LenapeHigh School

MediaCenter

RESEARCH GUIDE

Developed by: Jaime Fauver and Jennifer Gaffney

September 2010 (working draft)

Purpose of Research Guide:

This research guide was developed to assist students working on all types of research projects, including but not limited to, research papers, movie maker or photo story projects, power point presentations, website design and any other type of multimedia-based research project. This guide contains information to help students follow all copyright laws, avoid plagiarism, utilize credible resources, conduct sufficient research and successfully complete research projects in all disciplines.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.Research is a Processpage 3

II.Resources – Tools for Locating Informationpage 4

III.Evaluating Sources – Can you trust the information you find?page 5

IV. Copyright and Fair Use – What you need to knowpage 6-7

V.Plagiarism – Avoid it! Don’t steal!page 7

VI. Citations – Cite everything!page 8-9

VII.Checklist for Projects page 10

Research Guide

Citations/References/Works Consulted/

Source list/Acknowledgements/Bibliography

“The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." Center for Social Media. School of Communication, AmericanUniversity. 5 Mar. 2009 <

"Five criteria for evaluating Web pages." Home | CornellUniversity Library. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <

"How to Cite Media." The Library-University of California, Berkeley. Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <

Kuhlthau, Carol Collier. Seeking Meaning A Process Approach to Library and Information Services Second Edition. Freeport: Libraries Unlimited, 2003. Print.

“Limitations on Exclusive Rights: Fair Use”. Copyright Law of the United States of America, § 1-107. U.S. Copyright Office. 26 Feb. 2009. <

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print.

"Purdue OWL." Welcome to the PurdueUniversity Online Writing Lab (OWL). Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <

Star, Linda. "The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use." Education World. 23 Aug. 1999. 5 Mar. 2009 <

"Unlocking Copyright Confusion: Release of Code of Best Practices." Release of Code of Best Practices. NationalConstitutionCenter, Philadelphia, PA. 11 Nov. 2008. Copyright Confusion. 9 Mar. 2009 <

"Yes You Can! Conquering Copyright Confusion." Hershey, PA. 9 Feb. 2009. Copyright Confusion. 9 Mar. 2009 <

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I.Research is a Process

Research is a powerful method of learning that involves much more than just finding information on the Web. Effective research is a process of inquiry and discovery. Through questioning, information seeking and interacting with different ideas, you start to build new knowledge about a subject. While the whole research assignment may seem very overwhelming, developing a research “plan of attack” makes the process easier and more productive.

Research plans vary by individual (for example, some like taking notes on index cards while others prefer using a Word document), but to be successful, it is crucial for you to include the following steps.

  • Understand the assignment and all its requirements
  • Selecta topic of interest
  • Exploreyour topic to acquire background information using general information sources like encyclopedias and the Web
  • Decide on a FOCUSfor your project
  • Investigate - Searchfor information that supports your focus (***be sure to take notes and keep track of all your sources in a “working bibliography”!)
  • Create your project (write your paper, make your movie, develop your presentation, design your website, etc.)
  • Evaluateyour work and make revisions before submitting your finished project

II.Resources – Tools for Locating Information

Information can be found in different sources. Determining which resources to consult depends upon your topic. Using a variety of tools helps ensure that you are finding the most relevant and useful information.

Keep in mind that different search methods (basic vs. advanced search, keyword searching vs. browsing) and using various search terms impact the types of information you will find. Ask your Media Specialists for assistance with search methods and terms.

Types of Resources:

  • Print Publications (books, magazines, research journals)
  • Use the online catalog or ask your Media Specialists for help finding books on your topic
  • Databases
  • The MediaCenter subscribes to many online databases that contain relevant information from a variety of trustworthy sources
  • Must use our username/password to access
  • eBooks
  • Digital versions of actual print reference books
  • Must use our username/password to access
  • People
  • Interviewing experts in the field is a form of primary research
  • Videos
  • MediaCenter collection, television, online
  • Audio recordings/Podcasts
  • Websites
  • Quality information can be found online, particularly from government and educational sites
  • Must evaluate information found on free websites
  • Consider using WebPath Express, the Media Center Catalog’s web search engine, to find credible sites

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III.Evaluating Sources – Can you trust the information you find?

Assessing the quality of the sources you use is an important element of research.

