Chapters 10 & 11

Chapter 10 is about field research. As my own paper is very firmly historical, this isn’t much use to me. An interview is the only one that might be helpful, but finding a specialist in the topic I’m studying isn’t really feasible.

The chapter emphasizes, however, that field research like interviews and surveys are useful to a great many projects, though many people are quick to dismiss them or write them off as a last resort. With surveys, for example, it’s much better to construct your own rather than rely on someone else’s results. First, other people’s surveys may be outdated by the time of your writing. Furthermore, the questions asked in someone else’s study, and the answers they received, may not really help with your own topic and thesis. Basically, if you want something done right (for your project), you really have to do it yourself.

Then the chapter goes into explaining how to carry out various types of field research. It describes good manners and etiquette in interviews, surveys, and observations, how to avoid biases and other errors in surveys especially, how to record interviews and observations, and so on. Some observations can be done in public settings, but if you want to visit a classroom or a company or something like that, you’ll need a written permission. The chapter explains how to acquire one of these.

Chapter 11 is a very brief guide to crafting a thesis statement. It re-emphasizes the same ideas we read about in earlier chapters on finding a research question and developing a position. Identify important ideas, recurring themes, and key points; think about your aims and intentions; focus in on as specific a point as possible. I’ll spend a lot of time working with this chapter to find a good thesis statement for my own paper for my research proposal. My topic is driven by my historical curiosity, and I don’t have some issue to take a position on just yet, so it’ll take some time to find something that I want to prove.

Chapter 7

This chapter is an in-depth explanation of plagiarism; what it is, what it isn’t, how to avoid it and what to do if you think you may not have avoided it as well as you should have.

It’s very important that your notes be very clear about what ideas are yours and what ideas aren’t, and carry that clearness through to your paper. Clearly mark and cite the ideas of others, as well as little-known information that comes to you from others. On that last note, the chapter also describes and defines ‘common knowledge’. You needn’t cite information that most people are likely to know, whether through culture or through elementary or secondary education. In addition, there are bits of knowledge that are ‘common knowledge’ within the field you’re writing, if not to the population at large. In general, the book says, if you see any given fact repeated without citation within three or more of your sources, then it’s probably common knowledge within that field, and you don’t need to cite it either. (If you see it in your sources, but they always cite it to some other source, then you should cite it from that same source. I think.) The chapter also collects together various bits of information that were spread through the previous six chapters.

If you’re accused of plagiarism, it’s your responsibility to do what you can to fix it. It’s a really serious matter, and if you have done anything, deliberately or through negligence, it’s pretty much time to grovel and basically be very humble and ready to work hard.

Chapter 6

If your topic is any good, you won’t have hundreds upon hundreds of sources to search through. However, if your topic is any good you will have dozens, and that much is a lot to deal with already. Organizing your sources is very vital to your success.

Keep track of all your sources. You can choose your own way to do this, but choose a way and use it consistently. Take notes on all your sources as well. Keep track of your thoughts, highlight important passages, summarize ideas as you go -- again, you can take notes with any method you like, but pick a method and stick with it, so you can stay organized.

As you read your sources, consider how they relate to each other. Where are they similar? Where are they different? How do the different authors’ ideas and priorities fit together? Consider grouping them by the kind of information they contain or by how they relate to your position. Use these considerations to organize your working bibliography, perhaps.

The more you organize your ideas as you go, the easier things will be when you start writing.

Chapter 3

A very important part of any research project is the development of a research question. Your research question guides your research -- helps you navigate sources for the subtopics and points of view you need, among other things. A research question is meant to be refined and developed over the course of your research, as your own understanding of your topic continues to improve. Selecting a question in the first place, however, is usually done with brainstorming.

Consider your assignment and topic. What do you know? What do you need to know? What is proven? What do you want to prove? Do you want to define something? Explain something? Analyze a puzzle? Make comparisons? Think of questions that go with your purpose. Use brainstorming to come up with a long list of questions.

The questions you start with should be fairly general. The next step is to narrow your question and focus in on your topic. You may not do this until after you’ve done some research and collected some sources. Your final research question should be quite specific, such that you might only be able to find a few dozen sources appropriate to answer it.

Another important step in the research process is the crafting of a research proposal, or a prospectus. Unlike a research plan, a research proposal is addressed towards someone other than yourself, usually a supervisor of some sort.

In your research proposal, you should thoroughly outline what your paper is going to be about. Be specific -- explain your topic and your thesis in detail, talk about your sources and what you’ve learned so far, give your supervisor an idea of your research methods, and lay out a timeline for your work. Your research proposal should also include your working bibliography. Consider making an annotated bibliography.

