Research Project
This course has one major assignment, which is broken up into several components due over the course of the semester. This assignment requires you to: explore the field of Information & Library Science, and develop strategies to retrieve information, evaluate the information retrieved, and use that information to respond to a question.
This one assignment is a research paper, and the components into which this assignment is broken up are the smaller steps that you must go through to research and write a research paper (this or any other research paper).
- You will develop a question of interest to you, a topic that is either in the field of Information & Library Science or is directly relevant to your major.
- Then, you will explore (i.e., examine, evaluate, and use) various sources to retrieve information relevant to your question.
- Finally, you will critique your information sources in blog entries, list your sources in a bibliography, and assemble the information into a brief report responding to the question.
[top]
Deliverables
- Blog entries discussing your research question's development. This should include your first and second question drafts, any subsequent question drafts, discussions of the development of your question, your responses to feedback on your drafts, or anything you have to say about why your question evolved as it did. The drafts will be graded when they are submitted, but you may still wish to make changes to them as you evolve in your research.
- A portfolio of three source evaluations that you will write on a blog (either you own or the class blog) during the session. You will find and evaluate a website, a book (or a reference source), and a journal article relevant to your research question. These three evaluations will be graded when they are submitted.
- Your research project will culminate in a short written
report. This 3-4 page, double-spaced report will integrate
the knowledge acquired from the sources consulted, citing
each source as appropriate. It will be accompanied by an
annotated bibliography of all of the sources that yield
useful information, that you actually cite in your report.
- Here are some guidelines for your report and annotated bibliography.
- To give you a model, here is an example of a report and an annotated bibliography.
- This report will be sent to me as an email attachment.
- A presentation exploring (and answering, if there is an answer) your research question.
- You will share this report with your class peers by giving a short presentation about your journey of discovery during the period of time set aside for a final exam.
- Here is an example of a presentation.
- This presentation will be sent to me as an email attachment.
[top]
To restate it, your session research project will be in components ...
- You will keep track of your research question and your research efforts by blog entries. These will include the first and second question drafts; any thoughts you have about the process; and your three source evaluations.
- You will turn in a final report discussing your topic and the report will include a short annotated bibliography.
- The research project is due at the time assigned for a final exam period for this course. There is no final exam for this course, but you will deliver the short research project presentations to the class during the final exam period.
[top]