be here, but where else would it be found?]
- A print publication titled “Vital Speeches of the Day,” which has been published since 1934 [It is true, it should be here, but where else would it be found?]
- All of the above [Yes, you are right. All three would contain the speech.]
- Which of the following sources is the most likely to contain an interview with Steven Spielberg about his film “Lincoln,” produced in 2012?
- Article from a news magazine dated November 23, 2012 [Yes, this is quite likely]
- A blog written by a fan of Steven Spielberg [This might be possible, but there is a more likely source]
- IMDb –A large online database of movie and television information [Databases may contain full-text information sources, but usually lead you to other resources. See if you can select a better choice.]
- All of the above [No, two of these answers are not likely. See if you can select a better choice.]
- Which source would have the original copy of a diary written a woman who lived in Tennessee during the Civil War?
- The Library of Congress American Memory Project web site [It is possible that they would have mounted a digital version on their site, but it would be a replica of the original.]
- The Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [Yes, you are right!]
- Local public library’s collection [This is unlikely. They might have a later reprinting, if the diary was published, but not the original.]
- All of the above [You will want to pick the best answer of the other three choices]
- Which of the following is a primary source?
- A review of the film “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg [Because a review is a commentary on a primary source, the review isn’t primary (but the film itself would be!) Try again to determine which is primary.]
- A nonfiction book about the Civil War titled The Fall of the House of Dixie : The Civil War and the Social Revolution that Transformed the South [The author would have used primary sources when writing this book, but the book itself is secondary. Try again to determine which is primary.]
- The Facebook privacy policy [Yes, you are right. Facebook wrote their own privacy policy (it is worth taking a look at), so it would be primary]
- A reporter’s article about an event that happened yesterday, written from information gathered from bystanders [The reporter’s article itself is secondary. He used primary sources (the bystanders) as background material for the article. Try again to determine which is primary.]
Chapter 4: Gather
Exercise: Identifying Citations [Answer Key]
- Joshi, M. (2013). Inclusive institutions and stability of transition toward democracy in post-civil war states. Democratization. 20(4), 743-770.
- Journal Article [Correct!]
- Book [You will notice there is a volume number and page numbers. Therefore, it isn’t a book.]
- Book Chapter [Did you see the name of a publisher? Books always have that as a part of the citation.]
- Janney, Caroline E. Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: 2013. Print
- Journal Article [Did you see a volume number? Or page numbers? Try again.]
- Book [Exactly right]
- Book Chapter [If it were a book chapter, there would be a chapter title, and page numbers. Knowing this, what would you select now?]
- Blattman, Christopher and Edward Miguel. “Civil War.” Journal of Economic Literature 48.1 (2010): 3-57. Print
- Journal Article [Correct!]
- Book [You will notice there is a volume number and page numbers. Therefore, it isn’t a book.]
- Book Chapter [Did you see the name of a publisher? Books always have that as a part of the citation.]
- Barney, William L. “Rush to Disaster: Secession and the Slaves’ Revenge.” Secession Winter: When the Union Fell Apart. Robert J. Cook, William L. Barney and Elizabeth R. Varon. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013. 77-96. Print
- Journal Article [While there are page numbers, there is also a publisher, which is not an element of journal article citations. Choose again.]
- Book [Secession Winter is a book, but what is being cited here is “Rush to Disaster.” Select again. ]
- Book Chapter [You are right.]
- Cooper, W. J. (2012) We have the war upon us: The onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- Journal Article [Did you see a volume number? Or page numbers? Try again.]
- Book [Exactly right]
- Book Chapter [If it were a book chapter, there would be a chapter title, and page numbers. Knowing this, what would you select now?]
- Cockrell, T. (2013). Patriots or Traitors: Unionists in Civil War Mississippi. In M.B. Ballard (Ed.), Of times and race: Essays inspired by John F. Marzalek (pp 23-35). Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi.
- Journal Article [While there are page numbers as many articles have, there is also a publisher, which is not an element of journal article citations. Choose again.]
- Book [Of Times and Race is a book, but what is being cited here is “Patriots or Traitors.” Select again.]
- Book Chapter [You are right.]