Tips for Researching |
Start with a plan:
How to start your IA? Below are some tips from the IB:
•Start by identifying a general area of interest. Maybe do some general research or reading.
•Narrow it down to a specific question or area of investigation.
•Make sure sufficient reputable resources can be obtained for the planned investigation. Read widely around the area of study and note down resources used.
•Review the research question and refine it if necessary.
•Take notes from resources, gathering evidence and diverse opinions.
•Ensure accurate use of MLA referencing.
•Sort evidence thematically or chronologically.
•Choose two suitable sources to evaluate in section 1.
•Review your analysis. Check for differing viewpoints where appropriate.
•Write the investigation, according to IB guidelines.
•Start by identifying a general area of interest. Maybe do some general research or reading.
•Narrow it down to a specific question or area of investigation.
•Make sure sufficient reputable resources can be obtained for the planned investigation. Read widely around the area of study and note down resources used.
•Review the research question and refine it if necessary.
•Take notes from resources, gathering evidence and diverse opinions.
•Ensure accurate use of MLA referencing.
•Sort evidence thematically or chronologically.
•Choose two suitable sources to evaluate in section 1.
•Review your analysis. Check for differing viewpoints where appropriate.
•Write the investigation, according to IB guidelines.
KeyWords:
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Start with solid keywords: 1. First, write one or two sentences about your topic. 2. Next, underline all of the specific words that describe your topic. 3. Make a separate list of these specific words. 4. Add to your list any other words that mean the same thing (synonyms) or are related terms. 5. Think of more words or phrases that describe the larger topic, of which your topic is a part. Add those to the list. 6. Think of more words or phrases that are subtopics of your topic which might help you find you useful information. Add those to the list. Now you should have a pretty long list of words and phrases that you can use to search for information. If one word isn't in a book's index or doesn't turn up any results on an electronic search, try another word or a combination of words. |
TIPS FOR SEARCHING DATABASES:
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TIPS:
1) Use advanced search in the database. 2) Use Boolean Operators AND, OR, NOT 3) Check the box next to Full Text to get the entire article. 4) Check the box next to Peer Reviewed to get scholarly info. 5) Avoid searches that are too broad or too narrow. 6) Use quotation marks around compound terms ex. "social media." 7) To find better key words, use the subject term index or thesaurus in the database 8) Search within a certain publication ex. topic specific journal. 9) Use the citation feature for creating a citation to add to your bibliography. |