Hutchins Library
BOOST Worksheet

Some instructors suggest printing this worksheet after each BOOST session for use offline.


 

The Research Process – Manage Your Time

Use the Assignment Calculator to create a timeline for completing a selected assignment.

1.3.1      What is the name of the assignment?

 

1.3.2      What is the date today?

 

1.3.3      When is your assignment due?

 

According to the Assignment Calculator…

1.3.4      By what date should you choose a topic and pose a research question?

 

1.3.5      When should you begin finding books/articles/websites?

 

1.3.6      When should you write your first draft?

 

1.3.7      When should you begin the revising and rewriting process?

 

Defining Research Needs – Understand Your Assignment

2.1.1      What important verbs are included in the description of your assignment?

 

2.1.2      What kind of approach do those verbs indicate?

 

2.1.3      Is there more than one part to your assignment?  What are the main parts?

 

2.1.4      Briefly describe any special instructions given for this assignment.

 

2.1.5      Who is the audience for your assignment?

 

2.1.6      What might your audience already know?  What biases might they have?

 

Defining Research Needs – Differences Between Resource Types

2.2.1      Do you think books will be useful resources for your assignment?  Why or why not?

 

2.2.2      Do you think scholarly journal articles will be useful resources for your assignment?  Why or why not?

 

2.2.3      Do you think popular magazine articles will be useful resources your assignment?  Why or why not?

 

2.2.4      Do you think websites will be useful resources for your assignment?  Why or why not?

 

Developing a Research Strategy – Define Your Topic and Pose a Research Question

3.1.1      What is your broad subject?

 

3.1.2      List three possible topics for your assignment. (If a topic has been provided/selected for you, type it here.)

 

Developing a Research Strategy – Brainstorm Search Terms

3.2.1      What is your research question?

 

3.2.2      Break down research question into 2-3 smaller concepts.  List them here:

 

3.2.3      List any appropriate synonyms for each of your concepts.

 

3.2.4      List any alternative spellings, abbreviations, or multiple endings that apply to your concept terms or synonyms.

 

Developing a Research Strategy – Build a Keyword Search

3.3.1      Copy the AND search string you created with the terms students, jobs and grades. Paste it here:

 

3.3.2      Copy the OR search string you created with the terms job, employment, grades, and g.p.a.. Paste it here:

 

3.3.3      Copy the search string created with your own terms. Paste it here:

 

3.3.4      Would a truncation symbol be useful to use with any of the terms in your search string? If yes, list the terms here: 

 

3.3.5      Are there any phrases related to your research question with which that you might need to use quotations? If yes, list them here:  List them here:

 

Conducting the Search – Find Books

4.1.1      Use BANC to locate 3 books related to your research question.  Copy and paste their titles and call numbers here:

Book1:

Book2:

Book3:

 

Conducting the Search – Find Articles

4.2.1      What is an article database?  What does it include?  How would it differ from the library catalog?  From search engines?

 

4.2.2      Which databases do you think will be best for searching for articles related to your research question?  Why?

 

4.2.3      View the “Example Database Search”.  Then search the Academic Search Premier database to find one article related to your research question.  Copy and paste the citation here:

 

4.2.4      Was the full text of the article available online?

 

Conducting the Search – Find Call Numbers

4.3.1      The example call number above begins with the letters 808.02.  Use the Dewey Decimal classification system link above to determine what broad subject the book having this call number would fall under. stands for and what narrower subject “H List the broad subject here:

 

4.3.2      Use the same link to find the number code that most closely matches your topic/research question, and type it here:

 

4.3.3      Click on the “Hutchins Library Call Number Map” link above.  Describe where you would find books on Writing Research Papers and English Literature.

 

4.3.4      Describe where in Hutchins Library you would find books related to your research question.

 

Conducting the Search – Find Web Sites

4.4.1      List the title and URL (web address) of one promising web page you found relating to your research question.

 

4.4.2      What is your favorite search engine?

 

4.4.3      What does the “advanced search” screen of your favorite search engine allow you to do that the regular search screen does not?

 

Evaluating Resources – Evaluate Books

5.1.1      The exercises in this section will help you evaluate a specific book.  Type the title and author of the book you will evaluate here:

 

5.1.2      Answer the questions above for the book you are evaluating.  Overall, does what you know about the author/authority of the book indicate that it will be a good resource? Explain.

 

5.1.3      Answer the questions above for the book you’re evaluating.  Overall, does what you know about the purpose of the book indicate that it’s a good resource? Explain.

 

5.1.4      Answer the questions above for the book you’re evaluating.  Overall, does what you know about the organization and content of the book indicate that it is a good resource? Explain.

 

5.1.5      Answer the questions above for the book you’re evaluating.  Overall, does what you know about the publisher of the book indicate that it is a good resource? Explain.

 

5.1.6      Answer the questions above for the book you’re evaluating.  Overall, does what you know about the date of publication of the book indicate that it is a good resource? Explain.

 

5.1.7  Overall, is this book a good resource to use for your assignment? Explain.

 

Evaluating Resources – Evaluate Articles

5.2.1      Describe—in detail and in your own words—the difference between scholarly journal articles and popular magazine articles.

 

5.2.2      Why do you think many instructors require students to use scholarly journal articles instead of popular magazine articles?

 

Evaluating Resources - Evaluate Websites

5.3.1      The exercises in this section will help you evaluate a specific website.  Type the title and URL (web address) of the website you will evaluate here:

 

5.3.2      Answer the following questions about the web site you are evaluating.  Based on what you know about the authority of this website, is it appropriate to use for assignment? Why or why not?

 

5.3.3      Answer the following questions about the website you are evaluating.  Based on what you know about the purpose of this website, is it appropriate to use for your assignment? Why or why not?

 

5.3.4      Answer the following questions about the website you are evaluating.   Based on what you know about the currency of this website, is it appropriate to use for your assignment? Why or why not?

 

5.3.5      Answer the following questions about the website you are evaluating.   Based on what you know about the content of this website, is it appropriate to use for your assignment? Why or why not?

 

5.3.6      Answer the following questions about the website you are evaluating. ½ Based on what you know about the bias/point of view of this website, is it appropriate to use for your assignment? Why or why not?

 

5.3.7  Of all the ways to evaluate a website, which do y do you think is most difficult? Explain.

 

Using Resources – Understand Plagiarism

6.1.1      Which of the above examples of plagiarism do you think is the most common?  Why?

 

Using Resources – Integrate Your Research

6.2.1      Describe, in your own words, the differences among quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing.

 

6.2.2      Explain how you should decide whether to quote, summarize, or paraphrase a passage from a resource.

 

Using Resources – Cite Your Sources

6.3.1      Determine which citation you will be using for your assignment. Type it here: 

 

6.3.2      Cut and paste a citation you created using WriteNote into the space below. If unable to access WriteNote, create a citation following the MLA style.