Incorporating Sources Effectively - worksheet

1. Compose 2 sentences including quotations from one of your sources.

1. Eivind Seland of the University of Bergen explains that “Long-distance movement in the pre-modern world was intimately linked to seasonal changes in winds and precipitation.” (406) Different routes, however, had different seasonal requirements, and so it was an effective strategy to maintain a variety of different trade routes even though some were less cost-effective than others, since the cost-effectiveness of any given route varied depending on the season.
2. Overland trade caravans had to be very large. Seland writes in his paper “The Persian Gulf or the Red Sea? Two axes in ancient Indian Ocean trade, where to go and why,”  that “The few ancient depictions we have of camel caravans also show animals relatively lightly loaded, with two amphorae on each side.” (402) It would have taken a great many of them to carry all the provisions and trade goods shipped out of Rome or Barbarikon on trading ships.

2. Compose 2 brief paragraphs, each one containing quotations from 2 of your sources and highlighting the credibility of their authors and indicating where each is published.

1. Matthew Fitzpatrick is an Associate Professor in International History at the University of Flinders. In his paper “Provincializing Rome: The Indian Ocean Trade Network and Roman Imperialism”, published in the Journal of World History in March 2011, Dr. Fitzpatrick noted “With Rome having wrested control of the centuries-old eastern maritime trade routes from Cleopatra, the last of Egypt’s Ptolemaic rulers, Roman trade with the East via the Red Sea accelerated markedly.” (31) Eivind Seland, a researcher at the University of Bergen, elaborates further in his paper “The Persian Gulf or the Red Sea? Two axes in ancient Indian Ocean trade, where to go and why,” which appeared in World Archaeology in September 2011. He says, “The total distance along the Red Sea–Nile route is about a third longer than along the Persian Gulf–Syrian Desert alternative. The overland distance to be covered between the Gulf and the Mediterranean is, however, almost four times greater than that between Berenike and Koptos.” (399)
2. 
   

Working Bibliography as of 1/23

The Silkroad Foundation -- www.silkroadfoundation.org; The Silkroad Foundation

• Run by a nonprofit scholarly organization whose mission statement is preservation and education. In that respect, likely to be extremely valuable. Has a wide range of information, so I’m bound to find something useful.

(after searching ‘Indian Ocean Trade in EbscoHost (V. GOOD SEARCH, USE IT AGAIN)) :

Margariti, Roxani Eleni. “Mercantile Networks, Port Cities, and “Pirate” States: Conflict and Competition in the Indian Ocean World of Trade before the Sixteenth Century”. Journal of the Economic & Social History of the Orient. Dec2008, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p543-577. 35p.

• Is about Indian Ocean trade and the groups involved in it and so forth, not a particular trade good. So. Useful. Six years old, but that’s not a problem w/ such a historical subject.

“Intersections, Networks and the Genesis of Social Complexity on the Nyali Coast of East Africa”

• (behind paywall, no good)

Heldaas Seland, Eivind. “The Persian Gulf or the Red Sea? Two axes in ancient Indian Ocean trade, where to go and why.” World Archaeology. Sep2011, Vol. 43 Issue 3, p398-409. 12p. 1 Chart, 1 Map.

• Different subject than silk road or medieval Indian Ocean trade, but still potentially v. useful depending on final topic decision. Nature and culture of trade routes, yes, so.

Prange, Sebastian R. “'Measuring by the bushel': reweighing the Indian Ocean pepper trade.” Historical Research. May2011, Vol. 84 Issue 224, p212-235. 24p.

• Potentially useful as a case study. More specific than general, but may provide valuable information and richen the understanding of my  topic.

FITZPATRICK, MATTHEW P. “Provincializing Rome: The Indian Ocean Trade Network and Roman Imperialism.” Journal of World History. Mar2011, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p27-54. 28p.

• Will have info on Indian Ocean trade AND Rome’s connection to it, looks valuable.

Chapter 5

Evaluating sources. Is the source relevant to my project? Will it be relevant to my readers? Will it answer their questions? Is it timely? More specifically, if it’s not recent, is it outdated? If I’m writing on a topic that advances quickly, this will be more important than with, say, a paper on a piece of literature or a part of history.  Is my source balanced? Does it provide a complete or well-rounded view of its topic? If my topic is wide, my sources will also need to be wide. If my topic is more specific, then this will be less important.

How’s the evidence in my source? Is there enough of it? Is it the kind I need? Is the author of the source using it fairly, or are they engaging in one or more fallacies? Has the author of my source identified their own sources properly?

Speaking of the author, are they reliable? Do they know about the topic they’re writing on? Do they have any biases or affiliations to consider? If so, how might those biases affect their writing? Watch out for that. Same for the publisher. Does the publisher have biases? Will this affect the content or tone of the source? Its reliability?

Web sources require special considerations when evaluating credibility in particular. Here's a tutorial on the evaluation of web sources. Field sources: I’ll need to evaluate their timeliness, relevancy, and accuracy in particular. With interviews and surveys, be aware of the relative reliability of the individuals interviewed or surveyed.

