Primary and Secondary Research Citing Sources

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Primary and Secondary ResearchCiting Sources

• Engl 3365

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What is research good for?

• Demonstrates professionalism
• Remember that proposals sell an idea
• Research shows that you know something about the
  topic, issue, and solution youre describing
• Research shows the level of work youve put into
  your idea
• Supports arguments
• Remember that convincing ideas sell best
• Research provides evidence to support your ideas
• Research shows what other people think about the
  topic, issue, and solution youre describing
• Aids further investigation
• Research shows where readers can get more
  information on the topic, issue, or solution
  youre describing

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Types of Research

• Can define based on where the info came from
• PRIMARY research the information would not exist
  if you hadnt collected it
• surveys, interviews, photographs, original
  diagrams
• SECONDARY research the information has been
  collected or reported by someone else
• articles, reports, pre-existing diagrams and
  photos

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What research is important for you?

• Function
• Background research shows the size, scope, or
  other important general features of your
  problem/issue
• Descriptive research describes important
  features of the solution or course of action you
  suggest
• Feasibility research shows or suggests that the
  course of action you suggest is realistic,
  beneficial, etc
• Source
• Newspapers and Magazines great for background
  info
• Organizations great for solution ideas
  descriptive info
• Reports great for feasibility info

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Primary Research

• Types/Sources
• Interviews (including talks with the client)
• Emails (including client emails)
• Phone Conversations (a type of interview)
• Surveys
• Pictures
• TALK TO ME FIRST if you plan to do any kind of
  primary research for your report besides talking
  to the client

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Secondary Researchresources

• TTU Library
• Simply ask a librarian for help
• Use on-line databases and advice
• Local and National newspapers
• National news TTU library Nexis-Lexis search
  portal
• Local news Avalanche-Journal http//www.lubbocko
  nline.com/stories
• Campus news Daily Toreador http//www.dailytorea
  dor.com/

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Database Searchtips

• Use search words that are precise
• For ex, making lubbock wet is too
  idiosyncratic
• Instead, lubbock alcohol sales is more
  objectively descriptive
• Use more search terms to narrow results
• For ex, alcohol sales might be too broad
• Instead, alcohol sales petition rules is more
  focused
• Remember that indirect data can help too
• Dont ignore results just because they dont
  seem to deal with the precise issue or solution
  youre interested in

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Document your sources

• As youre doing research, use the can you find
  it again? rule of thumb
• Write down or save all the information youd need
  to find the article, report, or website from
  scratch
• This includes things like publication name,
  title, author, date, URL, et cetera

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Why document and cite sources?

• Demonstrates professionalism
• Shows where you went to find information
• Indicates the level of effort you put into
  research
• Supports arguments and shows credibility
• Shows that the things you say arent just
  opinions
• Indicates the validity of the information you
  present
• Aids further investigation
• Shows where readers can go to check your
  information
• Indicates what resources can be useful for
  further research

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What do citations accomplish?

• Show where the info came from
• Your citation must include all the information
  that a reader would need to locate the original
  source
• If you created the info (its primary research),
  then show this
• Show how reliable the info likely is
• Your citation must include all the information
  that a reader would need to evaluate the
  legitimacy of the original source
• Use a style/format that is clear, consistent, and
  
• accomplishes all these goals

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Whats important to know?

• What kind of a source is it?
• EXAMPLE books are generally more reliable than
  newspaper articles, while, newspaper articles are
  generally more reliable than blog sites.
• How old is the information?
• Newer sources are generally more reliable than
  old info.
• You need to include some sort of date in your
  cite.
• Who produced the information?
• It is very important to know who published or
  hosts the info.
• You really need to indicate the organizational
  context of your info.
• EXAMPLE readers will evaluate evolution info
  differently depending on whether it came from
  the National Academy of Science or the
  Institute for Wingnut Research.

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Notice that . . .

