Fleet Library @ RISD
Fleet Library website: library.risd.edu
Art History 102 Library Research Process Assignment
Assignment website: risd.libguides.com/AH102
Purpose of the Research Process assignment: This assignment is designed to engage your group in visually mapping and working through the five steps of finding sources to support a research topic. Learn to use RISD Library's online and print resources more effectively by applying the research principles illustrated in the RISD Library online tutorials. Demonstrate your knowledge of RISD Library resources and effective search strategies in a group presentation and in-class discussion devoted to research skills and critical thinking. While you will be working through only one of the five steps in the overall research process, the class discussion and semester-long availability of the library tutorials will prepare you to undertake all five facets of research for your AH102 research papers and presentations.
Method: As a group, begin by creating a concept map of your subject. Use the key concepts, persons, terminology, and questions articulated during the concept mapping exercise to search for reference sources, books, articles, images, and one website. Prepare a five-minute group presentation describing each step of your group’s research experience. Be prepared to demonstrate the steps taken in researching your group’s five questions. Be ready to discuss the path of your search and to ask questions about any obstacles you encountered.
Tutorials: The Library Tutorials are brief PowerPoint presentations linked on the AH 102 Libguide (risd.libguides.com/AH102). You may use one of the library’s public computers to view the tutorials if you don’t have PowerPoint on your computer.
Group Presentations: On the day of your Library Research presentations, meet in RISD Library classroom 228, located on the 2nd floor directly across from the elevator. Using your concept map as a visual diagram of your topic, come to class prepared to briefly describe and recreate your research path in a five-minute group presentation. The classroom has a laptop and projector available for demonstrating your online searches. Everyone in your group is to participate in the presentation. As your topic is presented, your instructor and the librarian will offer constructive feedback and suggestions on your research choices. As a class we will discuss the sources and strategies each group chose with the goal of learning to think critically about the information sources we encounter.
Grading: The library research process assignment is counted as part of your class participation grade.
Instructions: You'll be part of a 5-person group with a specific research topic. Working together, your group will have one week to make a concept map of your topic and complete the five questions. Each person in your group will do research on one of the five facets of research for your topic: finding reference sources, finding books, finding scholarly articles, finding images, and finding and evaluating a website.
NOTE: Each question has an accompanying tutorial. VIEW THE TUTORIAL BEFORE WORKING ON EACH QUESTION.
Use the methods and resources described in the tutorials and use RISD Library’s resources for your research.
NOTE: Search engines (google, yahoo, etc) are to be used only on Question 5 - Google Scholar and the C.R.A.A.P. test.
TO BEGIN: Everyone in your group is to begin by viewing the first two tutorials Research Process and Concept Mapping
Concept Mapping: After watching the Concept Mapping tutorial, work as a group to develop a concept map on your topic. You may use RISD Library reference resources to develop your map-use the reference resources provided on the Reference Resources by Section tab. You may want to start by jotting down a few ideas, questions or associated words; then continue by finding preliminary information using reference sources.
Using the keywords, names, concepts, terminology and associations generated from your concept map, you are now ready to search for books, articles, images, and a website. Decide who will cover each question in your group. Each person should record the steps of his/her research process. Note any questions you may have during the process. These can be raised during class. Continue to add to and develop your concept map to reflect your research process.
RESEARCH PROCESS QUESTIONS
1) View the Using Reference Sources tutorial linked on the Find Reference Sources tab in this guide. Based on the tutorial, use a RISD Library print or online reference source to find background information on your topic. Summarize how you chose the source and located the information. Who is the author and the publisher of the source? What particular aspects of the reference source did you find most useful? Did the reference source include a bibliography or list of further readings?
2) View the Finding Books tutorial linked on the Find Books tab in this guide. Based on the tutorial, use the RISD/ATH catalog, SEARCH BROWN and worldcat to find books on your topic. Summarize how you chose the source and located the book. What subject headings were most useful in locating books on your subject? How did you use truncation? What particular features of these catalog searches did you find most useful? Please bring some of the books you found to class with you.
3) View the Finding Articles tutorial linked on the Find Articles tab in this guide.
Select and search TWO of the RISD Library online art & design article databases from the following list:
Find TWO articles on your topic; one must be a scholarly or peer-reviewed article.
How did you determine that the article is peer-reviewed? What keywords and subjects did you search? Were the articles available in full text? If not, what steps would you take to obtain the full text article?
4) View the Finding Images tutorial linked on the Find Images tab in this guide.
Find images by a) using a RISD Library online image database OR b) by visiting the RISD Library Picture Collection.
Bring the images you found to class. What folders did you search? Under what subjects did you look? Did the Picture Collection staff recommend other subject folders for you to search?
5) Go to the Find & Evaluate a Website tab in this guide. Search the web for your topic using Google Scholar (scholar.google.com). Use the C.R.A.A.P. Test to evaluate your website. Apply the C.R.A.A.P. evaluation criteria to the site. Does it pass the test?