Pathfinder Schema

 

  • Research Presentation
    • a Title
    • b Scope
      • b.1 For whom is this guide designed?
      • b.2 Will it be focused on a particular time period? Region?
      • b.3 How comprehensive is this tool?
    • c Introduction: Introduce the topic's
      • c.1 thesis
      • c.2 question/s
        • c.2.1 What are the big issues or questions people in the area are pondering?
        • c.2.2 What supplementary questions will help researchers understand the bigger questions?
      • c.3 hypothesis
    • d Are there truly important specific starting places any researcher must see before doing further research?
      • d.1 what you should know before you start: complexity of the topic's field
      • d.2 a quick round up of easy access topic specific sources for immediate gratification and stimulus to proceed

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  • Research Development
    • 1. Start by locating resources that provide an overview of your topic and elements that describe it.
      • 1.a Overview resources
        • 1.a.1 Encyclopedias
        • 1.a.2 handbooks
        • 1.a.3 subject specific dictionaries
        • 1.a.4 histories
        • 1.a.5 bibliographies
        • 1.a.6 directories
      • 1.b Gather topic descriptors
        • 1.b.1 Extract Subject Headings
        • 1.b.2 Find other Keywords/Phrases
      • 1.c What else is important to know for the topic of study?
      • 1.d Field Associations
      • 1.e Evaluate usefulness

    • 2. Search the online catalog for additional books that will give you the history, context, definitions and theories: in-print/online (e-books)
      • 2.a non-fiction and/or fiction
        • 2.a.1 Basic Texts
        • 2.a.2 Additional Titles/Frequently Cited Texts
        • 2.a.3 Specialized Titles
        • 2.a.4 Specialized Titles of Historical Interest
        • 2.a.5 Reviews about the books
      • 2.b Special collections
      • 2.c Multimedia presentation
      • 2.d Association Publications
      • 2.e Evaluate usefulness
      • 2.f Feedback loop: Expand/fine tune search terms/identifiers

    • 3. Find some general articles on your topic: print/online indexes
      • 3.a i,e: Mix of popular magazine articles and scholarly research articles
        • 3.a.1 General Science Databases
        • 3.a.2 Freely Available Web Based Databases
      • 3.b Evaluate usefulness
      • 3.c Feedback loop: Expand/fine tune search terms/identifiers

    • 4. Search subject specific databases for materials for specialists
      • 4.a Scholarly research articles: citations, abstracts, full-text
      • 4.b Conference Proceedings
      • 4.c Dissertations
      • 4.d Government Publications
      • 4.e Technical Reports
      • 4.f Association Publications
      • 4.g Primary Sources: letters, speeches, legislation
      • 4.h Experts/Scholars: noted individuals whose names just keep popping up
      • 4.g Evaluate usefulness
      • 4.h Feedback loop: Expand/fine tune search terms/identifiers

    • 5.Browse current issues of journals that contain literature on your topic
      • 5.a Focus on key journals
        • 5.a.1 Select representative journal articles
      • 5.b Evaluate usefulness
      • 5.c Feedback loop: Expand/fine tune search terms/identifiers

    • 6. Do a web search on the Internet for additional information.
      • 6.a Organizations/ Associations: any major organizations, support groups, involved in the topic
      • 6.b Net-Communities Voice:
        • 6.b.1 Blogs
        • 6.b.2 Wikis
        • 6.b.3 SocialNetworks
        • 6.b.4 Mailing Lists (Listservs)
      • 6.c Gateway/Portal Sites/Directories
      • 6.d Online free journals
      • 6.e Special search engines searches
      • 6.f Noteworthy Websites
      • 6.g Audio-Visuals
      • 6.h Video/Streaming Video Resources
      • 6.i Evaluate usefulness
      • 6.l Feedback loop: Expand/fine tune search terms/identifiers

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  • Reflection on research process