• Just footnoting a URL web address answers NONE of
  these questions!
• DO NOT use something like this as a citation
• 2.http//www.lexisnexis.com.libe1.lib.ttu.edu/us/
  lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb21_T238
  5142280formatGNBFIsortRELEVANCEstartDocNo1r
  esultsUrlKey29_T2385142283cisb22_T2385142282tr
  eeMaxtruetreeWidth0csi8058docNo11
• INSTEAD, give USEFUL citation info
• States News Service (Apr 19, 2007). Arrests
  Dismantle Major Cocaine Trafficing Organization
  in Lubbock. Wire service newspaper story
  retrieved from Lexis-Nexis news database using
  search term Lubbock, cocaine, enforcement.

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Citation Styles Formats

• Simply choose one that fits your project
• Ch 7, Researching Your Subject Documenting
  Sources, pp.222-242
• In-Text citations
• Place the citation at the end of the sentence
  (Fricke 2005). Full citation details are then
  listed in a bibliography.
• Fricke, Art (2005, Nov 5). Citation Formats.
  Retrieved Nov 5, 2005, from http//artfricke.blogs
  pirit.com/files/research2.ppt (weblog created by
  a college-level technical writing instructor)
• Citation-Sequence citations
• Insert a footnote or an endnote at the end of
  the sentence.² Full citation details are then
  listed at the bottom of the page or end of the
  document. There is no need for a separate
  bibliography.
• ² Fricke, Art. Citation Formats. Technical
  Writing class lecture at Texas Tech University.
  Oct 31, 2011.

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citations must be PRACTICALLY USEFUL for audience

• Your audience will not know or care what the
  proper formats are
• Your audience will want to clearly know
• where did the information come from?
• who produced the information?
• how old is the information?
• Just make citations that clearly and consistently
  answer these three questions

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a clear example

• not clear (who produced?)
• Bazell, James. (Nov 2011). How to stop
  smoking. http//www.stopsmoking.org/how_to_stop/
  bazell/5432645_123509.html
• much more clear (a tobacco company produced)
• Bazell, James. (Nov 2011). How to stop
  smoking. Internet article last viewed Nov 4,
  2011. Posted at www.stopsmoking.org, a website
  created and maintained by RJ Reynolds tobacco
  company.

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for consistency . . .

• . . . you need to use the exact same format (same
  fonts, order of info, punctuation, et cetera) for
  each type of source.
• For example, make sure that all book references
  look exactly the same and contain the same
  information.
• If a specific reference is missing information
  (for example, the publication date of an online
  article), then tell the audience this in the
  citation.
• Bazell, James. (unknown publication date). How
  to stop smoking. Internet article last viewed
  Nov 4, 2011. Posted at www.stopsmoking.org, a
  website created and maintained by RJ Reynolds
  tobacco company.

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a consistent example

• Two online newspaper article citations that are
  NOT consistent
• Bazell J. posted Nov 2011. Mets win again. New
  York Times. lthttp//www.nytimes.com/roundup/mets44
  34.htmgt. Looked at on November 14, 2011.
• 2011. Mets win series, The New York Times,
  www.nytimes.com/roundup/pennant1324.htm, November
  16, 2011.
• Two online newspaper article citations that ARE
  consistent
• Bazell J. 2011. Mets win again. The New York
  Times. lthttp//www.nytimes.com/roundup/mets4434.ht
  mgt. Accessed 2011 Nov 14.
• Anonymous. 2011. Mets win series. The New York
  Times. lthttp//www.nytimes.com/roundup/pennant1324
  .htmgt. Accessed 2011 Nov 16.

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A word on proper use

• If a fact, observation, or opinion is not your
  own, then you must cite where it came from
• If you include words that are not your own, then
  you must cite the source and clearly show that it
  is a quote
• If you include a mix of your words and someone
  elses, then you must cite the source and clearly
  show that it is a paraphrase
• Review the policy presented in the course
  syllabus. Talk to me if you are at all unclear
  on this.