Chapter 4

Reading critically vs. evaluating: critical reading is focused on questioning and understanding what a source or document says and means, evaluation is concerned with determining its reliability and usefulness.

A research question and a position statement are needed. The position statement is a tentative answer to the research question. As you continue to collect and evaluate sources, look at how each source lines up with your position statement, whether it agrees or disagrees. Allow your position statement to be changed by your reading; as you learn more about your topic, you may change your mind about things multiple times.

“Accept nothing at face value; ask questions; look for similarities and differences among the sources you read; examine the implications of what you read for your research project; be on the alert for unusual information; and note relevant sources and information. Most important, be open to ideas and arguments, even if you don’t agree with them.” (Palmquist 65)

critical reading questions:

• is this source relevant to my research question/ position statement?
• does it make me reconsider them?
• does it provide any new information, ideas?
• would my readers be interested in its contents?
• would they find it convincing?
• would they benefit from a review of the source done by me?
• what would they think of this source?
• are there any special considerations for presenting the information gained from this source?
• can i follow up on the information in this source?
• how much of this information can I use/include?

MARK, ANNOTATE, TAKE NOTES

be aware of appeals made in your sources. types of appeals:

• to authority
• to emotion
• to principles
• to values
• to beliefs
• to character
• to logic
• to reasoning and evidence

Appeals are not necessarily dishonest (they are usually not dishonest), but your reading will be better informed and etc. if you’re aware of appeals and do not take them at face value.

Be aware, also, of the author’s backgrounds and points of view. Also, most authors use one or more of four ‘frameworks’ for interpreting information. Trend analysis finds the relationships between events and series of events. Causal analysis is primarily concerned with identifying cause and effect. Data analysis draws conclusions based on data. Text analysis examines documents and texts both in and between the lines to determine various things. Identify which your sources’ authors are doing, and ensure that they aren’t engaging in any fallacies while doing so.

Reading a source: You should read each source at least three times. The first time, skim over it and look for the basic major points. Get an idea for what it’s about and how it’s organized. The second time, read it properly. Read actively, highlighting and taking notes as you go. The third time, go back and re-read for deeper understanding and more detail. Pick passages to re-read that you think may be particularly helpful, or which you had a hard time understanding when you read them before.

Chapter 2

Explore your topic. Even within a single topic, there will be ongoing discussions that may examine it in very different ways and from many different points of view. Choose to contribute to the discussion for which you feel you have the most to say, or the most new things to contribute, or just the one for which you have the most personal interest.

Create a plan for your research BEFORE you start researching. Who can you talk to? what sort of questions might you ask them? What are some useful places where you can learn more about your topic? Resources to search, like libraries and databases? Be sure you put together some sort of system for tracking your findings BEFORE you start research, so you don’t end up with a mess of confusing information.

So. Discuss your topic with people who might have a different or better view of it than you, especially with a view towards identifying useful resources for later.

Gather information about your topic, observing or surveying it at this point rather than researching or studying it.

ONLY THEN start looking into finding sources for your research and evaluating their usefulness. Take advantage of your library’s online catalog. Also take advantage of the resources your library might have on its shelves. Browse your local newsstands and bookstores for useful resources as well. And definitely search the web for sites, articles, forums, newsgroups, wikis, etc. etc.

Record everything you look at; write down your search terms especially, and write down the sources that look promising and maybe write a sentence or two about HOW they’re useful in particular, just based on their summary.

Skim your sources to further evaluate whether they’re worth a deeper reading. Look at the title, summary, and first and last sections to learn about the content, purpose, and scope. Other elements of the document’s design will also yield information about various things.

For longer documents, also skim:

• table of contents
• index
• glossary
• works cited
• pull quotes
• author information

Mark up your sources. Take notes on them. The second time you read through them, you should have the base laid down from your first reading in place.

To focus on a specific issue within your topic, keep these things in mind while reading your sources:

• keep an eye out for specific discussions in your sources, patterns, common ideas, repeated arguments.
• see a repeated idea? probably v. important to the topic -- look into it further
• see a broad theme repeated in your sources? these sources are probably part of the same ongoing discussion.
• disagreements are important to identify, because in your own paper you’ll have to either take a side in them or find a way to reconcile them.
• take note when you see a particular name keep coming up. someone who writes a lot on a topic may well be particularly expert in it, and it’s important to keep in mind who agrees with whom, and so forth.

Be sure to decide which issues you think are interesting, and which you think are relevant, because again, your success is more assured the more interested and invested you are in your topic.

Choose your issue to write on. Is it right for you? Your assignment? Does it suit your readers and your assigned document genre? Have you got the resources to write about it? It had better.

