Test Your Knowledge

This quiz is meant to help you assess your confidence in, and knowledge of, specific strategies involved in conducting research projects. Based on your responses, you will be provided with recommendations to work with Library Compass.

PLANNING

1. I feel knowledgeable about how to approach a research assignment in a social sciences subject area.
a) Yes b) No

2. I am familiar with critical methods of analyzing language and evidence to focus and shape research questions within the social sciences.
a) Yes b) No

3. I usually use library resources at the initial stages of my research to focus and shape the overall research project.
a) Yes b) No

FINDING

1. I feel comfortable planning research strategies using my knowledge of the subject discipline (i.e.: formulating keyword searches, using bibliographic references and footnotes, etc.).
a) Yes b) No

2. I know which major databases and catalogs to search in for meaningful materials in my subject area.
a) Yes b) No

3. I know when and how to consult the following sources of information for my research: general and subject-specific reference materials, bibliographies, and journals.
a) Yes b) No

4. I know how to search effectively for information in CLIO using Library of Congress subject headings.
a) Yes b) No

EVALUATING

1. I know the main criteria used to assess the validity of sources within my discipline.
a) Yes b) No

2. I feel confident evaluating the accuracy and objectivity of web resources.
a) Yes b) No

3. I know how to use specific assessment strategies based on the content and purpose of my research questions to evaluate sources of information.
a) Yes b) No

DOCUMENTING

1. I know how to work with other people's ideas in developing my own arguments.
a) Yes b) No

2. I use various strategies to collect notes and document ideas at the early stages of my research in order to avoid the risk of plagiarism.
a) Yes b) No

3. I am knowledgeable about how and when to use different citation styles in my work.
a) Yes b) No

Introduction

The examples and activities included in this guide are based on a subject area within the discipline of the Social Sciences: Sociology. They are meant simply to provide a framework for the research process. The general research principles and strategies introduced in the Compass Points and through these examples and activities are transferable to other subject areas as well.

How does the Compass work?
This Compass works in two ways: as a support structure for writing academic papers for your courses, and as an orientation tool to help you develop and hone specific library research skills and strategies. Library Compass is organized into four Compass Points, each of which provides strategies and resources involved in the research process:

  • Planning your research essay: introduces strategies to understand and develop academic essays and research assignments in your subject discipline. Offers principles and guidelines for formulating research questions and for structuring essays.
  • Finding resources: offers strategies for searching, locating, and accessing specific resources in your subject area. Gives explanations and examples of relevant materials and sources in your subject area.
  • Evaluating resources: explains criteria for judging the quality and credibility of resources. Offers guidelines for choosing appropriate sources for specific research needs.
  • Documenting your research: presents guidelines for citing and integrating resources as you develop your own arguments. Explains the principles of intellectual property and the logic behind acknowledging other people's ideas and words, as well as the legal and ethical issues involved in infringing copyright.

These Compass Points intersect throughout the research process. As researchers define topics and arguments, they work with sources to evaluate the quality and validity of their claims. This can also impact the way in which they formulate their questions. Library Compass helps you master each activity, and helps you recognize the relationships among activities in order to develop and refine your research strategies and skills.

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Each point of the Compass includes:

  • Explanations of research strategies and methods
  • Examples of research strategies and sources
  • Activities to help you develop your academic essays
  • A toolkit with helpful aids for each research activity

Although the Compass presents research activities in a specific sequence, you can enter it at any point and navigate within it, following your specific interests and needs.

We hope you will find the Library Compass a useful tool to assist you in the academic research process. Please, let us - the Library Compass team - know if you have any questions or comments. We welcome your feedback.



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