Posted: February 13th, 2023

COSU 100 Library Assignment Part 1: Forming a Research Question

Name: ________________________________________

COSU 100 Library Assignment Part 1: Forming a Research Question

Instructional videos available at: http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part1

Selecting a research topic can be the most difficult part of doing research. If your topic is too broad, you may be overwhelmed by how much information you find; if it is too narrow, you may not find enough. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your research topic, so pick something that is of interest to you and that you can reasonably cover in the time given.

Watch video on the COSU 100 Guide, Part 1. (http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part1)

Step One: Choose a broad topic; then, focus it.

Write your topic in a text box the space below, with enough room to add more around it. Narrow the focus of your topic by considering various aspects of the topic, and write these in text boxes one step away from your center box. Continue to brainstorm and group ideas into clusters around each topic. Once you’ve mapped out some ideas, choose one specific aspect of your topic to focus on. To help organize, we recommend using Insert – Drawing – Shapes to access lines that connect thoughts.
Sometimes, you may not know enough about your topic to narrow it. Background research using encyclopedias can help you focus your topic (see right).

Step Two: Answer the 4 W’s.
Focus your topic by considering who, what, when, and where you are talking about.

Fill in the 4 W’s for your topic in the graphic organizer below.

By completing steps one and two, you now have a more focused research topic and are ready to form your research question. Your research question should be clear, focused, and complex (see right). It will be the center of your research.

Step Three: Write a research question.

Write your research question below.

COSU 100 Library Assignment Part 2: Developing Keywords and Search Strings

Instructional videos available at: http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part2

To search for resources that will help you answer your research question, you’ll need to use keywords. These are the key terms that you can string together to find information about your topic. When developing keywords, it is important to consider the words people use when writing about your topic.

Step One: Identify your keywords.

Watch video on the COSU 100 Guide, Part 2. (http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part2)

In the space below, write your research question and circle (or bold) the most important 2-4 words. These are your keywords. Most sources will not be asking the exact question you’re asking, but they may discuss the same major concepts. Choosing core ideas as keywords will help you find sources that are relevant.

Step Two: Consider synonyms for your keywords.

Watch video on the COSU 100 Guide, Part 2. (http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part2)

People don’t always use the same words to talk about the same subject, and they often don’t use the same words when writing in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals about a subject. Use background sources like encyclopedias, electronic reference sources, or the web to find alternate terms used for your topic.

In the table below, write your keywords at the top and list possible synonyms below them.

Step Three: Create search strings.

Watch video on the COSU 100 Guide, Part 2. (http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part2)

Use your keywords or their synonyms to create three distinct search strings using Boolean operators that you’ll try when searching for information about your topic.

Search String 1:

Search String 2:

Search String 3:

COSU 100 Library Assignment Part 3: Creating an Annotated Bibliography

Instructional videos available at: http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part3

Watch intro video and videos on the COSU 100 Guide, Part 3. (http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cosu100/part3)

This annotated bibliography needs to consist of the citation information for each source, and an annotation with a summary of the source and an explanation of why you think it is useful. For this assignment, you will need to find two books and two articles related to your topic. Please include the following information in your annotated bibliography:

Research Question: Write your final research question at the top of your annotated bibliography assignment.

Format for Book Entries: (Find 2 books)
Title:
Author:
Publisher:
Publication Date:
City of Publication:
Format (Print or eBook):
Annotation: Write a single paragraph addressing each of the following items:
• Summarize the main idea of the book.
• Describe the search string (from assignment 2, step 3) used to find this book.
• Describe the limiters used to find the book.
• Describe the library tool you used to find this book.
• Explain why the source is relevant to your question.

Format for Article Entries: (Find 2 articles)
Journal Title:
Article Title:
Author(s):
Date of Publication:
Volume:
Issue:
Page Numbers:
Format (Print or Online):
Annotation: Write a single paragraph addressing each of the following items:
• Summarize the main idea of the article.
• Describe the search string (from assignment 2, step 3) used to find this article.
• Describe the limiters used to find the article.
• Describe the library tools/databases you used to find this article.
• Explain why the source is relevant to your question.

Type your annotated bibliography and turn it in, along with Part 1 and 2 of the assignment.

Example Annotated Bibliography
Research Question: Is there a correlation between academic success and surviving a zombie apocalypse?

Example Book Entry:
Book Title: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Author: Max Brooks
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Publication Date: 2006
City of Publication: New York
Format: Print
Annotation: This book gives details on the various battles and survival strategies that lead to surviving the last zombie outbreak. This source seems relevant because it gives many practical examples of how to survive a zombie outbreak, and how to identify when one is occurring. I used the search string (Zombie OR Undead) AND (“academic success” OR intelligence) to find the book in the online catalog through the OneSearch. I set limiters to only find books and eBooks from the online collection and the main collection.

Example Article Entry:
Journal Title: Journal of Library Innovation
Article Title: The Library is Undead: Information Seeking During the Zombie Apocalypse
Authors: Margeaux Johnson, Amy Buhler, Chris Hillman
Date of Publication: 10/2010
Volume: 1
Issue: 2
Page numbers: 29-43
Format: online
Annotation: This article shows how libraries are capitalizing on the popularity of zombies to promote library resources and programs. I thought that this article was relevant because while it doesn’t directly show how there is a correlation between surviving a zombie apocalypse and academic success, it does show that there are tools that an academically successful student could use to increase the chances of survival during a zombie outbreak. I found this article by using the search (zombie OR undead) AND intelligence in the OneSearch. I set the limits for full text and journal article. The OneSearch led me to the article that was in the database “Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with full text.”

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