Research

Research

If It Weren’t For the Last Minute…

If It Weren’t For the Last Minute…

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
So it’s upon us – Finals Week and the end of the semester. You might be feeling overwhelmed as everything comes due all at once. And that feeling is only made worse if you don’t have your research done. True, it would have been better to get it done earlier. There would have been more options available to you. But it’s not too late, and there’s plenty you can do to ensure that you have a great final paper. Presuming you already have your topic in mind, you’ll want books and articles to support your argument. If you’re doing this the night before it’s due, Interlibrary Loan is no longer an option and the library might already be closed. If … Continued
Building from ideas and research

Building from ideas and research

Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
Construction is in the air at IU East! The new Student Events and Activities Center is taking shape! New buildings are always a welcome barometer of progress. IU East has grown from just Whitewater, to include Hayes, Middlefork (later renamed Tom Raper), and Springwood Halls. It is worth noting that all of those things were built from pieces. Some of the pieces were physical – lumber, pipes, wiring, drywall. Others were conceptual – ideas, plans, vision. Research is like that, too. First you have an idea – a topic you’re interested in, or a question you have. And you think about it, refining it and making choices about what would make a good paper, project, or experiment. Then, when it … Continued
Continuity of Learning

Continuity of Learning

, Matt Dilworth, Research
We’ve almost finished another school year! For most students, the summer is a break. For others, it’s a chance to get a few more classes in before next year. But regardless, what you’ve learned this year isn’t going to be forgotten. You’ll build on it in the years and classes ahead. Some of that is abstract, like learning the mindset of your chosen field, or its jargon. But some of it is more concrete. Probably, at some point, you’ll have a project that would benefit from work you’ve done before. A paper that follows up on something you researched for a previous class, or a presentation that would benefit from using some of the same sources. You’ll definitely want to … Continued
Research at the Last Minute

Research at the Last Minute

, Matt Dilworth, Research
It’s the time of year when finals, papers, and research projects are coming due. And there’s a saying among procrastinators – “if it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done”. Well, for this semester, the last minute is now upon us. But it’s easy to get busy, and you may be feeling overwhelmed, or behind on your papers and projects. And it’s true, your options are more limited the less time you have. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still do great research, and get a great grade. And there are a few things you can do to speed that process. First, if you can, pick a topic that you already know something about. It makes it … Continued
Communications Questions

Communications Questions

, , , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
This summer, we have been exploring in-depth research for each of IU East’s major fields of study, and this week we conclude with communications. The general techniques that we covered in the first week will serve you well here, too, but there is plenty more available. For most research questions you might have, you will want to start with a general communications database. The best choices are Communication & Mass Media Complete or ProQuest Telecommunications, which are easy to use and offer a lot of full text. For e-book sources, try the Media Studies section of OxRef or eBrary. And if you are interested in a journalism perspective, Newspaper Source and ProQuest News and Newspapers are great choices (the latter … Continued