UCB Libraries

Once you have determined a topic, issue or subject of interest, you will need to focus the topic into a researchable question. Some tips for doing so are:

• Brainstorm about your topic. Identify related issues, people, events etc.
• List what you already know about your topic, and what you need to know or want to know.
• Determine what perspective will you take on your topic.
• Deternine the geographic region on which you will focus.
• Choose a specific time period.

Often doing some preliminary reading or background research is extremely helpful in developing a focus. Move to the next step 'Getting Background Info' for some tips.

Developing a comprehensive understanding of your topic is essential when embarking on research. One way to gain background information is to utilize reference sources. This will help you to focus and concentrate your interest in a researchable portion of your topic. For help developing background information:

 

Dictionaries and Encyclopedia

General Online Encyclopedias:

Encyclopedia Britannica CU
Gale Virtual Reference Library CU
Oxford Digital Reference Shelf CU

World Almanac CU

A Guide to Countries of the World [CU]
World Encyclopedia [CU]

 

Other Library Guides:

 

Anthropology

Chicano Studies

Government Publications

Foreign Relations & International Aid

Immigration

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Latin American Studies

Spanish & Portuguese Languages & Literature

 

 

 

You will find numerous reference sources in the UCB Libraries' collection, both online and in print.

SEARCH your topic in Reference Universe, enter your topic in the search box below:

Reference Universe: This is a searchable database that indexes information from specialized subject encyclopedias. It does not include the full text of reference materials but will point you to reference sources that cover your topic. It searches both the titles of reference articles as well as the encyclopedia / dictionary indexes, providing a thorough level of access to materials and potential sources. CU

 

For more reference source search tips, go to How do I find Reference Sources.

Before you start to research a topic, you need to develop keywords that represent your research interest, question, or inquiry.

 

Keywords are significant words (usually nouns or noun phrases) which can be used as search terms in online catalogs or databases. Keywords will determine the quantity and relevance of results you retrieve when searching.

 

First you will identify and articulate your topic in your own words:

Example: I am interested in investigating violence against females in the borderlands.

Next you will designate the main concepts or ideas that describe the topic:

Concept 1: violence

Concept 2: female

Concept 3: borderland

Then develop other terms and vocabulary that represent the topic. Some terms may be broader, narrower, or synonyms. Adding terms that represent geographical distincitions, time periods, or significant figures about your topic may also be useful.

 

Concept 1:   attack   bloodshed   rape   assault

Concept 2:   female   feminine   girl   mother

Concept 3:   frontier   Ciudad Juarez   US-Mexico   border city

 

 

Combining Keywords

Operators:

AND: assault AND girl (must find both terms)
OR: Chicano OR Latino (must find one of the terms)
NOT: Latin America NOT Mexico (must find first term NOT second term)

 

Punctuation:

Phrases: “South America” (must find that phrase in that order)
Synonyms: (chicano OR Latino) AND rape
Wildcards: Latin America* will find Latin American, Latin Americans etc

You may use the UCB Search Strategy/ Keyword Worksheet to develop your own topic.

For details on combining keywords for the best results view the

How Do I Use Keywords

 

Chinook is the catalog for materials owned by the CU Libraries. You can do a title search for a specific book, or a keyword search if you are looking for books on a particular topic. You can also use MyChinook to manage your library account (including renewals, holds, recalls, saved searches, etc.)

Keyword Title Author Subject --------------- LC Call Number Dewey Call Number Local Call Number SuDoc Number ISSN/ISBN Contract Number OCLC Number --------------- Reserves: Prof Reserves: Course

 

Tutorial: Chinook Keyword Search

 

For Tips on developing keywords for your topic go to:

 

How do I Choose Keywords for my search

 

To find books on relevant topics, search Chinook more in-depth by using LC Subject Headings. The following selection may help get you started. Also, pay attention to the subject headings used for books you've already identified in order to find other works on the same subject and also identify keyword search terms.

 

Mexican American Border Region
Mexican American Border Region Drug Traffic
Mexico United States Commerce
Hispanic Americans
Ciudad Juarez Mexico Social Conditions

 

The following guides provide samples of common citation formats. Consult Reference Desk personnel for additional information.

 

APA Style (PDF document)

 

MLA Style (PDF document)

 

Turabian: a form of Chicago Style (PDF document)

 

You may also find print guides in the library:

 

APA

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
  5th edition, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.
  Sections 72-75. Electronic Media, pp.268-281.
  Call number: BF76.7 .P83 2001

MLA

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi.
  6th edition, New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
  Section 4.9.
  Call number: LB2369 .G53 2003

Turabian (Chicago)

• The Chicago Manual of Style
  16th edition, chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003
  Sections 16 and 17.
  Call number: Z253 .C57 2003

REFWorks
A personal online database and bibliography creator that allows users to create a personal database online, import references automatically from multiple databases, organize references, and quickly format bibliographies and manuscripts. You will need to create a login and password. Provided by the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries.

