Thoughtful research:

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Thoughtful research

• Moving beyond the topic!

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So, whats the big deal about research?
Its just another project!
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Research is a real-life skill

• Research projects are training grounds for adult
  problem-solving and decision-making
• Which car should I buy and how much should I pay?
• Which candidate will best represent my interests?
• How can I convince my boss to accept my proposal?
• How should we work together to rebuild Iraq?
• Who do I believe?

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No more reports!

• The . . .
• country
• state
• president
• animal
• report has already been done (very well) by any
  number of encyclopedias.
• Why should we ask you to waste your time?

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Thoughtful research asks you to

• Analyze
• Judge
• Support or reject or critique
• Prioritize
• Evaluate
• Plan

• Debate
• Conclude
• Recommend
• Justify
• Argue
• Propose
• Invent

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We are asking for . . . more meaningful, and
more interesting research!
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What exactly do we expect?
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When you search

• Three tips
• Focuswhat is your mission? your question? Be
  specific!
• Strategizeselect search tools and search terms
  with precision
• Refineattempt to improve your search results
• Evaluatewhich results to visit, which documents
  to use? Did I do good work?

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Start with good questions

• Which one
• How
• What if
• Should
• Why
• Brainstormer http//mciu.org/spjvweb/questbrain.h
  tml

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What your teachers expect

• All research is inquiry-driven, based on good
  questions
• Perfect bibliographic format
• Defense of your source choices in annotations
• Quality, balanced sources. No research holes!
• Variety of access toolssearch engines, subject
  directories, databases, books
• Original work, your own voice. No plagiarism!

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Evaluate your sources!

• Are your sources from a variety of media formats?
• Have you considered the credibility, accuracy,
  currency, appropriateness, and relevance of all
  sources?
• Have you pursued sources energetically?
• Have you followed documentation guidelines?

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Have you used print?

• Non-fiction books are filtered for quality!
• Non-fiction books are written not only by subject
  specialists, they are written by authors who know
  the needs of their audience.
• It may take a year or two of research and editing
  for an author to publish a book. Many web pages
  are thrown up in a very short time period.
• Probably 90 of this librarys collection is NOT
  on the Web.
• You may need to get up. Its not all on the Web.

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Process for developing the thoughtful thesis
topic
questions
tentative thesis
thesis
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Why, a thesis?

• A thesis statement declares what you intend to
  prove.
• A thesis gives your work focus.
• A good thesis statement makes the difference
  between a thoughtful research project and a
  simple retelling of facts.
• It makes the work worth doing!

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I have a thesis. Where do I put it?

• The thesis statement is typically located at the
  end of your opening paragraph. (The opening
  paragraph serves to set the context for the
  thesis.)

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How do I know if I have a solid tentative thesis?
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What does a thesis look like?
2 Simple equations Specific topic
Attitude/Angle/Argument Thesis (or 3 Ts
Topic Tude Thesis) What you plan to
argue How you plan to argue it
Your thesis
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Attributes of a good thesis

• Contestableproposes an argument with which
  people could reasonably disagree.
• Provocativetakes a stand and justifies the
  discussion you will present.
• Coverablecould be adequately covered in the
  format of the project assigned.
• Specific and focusedproves a point without
  discussing everything in the world about
• Provableasserts your own conclusion based on
  solid evidence.

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Dont rush your thesis!

• A good tentative thesis will help you focus your
  search for information.
• You must do a lot of background reading before
  you know enough about a subject to identify the
  key or essential questions.
• You may not know how you stand on an issue until
  you have examined the evidence.
• You will likely begin your research with a
  working, preliminary or tentative thesis which
  you will continue to refine until you are certain
  of where the evidence leads.

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Be flexible!

• The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you
  didn't
• think youd reach.
• It is perfectly okay to
• change your thesis!

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How will you find a thesis?

• As you read look for
• Interesting contrasts or comparisons or patterns
  emerging in the information
• Something about the topic that surprises you
• Ideas that make you wonder why?
• Priorities you can weigh
• Something an expert says that makes you
  respond, No way! That cant be right! or Yes,
  absolutely. I agree!

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Try these five tests on your own tentative thesis
1. Does the thesis  inspire a reasonable reader
to ask,How? or Why? 2. Would a reasonable
reader NOT respond with Duh! or So what? or
Gee, no kidding! or Who cares? 3. Does the
thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping
words such as all or none or every? 4. Does
the thesis lead the reader toward the topic
sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the
thesis)? 5. Can the thesis be adequately
developed in the required length of the paper or
project? If you cannot answer YES to these
questions, what changes must you make in order
for your thesis to pass these tests?
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Are these good thesis statements? (Use the five
tests to decide.)

• 1. Terrorism should not happen.
• 2. The causes of the Civil War were economic,
  social, and political.
• 3. The Simpsons is the greatest animated show in
  the history of television.
• 4. The Simpsons treats the issues of ethnicity,
  family dynamics, and social issues effectively.
• 5. Often dismissed because it is animated, The
  Simpsons treats the issue of ethnicity more
  powerfully than did the critically praised All In
  The Family.

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Now you are ready!Go forth and do powerful,
thoughtful research!

• Remember, you are not alone. Check frequently
  with your library media teacher and classroom
  teacher for guidance!