Websites in particular, which do not go through a formal review or publishing process like books and articles, should be evaluated for:

  • Authority
  • Who wrote the information?
  • What is the site’s domain? Is it a commercial (.com) site or a more trustworthy government (.gov) or educational institution (.edu) site?
  • Is the author qualified to write about the subject?
  • Can you contact the author of the site?
  • Accuracy
  • Is the information reliable and can it be verified?
  • Does the page cite its sources?
  • Objectivity
  • Is the information free from bias?
  • What is the goal (or is there an agenda) of the site?
  • Is the information based on facts or opinion?
  • Currency
  • When was the page last updated?
  • Is the information dated?
  • Are there “dead links” on the page?
  • Coverage
  • Does it provide in-depth material?
  • Does the information found relate to your focus?

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IV.Copyright and Fair Use – What you need to know

COPYRIGHT:

All tangible, creative works are protected by copyright immediately upon creation.

This includes videos, images, websites as well as articles and books online or in print.

● All text (articles, books, e-books, websites, etc.) are copyrighted once produced via

print or online format. This includes published and non-published works.

● All multimedia materials are copyrighted once published via any format.

◦ For example, videos on “Youtube”and pictures on “Google images” are copyrighted; therefore, these must be properly cited and properly used according to the fair use guidelines. It must be used under fair use guidelines or it cannot be used.

● Bottom line for copyright: All types of materials you will be using in your research projects may be copyrighted (it may not state that it is copyright protected, but it still may be).

◦ Be sure to follow all fair use guidelines and properly cite all information when researching and using all materials and sources. Try to get permission when possible.

● Public domain: Works in the public domain are excluded from copyright protection. However, you still must cite all the works. Try to find pictures, videos, songs and documents in the public domain. For more information on public domain, please contact the media specialists.

◦ The Internet is NOT public domain. You cannot just use anything you find.

FAIR USE:

The Doctrine of Fair Use states the right to use copyrighted materials freely without payment or permission for purposes such as “criticism, comment, news-reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” (Section 107; Copyright Act of 1976)

Fair Use is NOT a license to steal! You can only use information, text, videos, images, etc. under certain conditions and, of course, you must properly cite all information and sources.

Four Factors to Determine Fair Use:

  1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
  2. The nature of the copyrighted work
  3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

Under the Code of Best Practices for Fair Use (Nov 2008), you should ask yourself:

● Did the unlicensed use “transform” the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than that of the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original?

● Transformative use is Fair Use

◦ When a user of copyrighted materials adds value to, or repurposes (remixes) materials for a use different from that for which it was originally intended, it will likely be considered transformative use.

◦ Fair Use embraces modifying of existing media content, placing it in a new context.

● What should you do?

◦Fully credit all sources for text, images, videos, music

◦State on the opening screen that materials are included under fair use guidelines

◦Only use what is necessary for educational/academic goal (rule of proportionality)

◦Product/project must meet transformative standard

V.Plagiarism – Avoid it! Don’t steal!

What is Plagiarism?How can you avoid plagiarism?

Plagiarismis using someone else's words, pictures, music, web materials, videos, and ideas without properly providing credit to the source. Plagiarism involves misusing copyrighted material.

IDEAS can be plagiarized -- not just words.

The following interactive websites offer tips to help you avoid plagiarism.

  • You Quote It, You Note It! - from Vaughn Memorial Library at Acadia University
  • Plagiarism PowerPoint - from Joyce Valenza, media specialist at Springfield HS in PA
  • Purdue Online Writing Lab

Plagiarism Tips–For tips on avoiding plagiarism and a detailed explanation of what plagiarism is, visit this site from the University of North Carolina-

FURTHER INFORMATION ON COPYRIGHT, FAIR USE, AND PLAGIARISM:

  • "Recorded Sessions of Presentations - Unlocking Copyright Confusion." Copyright Confusion. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <
  • "Finally The End To Copyright Confusion Has Arrived." Upload & Share PowerPoint presentations and documents. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <
  • "Copyright Law: Chapter 1." U.S. Copyright Office. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <
  • "The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education -- Publications --." Center for Social Media at AmericanUniversity. Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. <

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VI.Citations – Cite everything!

To avoid plagiarism and to use copyrighted materials according to fair use guidelines, you must cite all materials used in your research and in your projects. This includes all text (articles, books, e-books, etc) as well as videos, images, music, and other multimedia formats. Every project and every paper must include a list of references or sources. This list must contain all materials examined and used during your research.

