geog 4311 historical geography

Clarke Iakovakis | Research & Instruction Librarian | UHCL Neumann Library

Hopkins & Motter. Houston – A Modern City [map]. 1912. Scale not given. “Library of Congress Panoramic Maps Collection.” <http://www.loc.gov/item/75696599/> (16 Jan 2015).

Library Research for GEOG 4311: Historical Geography

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For me, the hardest part of research is…

a. Getting started

b. Finding relevant information

c. Writing the paper

d. Citing sources

e. None – research is easy

Outline for Today• Research is Inquiry• Determining Authority• Principles of Good Searching • BREAK• Searching in the Research

Databases & Library Catalog• Citing sources

Section 1: Research is Inquiry

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A literature review is part of the published work referencing related research, theory, and background information

A review of the literature (literature search) may be conducted to…◦ understand a topic◦ help you form a problem statement◦ provide confirmation of an already

existing hypothesis◦ analyze and interpret your own data◦ gain exposure to past, current, and

ongoing research about a subject you are exploring for research of your own

Reviewing literature

Research is inquiryResearch is an open-ended exploration and engagement with informationAnxiety is normal!Be open-minded—seek divergent perspectives and information that challenges your beliefs, and be skeptical

Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources

•Primary sources are the “raw material” or first-hand evidence•Secondary sources describe and interpret information from primary sources•Tertiary sources compile and summarize primary and secondary sources

Press A for True Press B for False

TRUE or FALSE?TRUE or FALSE?

Articles providing overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from

other resources are primary sources

TRUE or FALSE?TRUE or FALSE?

Diaries, news articles, speeches, & interviews are examples of primary sources.

The literature review“Your research is a small piece in a complicated jigsaw puzzle; it does not exist in isolation…Your reader needs to know about the whole jigsaw puzzle and not simply the shade and shape of your particular piece. In a literature review, you are contextualizing your work; you are describing the bigger picture that provides the background and creates the space or gap for your research”

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Ridley, D. (2012). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Section 2: Determining Authority

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Authority is constructed and contextual“Authority” is a type of influence recognized or exerted in a communityDisciplines have acknowledged authorities--scholars & publicationsApproach “authoritative” perspectives with informed skepticism.

What are some indicators you can use to determine if information is valid?

CRAAP:•Currency•Relevance•Authority•Accuracy•Purpose

Give some examples of authorities who have been wrong

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" -- H. M. Warner (1881-1958), founder of Warner Brothers, in 1927

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." -- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson (1874-1956), Chairman of IBM, 1943

“Animals, which move, have limbs and muscles. The earth does not have limbs and muscles; therefore it does not move.” -- Scipio Chiaramonti, Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics at the University of Pisa, 1633

What are some sources of scholarly information?BooksReference worksPeer reviewed journal articlesGray literatureReports (government, non-governmental

organizations)Theses & dissertationsConference proceedings

Archival sources

Anatomy of a scholarly article• Journal name, volume, issue, pages• Author credentials: university,

government, industry• Abstract• Introduction/literature

review/theoretical background• Methods• Findings/subsections• Discussion/Conclusions• References

Periodicals (journals, magazines)

Peer-reviewedRefereedScholarlyAcademic

TradeProfessionalPractitionerIndustry

GeneralPopular

Section 3: Principles of good searching

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• Determine your problem statement1• Identify the key concepts2• List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words3• Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean

operators4• Make use of database’s limiters & suggested subject

terms 5• Organize and cite your sources6

Search Process

One

• How has racial desegregation progressed in America since the passage of the Civil Rights Act?

Two

• How has the Civil Rights Act affected racial desegregation in areas such as housing, health care, employment, and education in American cities?

Three

• To what extent has Civil Rights legislation reinforced or diminished housing discrimination, and what has been the effect on the distribution of population by race in American cities?

1. Determine your problem statement

2. Identify the key concepts

Housing Discrimination Cities

To what extent has Civil Rights legislation reinforced or diminished housing discrimination, and what has been the effect on the distribution of population by race in American cities?

Civil Rights Act Race Population

Housing

Residence/Residential

Neighborhood

Home ownership

Mortgage Loans

3. List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words

OR

To what extent has Civil Rights legislation reinforced or diminished housing discrimination, and what has been the effect on the distribution of population by race in American cities?

Discrimination

Prejudice

Inequality

Jim Crow Laws

RacismOR

3. List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words

To what extent has Civil Rights legislation reinforced or diminished housing discrimination, and what has been the effect on the distribution of population by race in American cities?

ANDOR

NOT

4. Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean operators

racismdiscrimination prejudice

M EOR

discrimination OR racism OR prejudice

Housing OR neighborhood OR mortgage loans

discrimination OR racism OR prejudice

AND

AND

Which statement below will generate more search results?

A.

B.

Which search will find FEWER results?

A.B.

OR

discrimination

discrimination

housing

housing

ANDORem

Truncation (Wildcards)

discriminate

discriminates

discriminating

discrimination

discriminator

discriminators

discriminat* * Search Tip

• State your research topic1• Identify the key concepts2• List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words3• Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean

operators4• Make use of database’s limiters & suggested subject

terms 5• Organize and cite your sources6

Search Strategies

BreaktimePlease be back in 10 minutes

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Section 3: Research Databases & Library Catalog

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Why use a library when I have Google?

But wait…

tumblr

.gov Wikipedia

Subscription databases

Password-protected websites

restricted access

$$$

free

access

Illegal content

Classified documents

Surface Web

Deep Web

Amazon

cnn

Google

ads

Off campus access to subscription databases

If you have problems accessing resources from off campus, call the

Reference Desk 281-283-3910

2001234567

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

To connect to library databases from home

Log in using your UHCL ID and last name

Log in using your eservice account

Call the library and ask for a password

Google it

Log in using your Library barcode and last name

AND

To what extent has Civil Rights legislation reinforced or diminished housing discrimination, and what has been the effect on the distribution of population by race in American cities?

To contact a Librarian

libanswers.uhcl.edu

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