 

How do I use RefWorks?

 

Pick an Interesting Topic It is easier to express your own opinions and thoughts if you are interested in the topic.

 

Manage Your Time

Many students are tempted to plagiarize because they do not start researching and writing far enough in advance. Start your paper at least 3 weeks before the due date. Plagiarism could compromise your entire academic career. Speak to your professor if you have run out of time.

 

Create a Bibliography as you Research

Record the sources you consult. Include all the bibliographic information needed in your works cited (Author, Title, Pages, Publisher, Year, Volume, Issue).This will help you to cite correctly and to compile your works cited.

 

Take Clear Notes

Designate all direct quotes with quotation marks.

Designate when you are paraphrasing.

Electronic Research and Note taking is the same: Use quotation marks when you cut and paste.

Always note the source/ author.

 

Be Careful with Paraphrasing

Be sure you understand the text.

Do not look at the original source when writing your paraphrase.

Reorganize the information in your own words and in your own style.

Check to be sure you have not used the vocabulary or structure of the original work.

Mention the author near or in your paraphrase.

 

And Remember to Cite:

Any information that was not originally created by you: Quotations Key terms or phrases Ideas Facts not broadly known Images and Sounds

Any material from another source regardless of where you found it: Printed sources Electronic sources Conversation or email Recorded sources Images

There are three steps you can follow to evaluate the sources (articles, websites, books) that you have found. You will want to evaluate the credibility of the author, validity of the research, and relevance of articles and web sites.

 

Authority of the Author

 

The first step in evaluating a source is determining the authority of the author who produced the material. To determine authority, you'll want to evaluate the trustworthiness (credentials, education, experience, etc.) of an author.

 

To determine credibility, ask these questions: 

• Is the author formally educated in the subject?
• Does the author work for a university or research center?
• Is the author a recognized scholar in the subject?
• Does the author have an established history of research and writing on the subject?

Validity of the Research

 

The second step of evaluating a source is determining the validity of the research being presented in the article, website or book. To ensure that the research is valid, you want to determine the quality of the research used to support the argument being made. It is also important to remember that excellent or persuasive writing doesn't necessarily ensure that the research presented is valid.

 

To determine the validity of the research in the source, ask these questions:

• Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.)
• Is there a list of sources at the end of the article?
• Does the author's evidence support the claim?
• Is the author's evidence objective research instead of personal narrative?
• Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (which means the research was evaluated by experts before it was published)?

Relevance to Your Topic

 

The third step in evaluating a source is determining the article's relevance to your topic:

 

To determine relevance, ask these questions:

• Is the article sufficiently broad to address the issue you are discussing?
• If the article is broad, can its conclusions be applied to your subject? (e.g. an article about drinking habits of students at large universities applies to your subject of drinking habits of CU students)
• If the article is narrow, can its conclusions be generalized to your subject? (e.g. an article about volleyball players and eating disorders at Honalee State University can be applied to your subject of eating disorders in women college athletes)

 

The key difference between scholarly and popular magazine articles is the required peer review process for scholarly journal articles.

 

Peer review is a publishing process in academic fields. Before editors decide whether to accept an article for publication in a scholarly journal, they need to send this article to other researchers in this article's subject area to do a review. This process is called "peer review" because the author's peers (i.e. other scholars) decide if the article should be published.

 

Below are some of the characteristics of scholarly journals and popular magazines and newspapers.

 

Type of Periodical	Scholarly Journal	Popular Magazine or Newspaper
Contents	Original Research In-Depth Analysis	Current Events / Popular topics / Interviews Not original research by the author
Writing Level	Technical language Assumes college education	Simple, elementary language Assumes only 8th grade education!
Authors	Researchers, Academics Experts in the subject they are writing about	Reporters Not subject experts
Sources	Almost always has a list of Works Cited Extensive documentation	Rarely documents sources Documentation vague (e.g. "A study was done...")
Published By	Scholarly societies, University Presses	Commercial publishers
Pictures and Paper	Few or no photographs Includes charts or tables Regular white paper	Many photographs and pictures Glossy paper
Examples	Sociological Review Journal of Asian Studies Journal of Philosophy	People Weekly Sports Illustrated New York Times Denver Post
Length	Tends to be longer	Tends to be shorter