ONLINE SEARCHING PROJECT

1. Select a hot topic for research.

2. Create a  research guide to your topic using the following outline and instructions.

Elements of the guide.
    a. Cover (Title, author, illustration/design)
    b. Title page (title, author, class info & instructor, date)
    c. Topic discussion (introduction/overview, perspectives and context, focus)
        A discussion of your topic as it is reflected in the documents you have read and selected.
    d. Bibliographic essay - discussion, comparison and overview of sources in the context of your topic.
        Discuss best databases for your topic; discuss best Web sites for your topic.
        Based on your research experience and selection of sources, imagine that you were
        advising a researcher about sources on your topic, where to begin search, what to expect, etc.
    e. Annotated bibliography: 4 items (give preference to fulltext online), selected for each category listed below:
        2 from databases (Dialog, Firstsearch, Wilson, etc.), 2 from the Web.
        For each category include - 1. full citation, 2. annotation, 3. evaluation, 4. Database/Web tool used to locate.
    f. Appendix: Information Sampling - headlines, cover stories, research reports, cartoons,
       images, chars, graphs.

    g.  Conclusions - discussion of how the sources you have selected express the topic and what
         they say about the issues.  Present the argument/debate that defines the issues and discuss
         what your sources bring to it.  What do you see in the future for your topic, and what are the trends.

    h. Quotation - literary, poetry, historical figure.
        Use quote for title page or preceding introduction.

INFORMATION CATEGORIES
Research your topic in order of category list.

1.  Popular Press -newspapers and magazines

2.  Historical perspectives -
     Identify a defining moment at which to begin; trace history of your topic.

2.  Scholarly/Professional literature

3. Research reports/studies

4. Statistical information (government, financial, etc.)

5. Government Information (information published by the US government).

6. Legal Literature

7. Books (scholarly and popular)

8. Multimedia/digital media (films, video, recorded sound, photo collections, art works, digital collections).

9.  Institutions concerned with your topic (one each, museum, library, association/society)

10. Primary source material - documents.

11. Quotation - literature, poetry, historical or literary figure.

Web site to assist you with the project.

 Scholarly Journal v. Popular Magazine Articles / UTSA Library
 Types of Periodicals / UTSA Library
 CBB Library and Information Services
 CBB Library and Information Services
 Moellering Library -- Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals

CITING ONLINE S SOURCES
 Internet Citation Guides Organized by Style, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Memorial Library
 Citing Internet Sources
 The LINGUIST List: Citing On-line Sources

PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism Q&A
Plagiarism Indiana University
 UC Davis Avoiding Plagiarism

COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE
 Copyright and Fair Use: The American Geophysical Union vs. Texaco Corporation
 LION: Copyright and Fair Use Issues for School Librarians
 LION: Copyright and Fair Use Issues for School Librarians
 Digest 95-03 http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome/digests/copyright.html

Web Search Strategies
 Web Search Tool Resources
 Online Database Searching Tips

Guides to Writing Research Papers
 How to Write an A+ Research Paper http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome/digests/copyright.html
 Guide for Writing Research Papers
 The Research Paper http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/general_handouts/research_guide.html