Reference works

Reference works

a. Reference works that provide data about research material

*Indexes: guide you to material in newspapers, magazines, and journals as well as to writings in book collections.

*Bibliographies: are lists of related publications and other materials.

*collection of abstract: present summaries of journal articles and other literature.

*guides to research: seek to direct you to the most important sources of information and scholarship in the area you are researching.

b. Reference works that give basic information about subjects

*Dictionary: are alphabetically arranged works that provide information, usually in concise form, about words or topics.

*Encyclopedias: are works, usually alphabetically arranged, that give introductory information about subjects.

*Biographical sources: present information on the lives of prominent persons.

*Yearbooks: present information about specific years in the past. Examples are the Americana annual, Britannica book of the year, and the Europa yearbook.

*Almanacs: are annual publications containing data, especially statistics, about many subjects Examples are the world almanac and book of facts and the world fact book.

*Atlases: are collections of maps.

*Gazetteers: Provide geographic information.

*Statistical resources: provide numerical or quantitative information.

C. Publication Forms Of Reference Works: Print and Electronic 

Print versus electronic. Online and CD-ROM databases have a number of advantages over print versions of reference works.

Type of searches

* Author searches

* Title searches

* Subject searches

* expanded searches

A. searches an online catalog

*author searches: if you enter the author’s full name – whether a personal name or a corporate name.

* Title searches: entering the title produces a list of all words the library has with that title.

* Subject heading searches: you can enter a subject heading to produce a list of words about the subject.

*call number searches: the designation by which the work is shelved in the library.

* Keyword searches: an online catalog also helps you to initiate more sophisticated searches.

*Boolean searches: online catalogs also typically permit searching according to Boolean logic – that is using the operators and, or and not.

* Other advanced searches: online catalogs allow you to limit your search in various ways, you can ask for titles published during a certain range of years or title located only in one specific part of your library or to specific media .

a.Microforms:

Microform designates printed matter greatly reduced in size by microphotography; common types are microfilms, microfiche and microcard.

 1.4.8. Internet Sources

A – Range Of Sources

B – Using Recommended Sites

C – Gateways Sites

D – Peer –Reviewed

1.5. Compiling a Working Bibliography

1- Keeping Track Of Sources

2- Creating a Computer File for the Working Bibliography

3- Recording Essential Publication Information:

Book:

1. Author’s Full Name (Last Name First)

2. Full Title (Including Any Subtitle)

3. Edition (If the Book Is a Second or Later Numbered Edition or a Revised Edition)

4. Number of the Volume and the Total Number of Volumes (If the Book Is a Multivolume Work)

5. City Of Publications

6. Shortened Form Of The Publisher’s Name

7. Year of Publication

1.6. Evaluating Sources:

Focus particularly on the authority, accuracy and currency of the sources you use.

Accuracy and Verifiability

If you are evaluating scholarly material, check to see that the work’s sources are indicated, so that its information can be verified.

Currency

The publication date of a print source suggests how current the author’s scholarship is

1.7.Taking Notes

Types of note-taking

1-SUMMARY: summarize if you want to record only the general ideas of large amount of material.

2- paraphrase: if you required detailed notes on specific sentences and passages but do not need the exact wording, you may wish to paraphrase – that is, to restate the material in your own words.

3- Quotation: when you believe that some sentence or passage in its original wording might make an effective addition to your paper, transcribe that material exactly as it appears, word for word, comma for comma .whenever you quote verbatim from a work, be sure to use quotation marks scrupulously in your notes to distinguish the quotation form summary and paraphrase.

1.7.5. Amount and Accuracy of Note-Taking

In taking notes, seek to steer a middle course between recording too much and recording too little.

1.8. Outlining

1.8.2. Thesis statement

.A single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view. In a sense, the thesis statement is your answer to the central question or problem you have raised.

Purpose and Audience

Two factors are important to the shaping of a thesis statement – your purpose and your audience.

1.8.3. Final Outline

Organizing principles

-chronology: useful for historical discussions e.g. how the Mexican war developed.

- Cause and effect: E.g., the consequences a scientific discovery will have.

-Process: e.g. how politician got elected.

- Deductive logic: which moves from the general to the specific?

- Inductive logic: which moves from the specific to the general?

1.8.4. Summing up

- A Working Outline is useful intermediary document between research and writing .it helps you gain an overview of the paper and keep track of all-important aspects of the subject.

- A Thesis Statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view. It is an answer to the central question or problem you have raised. When preparing the thesis statement. Keep in mind your purpose in writing and the audience you are writing for.

- The Final Outline helps you organize your ideas and research into a coherent paper. Organizing principles include chronology, cause and effect, and deductive and inductive logic.

1.9. Writing Drafts

The successful research paper is usually the culmination of a series of drafts.

1.10. Language and style

Effective writing depends as much on clarity and readability as on content. The organization and development of your ideas, the unity and coherence of your presentation, and your command of sentence structure, grammar and diction are all important considerations, as are the mechanics of writing – capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and so on. The key to successful communication is using the right language for the audience you are addressing. In all writing, the challenge is to find the words, phrases, clauses, sentences and paragraphs that express your thoughts and ideas precisely and that make them interesting to others.  

Language and style of research paper (an essay)

1. Clear and readable.

2. Organization.

3. Development of through.

4. Unity of ideas.

5. Apply mechanics.

       A. grammar.                                 B .spelling.

       C .punctuation.                           D .capitalization.

         6. Use right language for audience (readers)

7. precise (to the point and brief).

8. Interesting.

9. Objective.

10. Don’t talk about:

            A. age.                        B gender.                 C .religion.

            D .rave.                      E .ethnicity.               F .color of skin