High School Research Process

Stage 1
Preparing for  Research
1.   Define

2.   Explore
3.   Identify
4.   Relate  

 

Assignment Calculator

The University of Minnesota provides the different stages of your assignments in a calendar. This tool is useful for research papers, oral presentations, lab reports, posters and media projects.

https://www.lib.umn.edu/apps/ac/

 

Questioning Toolkit

Different questioning strategies.

http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html 

 

The Research Topic Triangle

A tool to help you expand a topic.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/loc/restri.html

 

Graphic Organizers

The American Institute of Research (AIR) offers a series of graphic organizers that helps you structure the information related to your topic, the same structure that will be displayed later on in the table of contents of your essay.

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm

 

KWHL Chart & 3M List

After determining you topic and creating a graphic organizer, you may also consider a KWHL chart (Know, Want, How, Learned)

http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/KWL.chart.html

…and a 3M list (Must, Might, Mustn’t)

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/stepzero.html

 

Chose the Best Search for Your Information Needs

This website really helps you define your topic; find quality results; find a specific discipline; find the most recent information related to your topic; find facts, opinions, and perspectives on the issue you’re interested; a specific type of media; and special search requirements.

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

 

Primary vs Secondary Sources

Basic differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources

http://library.uwsp.edu/guides/webtutorials/primary.htm

…or a video that explains the differences between primary and secondary sources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s13KpDtKAys

 

Show Me Information Literacy

Think critically about information and where it comes from. Learn to evaluate sources and authors.
Suggested Level: Middle-High

http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/junior.html

Suggested Level: High-University

http://www.noodletools.com/guide/showme/advanced.html

 

More Helpful Research Tools…

The Spartan Guides also provide tools, tutorials, and all sorts of resources to help you successfully navigate the research process. Be careful not to get lost with so much information!

http://sdst.libguides.com/content.php?pid=184760&sid=1552376

Stage 2
Accessing Resources
5.   Locate
6.  Select
7.  Gather
8.  Collaborate  

 

100 Free Academic Journals You Can Access Online

Seeking information about art, finance, or science, here’s a free academic journal for you.

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2008/09/17/100-free-academic-journals-you-can-access-online/

 

Aluka

A digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa

http://www.aluka.org/

 

Big Think

Big Think comes from our ever-growing network of 2,000 Big Think fellows and guest speakers, who comprise the top thinkers and doers from around the globe.

http://bigthink.com/

 

CQ Researcher

CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Our reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/index.php#.UlWN2lNMjSg

 

Digital Librarian

A selection of the best resources in the web

http://www.digital-librarian.com/

 

The Digital Plant Atlas

The website of the Digital Seed Atlas of the Netherlands is free for all since 2011, while some features of the websites belonging to the other atlases have limited access.

http://www.plantatlas.eu/

 

Directory of Open Access Books

Academic publishers are invited to provide metadata of their Open Access books to DOAB.

http://www.doabooks.org/doab

 

Directory of Open Access Journals

Free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals,

covering all subjects and many languages

http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=home&uiLanguage=en

 

Free Online Science Journals

More free online journals

http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Publications/Journals/Free_Online_Journals/

 

Google Scholar

Handy academic search in Google

http://scholar.google.co.cr/

 

Infomine

Scholarly Internet Resource Collections

http://infomine.ucr.edu/

 

Internet Public Library

Librarians' Internet Index (LII) is a publicly-funded website serving the world

You can search and browse the website for the best of the Web. There are over 20,000 entries, maintained by librarians and organized into 14 main topics and nearly 300 related topics. The mission of Librarians' Internet Index is to provide a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected websites.

http://www.ipl.org/

 

Library of Congress of the United States

Discover all the resources the Library of Congress has to offer. You might be surprised…

http://www.loc.gov/index.html

 

Newspapers Around the World

Through a special agreement with more than 800 newspapers worldwide, the Newseum displays these front pages each day on its website. The front pages are in their original, unedited form, and some may contain material that is deemed objectionable to some visitors. Discretion is advised.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

 

OAPEN

This website combines the advantages of an independently operating commercial venture with the benefits of being embedded in the scholarly community

http://www.oapen.org/search

 

Online Available Books and Journals

The basic idea is simple: making peer-reviewed literature permanently available, free of charge and freely redistributable by taking advantage of the low cost and wide access of internet distribution.

http://openhumanitiespress.org/

 

Opposing Viewpoints

Political, social and environmental issues.

http://www.opposingviews.com/

 

Scholarpedia

The peer-reviewed open-access encyclopedia, where knowledge is curated by communities of experts.

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Main_Page

 

SPIE Digital Library

The SPIE Digital Library is the most extensive resource available on optics and photonics, providing unprecedented access to more than 370,000 technical papers from SPIE Journals and Conference Proceedings from 1962 to the present. More than 18,000 new technical papers are added annually.

http://spiedigitallibrary.org/

 

Wiley Online Library

Wiley is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

 

World Digital Library

The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.

http://www.wdl.org/en/

Stage 3
Processing Information
9.    Analise/ Evaluate
10.  Test
11.  Sort
12.  Synthesize

  

Evidence Chart

Chart to compare and contrast all the information you’ve collected.

http://evidencechart.com/

Citavi

Reference management and knowledge organization.

http://www.citavi.com/ 

 Endnote

Software tool for publishing and managing bibliographies

www.endnote.com

  

§  REFERENCES

 Landmark Citation Machine

Creating bibliographies for APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian.

http://citationmachine.net/index2.php

 

Bibliography Maker

http://www.bibme.org/

 

Easy Bib

Creating bibliographies for APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian.

www.easybib.com

 

Details of the APA format

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/

 

·         The European School APA Template

APA - IB Template

 

 Stage 4
Transferring Learning
 13.  Revise
14.  Present
15.  Reflect
16.  Transfer

 

§  PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT PRODUCTS

Suggestions for a variety of products to be used with performance based lessons

http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/tips/products.html

 

·         IMAGES

 

Art with Words

This website creates“word clouds” from text that you provide

http://www.wordle.net/create

 

Art Programs

NGAkids Art Zone interactives offer an entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history.

http://www.nga.gov/kids/

 

Clipart

Over 60,000 pieces of free educational clipart are available for school projects

http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/sitemap.php

 

Interactive Math Activities

Interactive models for mathematics

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ -

 

 

Reference of the Research Model

The Ontario School Library Association. (n.d.) The Importance of an Inquiry and Research Model for Problem- Solving and Decision-Making. Retrieved from http://www.accessola.com/action/positions/info_studies/html/research.html