Chapter 1

Tips for succeeding in research projects:

1. find a topic you have a personal connection with or investment in, or cultivate them with the topic you’re assigned.
2. don’t be afraid to follow established processes for writing -- write and work with sources in a systematic manner, especially if you get stuck.
3. keep track of your sources with some form of research log
4. decide on and develop a position on your topic. “[issue] exists” will not make as good a paper as “this is how [issue] works” or “this is why you should think the way i do about “issue”
5. develop an understanding of different types and styles of papers -- APA vs. MLA, Editorials vs. scholarly articles, etc. The differences between them are important to keep in mind while evaluating sources, and also while writing.
6. remember that your writing is going to be read by others. Keep in mind the settings and contexts in which you expect it to be read. Keep in mind the larger contexts and circumstances surrounding the topics you’ll be writing about, as well.
7. Manage your time. Hold yourself to a timeline.

How to choose a topic?

1. The text of your assignment may give you clues as to what sorts of topics are appropriate
2. keep in mind your intended readers -- what sort of topic will be relevant and interesting to them? Are they looking for depth or breadth? etc.
3. what topics won’t make you and/or your readers horribly bored and frustrated?
4. what genre of document are you writing? Different kinds of topics are more suited to different genres of document.

Contexts that affect your writing choices:

• Social context - how writers and readers understand each-other; what social information they do or do not have in common.
• Cultural and historical contexts - essentially the larger scale of social context. Colloquialisms specific to a dialect, historical references specific to a country or city. Communication style differences or worldview differences between generations. And so forth.
• Disciplinary context - knowledge base and reading/writing styles due to discipline, like the writing of a sociologist for a sociological journal vs. a mathematician for a mathematics journal.
• Physical context - is this being read on paper or on a screen? A dense, thick book or or a spacious, colorful magazine? In quiet libraries or on packed trains?

What’s your role in this, how are you relating to your readers? Are you teaching them something as an expert? Interpreting something as a layman on their level? Persuading them as an equal? Persuading them as an expert?

What are the specific requirements of your assignment and how will they affect your work? If your assignment requires five sources, you might take more time finding the best ones you can and cross-examining them to construct a unified idea than you might with an assignment that requires twenty-five sources. And things like that. Also, what are your opportunities? Do you have access to special resources for a particular topic? Keep that in mind when selecting your topic, and your approach to your topic.

INTRO TO BRAINSTORMING METHODS:

• Brainstorming - listing ideas as they come, NOT complete sentences, just as many snippets of idea as you can get out in a short period of time, even if you don’t think they’re particularly good or useful. Pruning down the list comes later. Maybe set a timer for this to help you relax.
• Freewriting - like brainstorming, freely coming up with as much as you can in a short period of time. Unlike brainstorming, it’s full sentences rather than a list of fragments. Perhaps start with a single point from a brainstorming session, and freely elaborate on it. Almost definitely set a timer for this, for a short period of time like ten or twenty minutes.
• Looping - similar to freewriting. Write for, say, five minutes on an idea. then read over what you wrote, pick a new idea from what you wrote, and write for another five minutes on THAT idea, and continue on until satisfied.
• Clustering - writing out your ideas in a graphical form, with bubbles grouped into clusters for different topics and sub-topics.

Use brainstorming to consider your topics, and pick the one that feels the strongest based on what you came up with. “Strongest” should mean that you have a strong connection with it or interest in it, and that it’s well-suited to your assignment’s requirements and your own access to resources.

Website Evaluation Tutorial

I read the tutorial on page 90 of the textbook and selected a site named “The Silkroad Foundation” to evaluate as an example.

1. Check its domain to learn about its purpose and publisher:

This site is located at “www.silkroadfoundation.org”, so it’s owned by a nonprofit organization. 

2. Check the title bar, page header, and page titles to learn about the site’s purpose, publisher, and relevance:

The site contains information about the history of the silk road, including culture, chronology, studies, archaeology, and more. The primary purpose of the site seems to be education. 

3. Search for information about the author or publisher, if identified:

The nonprofit that owns the site is also called ‘The Silkroad Foundation’ -- it was founded in 1996, and its stated purpose in the site’s about page is “To promote the study and preservation of cultures and art on Inner Asia and the Silk Road.”

4. Check timeliness by looking for a publication or “last modified” date:

The site’s last copyright date is marked as 2000. However, a link is also provided to an annual journal published by The Silkroad Foundation, and its latest issue was published in 2013.

5. Read the body text and review illustrations to evaluate relevance, evidence, and comprehensiveness:

The site provides valuable overviews of subjects that can be studied further through articles in the organization’s journal. 

6. Check page footers for information about the publisher and author. Look for About This Site or Contact links:

The site’s About page is thorough and forthcoming, indicating an honest and reputable source. The site also has an extensive works cited page.