English 202 Fall 2005 - Research Writing
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Browsing for Conversations
 
Before delving deeply into your Everyday Research,  it can be useful to get a "feel" for the ongoing conversations: issues, interests, and debates that others have been engaged in.  An individual's research will rarely start a new conversation; normally it involves making a contribution by extending or questioning something in an ongoing line of discussion.

You've done some brainstorming of potential conversations; now you'll do some preliminary searching. Your goals are: 1) to get a feel for the terrain; 2) to test how "doable" your research may be;  3) to discover new perspectives on your chosen topic.

Process: (Post results to your blog) Name each "conversation" you encounter, developing a working list. It may be useful to think about where it fits in terms of academic discipline, who participates, or whom it serves. 

 Here's an example for the topic--consumerism and college choice:

  1. Aspiring parents (conscious of prestige but also cost)
  2. Aspiring students (following parents' lead)
  3. Educators (advocating college choice be based on quality of learning and student-school fit)
  4. College Admissions (promoting school choice as a crucial decision, without acknowledging the product-sales dimension)
  5. Test Prep/Counseling Companies (emphasizing admission as competition, requiring investment in training and preparation)
  6. Consumer Groups (concerned with the over-pricing of education, and the exploitation of parents' ability/willingness to pay)

 

 Below are some links that may be useful to you early in your research process; browse and consider the different perspectives held on your topic. (We'll spend some time shortly developing a more specific research plan.)

 

Web Browsing

Broad Search - www.google.com
(enter keyword)

Area Search - work within  google directories
(narrow to subject type, eg.: news, education, science)

Advanced Search - google
(eg. limit to non-profit organization websites, government, or school-based websites)

 

Local* Browsing

IUP Library Catalog (Books)

IUP Library Databases (Indexes and electronic journal subscriptions especially academic or scholarly sources)**

IUP Government Publications

(* Please note that PALCI offers easy access to useful books held at other libraries; don't be discouraged if you come across a title that we don't own locally.)

(**Searching with databases can be tricky, since the choice of search terms and the coverage or "scope" of the database effect your results. Ask for help!)

 

Directories and Guides

 Alternative Press Directory | PA-Media (Pavisnet) |Internet Public Library | Open Directory Project |

Other Search Engines

Yahoo | Altavista | Teoma | Profusion

 
Courses | Sherwood |IUP English | IUP
Last Updated: 09 December, 2008