Citation and Reference Help

ONLINE CITATION TOOLS

•Easy Bib (enter information and the site will provide you with format)

• “Select a source” (ex. Website) and enter information – it will provide you with the citation

•Bibme –

•MLA from Purdue – (site contains numerous examples)

•Examples for Photographs, Websites, Cartoons, Films, Sound Recordings, etc

References

Always properly cite all references. If you do not cite, then you are stealing that work.

What to cite and how to site:

1. Use in-text citations AND a bibliography page

2. Complete bibliographic information about each source must be included in citations

3. What should be cited? ALL ideas, opinions, statements that are not your own must be cited. All formats (music, videos, books, websites, articles, images, etc.) must be cited.

4. **When in doubt, provide a citation* It is better to cite too much than too little!!

MLA References/Citations (there are other forms for references; the examples here are MLA)

In-text parenthetical citations (Author page#)

Examples – In-text Citations

•Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).

•Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

•Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

MLA for Works Cited page (double space, indent the second & subsequent lines 5 spaces)

Databases – Articles, Images, Primary Sources and other Materials

The media center databases provide the citation information (“source” or “source citation” or “cite”). Be sure to use the citations provided in your source list.

Websites

Author (if known). “Title of Page or Document.” Title of the Site or Larger Work.

(if applicable). Date of electronic publication, last update, or date of posting.

Name of any Associated Institution. Date of download.

Felluga, Dino. “Introductory Guide to Critical Theory.” Guide to Literary and

Critical Theory. 28 Nov. 2003. PurdueUniversity. 10 May 2006

<

Books

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of

Publication.

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999.

Periodicals

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical. Day Month Year: pages.

Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time. 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71.

Photographs / Images: Don’t forget—there are no pictures on Google – Google is just the search engine – find the site that contains the pictures

Should include: Photographer’s (artist’s) name, title of artwork/photograph, original date of work, title of collection (if applicable), date of posting (if online), current location of original document (if available), name of project or reference database, sponsoring organization, and date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle initial. Title of photograph. Original date of

photograph. Title of Online Collection. Date of posting. Current location of original document. Database. Sponsoring organization, Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Sound Recordings

Should include: Name of composer, performer, conductor, etc., title of recording, date of performance, name of medium (audiocassette, audiotape, LP, CD), title of recording company, title of online collection (if applicable), date of posting, name of database (if applicable), name of sponsoring organization, date of access and electronic address (if applicable).

Last name, First name Middle initial. Title of recording. Title of performer. Date of

performance. Name of medium. Title of manufacturer or recording company, year of issue. Title of Online Collection. Editor or compiler of collection. Date of posting. Database. Sponsoring organization. Day Month Year of access <electronicaddress>.

Videos (online videos – example from YouTube)

Shimabukuro, Jake. "Ukulele weeps by Jake Shimabukuro." 22 April 2006. Online

video clip. YouTube. Accessed on 04 April 2008. <

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VII. Checklist for Projects

Did you . . . ? / Steps / Explanation
Select a topic / Select a specific topic to research. Be specific and detailed in your searches for more effective results.
Explore general information on your topic / Get background information on your topic using general information sources like an encyclopedia (e-books), online databases and the Web.
Focus and narrow down topic / Formulate a focus for your topic. Before conducting thorough research, you will need a focus for all projects so that you know what information you need to find. This will save you time!
Research, Research, Research / Conduct research on your topic. This should be the most time-consuming part of your project. You must thoroughly research so that you have accurate information to design your project.
Utilize only credible sources / Check for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and coverage. Be sure to check each and every website you use! Remember – databases, e-books and print materials are credible and available!
Use a variety of sources / Use databases, e-books, books, online resources, including images and videos.
Evaluate all sources, particularly websites, to ensure the sources are valid / Check for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and coverage. Be sure to check each and every website you use!
Take notes (notecards or in a Word document) / Open a Word document or use index cards to take notes on each and every source you look at – be sure to keep track of all sources for your citations.
Cite everything – have a complete bibliography/works consulted/references list / Use easybib.com – cite everything – all formats – print materials, online articles, primary sources, images, videos, interviews, websites – all materials must be properly cited.
Create the project follow all guidelines from your teacher / Create your project and follow all directions from your teacher.
Follow all copyright and fair use requirements / Remember – all types of materials are copyrighted (the Internet is NOT public domain) and these copyrighted materials can only be used under fair use guidelines. (Check out pages 6 and 7 of this guide!!!)
Evaluate and check your final project before submitting / Use this checklist!

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