ISF 189: Thesis Seminar

How to Avoid Plagiarism

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:39:23 -0700

In order to avoid plagiarism, you must give credit when

You use another person's ideas, opinions, or theories.
You use facts, statistics, graphics, drawings, music, etc., or any other type of information that does not comprise common knowledge.
You use quotations from another person's spoken or written word.
You paraphrase another person's spoken or written word.

Recommendations

Begin the writing process by stating your ideas; then go back to the author's original work.
Use quotation marks and credit the source (author) when you copy exact wording.
Use your own words (paraphrase) instead of copying directly when possible.
Even when you paraphrase another author's writings, you must give credit to that author.
If the form of citation and reference are not correct, the attribution to the original author is likely to be incomplete. Therefore, improper use of style can result in plagiarism. Get a style manual and use it.
The figure below may help to guide your decisions.

This content is part of the Understanding Plagiarism tutorial created by the Indiana University School of Education.

The Research Process

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:01 -0800

1. State your problem as a question as succinctly as possible.

2. 'Brain dump': Write down what you already know about your topic, including

Names of people, organizations, companies, time period you are interested in, places of interest [countries, regions, cities], conceptual terms...

3. Decide what disciplinary methodologies you plan to use: e.g., sociology, political science, literature, psychology...

4. Fill in the gaps in your knowlege: get background information from specialized encyclopedias or other secondary sources. Wikipedia can sometimes be good here, or Google News.

5. Select the best places/ databases to find information on your topic from the Library's list of databases by subject. Or use a catalog like Oskicat or Melvyl to search for books and other resources.

6. Use nouns from your brain dump as search terms.

7. Evaluate what you find. Change search terms to get closer to what you really want.

8. Refine Your Search Words - Using the information you have gathered, determine if your research words should be narrower or broader. You may need to search basic resources again using your new, focused topics and keywords.

How is interdisciplinary research different?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:57:24 -0700

How can you do truly interdisciplinary research, when most research sources are discipline-specific? Most of us learn to do research within a discipline, but you need to become adequate in multiple disciplines for this course.

Determine which disciplinary methods you will use- to know WHERE to search and how to use what you find.

How?
- Look in a specialized encyclopedia to get background information on research methods for a specific discipline. For an econ related topic, you could use An encyclopedia of macroeconomics.

Become conversant with the terminology of all relevant disciplines- to know HOW to search [i.e., which words to use as search terms]

How?
- look in a specialized encyclopedia to learn the terminology of a specific discipline. For a public policy related topic you could refer to Health care policy and politics A to Z

Understand what kinds of sources are considered legitimate by those disciplines- to know WHAT to search for.

How?
- specialized encyclopedia will probably have an essay on methods of research that will explain what sources are appropriate.

Learn what kinds of research questions are valid in the disciplines you are working with.

How?
- Reading other research articles in the discipline is the best way to learn about what questions are considered valid.

Find specialized encyclopedias for your disciplines:

Open Oskicat
Type encyclopedias and a word or phrase describing your topic, such as development
See what comes up.
If that doesn't work, try typing handbooks and a word or phrase describing your topic such as organizational behavior
If that doesn't work, ask a librarian.

Read more about doing interdisciplinary research. An excellent book is Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory by Allen Repko

The Craft of Research [book]

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 11:41:29 -0700

This classic book on writing a college research paper is easily skimmed or deep enough for the truly obsessed researcher, explains the whole research process from initial questioning, through making an argument, all the way to effectively writing your paper.

This link is to the Google Books preview. But buy a secondhand copy for yourself. It's worth the $8 bucks.

B.E.A.M.

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:36:28 -0800

What sort of articles and data do you need to find for your paper? Scholarly, for sure, but there are many others:

news
laws and statutes
statistics
interviews
'primary sources'

It's helpful when doing your research to think about how you will use what you find. The acronym BEAM helps you make sure you find materials that will do the job you need in your paper. Research papers need materials in all four categories.

B = Background information. Do you know the seminal works, major scholars and theories in your topical area? What about the actual definitions of the disciplinary jargon you're using? Scholarly encyclopedias are the best source of background information: look in Oskicat under your discipline, with the word encyclopedias, [sociology encyclopedias]. Could also use Wikipedia, a textbook, a newspaper, or any source that fills you in on your big topic.

E = Evidence Often called primary sources, evidence is the stuff you are studying in your research. Evidence could be news coverage, laws, court cases, personal interviews, statistics or data... whatever helps you prove your thesis.

A = Analysis Here are the secondary sources-- analysis is usually written by faculty scholars or technical experts, who are themselves analyzing evidence that they may include or cite. As a student writing a paper, you are doing analysis, so it's important to refer to the work of others studying the same topic

M = Methodology This means the methods and questions you will use to analyze your evidence. Each discipline has its own favorite ways of asking questions and its own ideas about what sort of information can serve as evidence. You must know which methods are suitable to the disciplines you are working within. To find methodology, search for books by using the name of the discipline and the word methodology. E.g. Sociology method*.

[Bizup, Joseph. "BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing." Rhetoric Review Vol. 27, Iss. 1, 2008]

Library Hours

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:09:15 -0700

Hours on:
Enter as mm/dd/yy

For:

To select individual libraries/units, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking.

Interlibrary Borrowing

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 07:55:37 -0700

As a Berkeley student you are eligible to use books and articles from other libraries around the United States.

Check OskiCat to make sure UC Berkeley does not own the material you want.

Provide a full and accurate bibliographic citation, including author, title, place and date of publication, and series. You can get citations from professors, from Melvyl, from other articles, from Google scholar. Verify your citations before submitting them for ILL.

Doe, Main Stacks, Moffitt Library floorplans

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:55:34 -0700

Looking for a location in Doe, Main Stacks or Moffitt? Try the floorplans, or ask for assistance!

Is it a scholarly source?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:26:43 -0800

Your instructor wants you to use scholarly [or 'peer reviewed'] sources. What does she mean?

Authoritative- written by a recognized expert in the field. How do you know? The PhD is one sign; employment by a university is another.
Peer reviewed- before publishing, the article was vetted by other scholars in the field. How do you know? Try searching the journal title in Google and read the publisher's blurb.
Audience- written for scholars and experts in the field. How do you know? The level of the language is usually a give away. It will be technical and formal.
Includes a bibliography and/or footnotes with citations of sources used.

Scholarship is always changing. Try to find the most recent scholarly sources you can.

Proxy server

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:57:07 -0800

To use library databases from off campus you have to set up the proxy server: this changes your browser settings.

Different browsers [Firefox, Chrome, Safari...] have different instructions- they are all here.
You can set it up on multiple devices
You log in with your CalNet ID
There's an alternative: the VPN

Library Workshop: Research 101

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:08:25 -0700

Unsure how to start a paper or research project? Think maybe you could stand to brush up on search strategies?

If this sounds familiar, Library Workshop: Research 101 has you covered. This interactive tutorial explores six stages of the research process. You can view it from start to finish, or focus on specific sections as needed:

1: Begin Your Research

Starting strategies, from choosing a topic to finding the right keywords.

News sources

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:12:31 -0700

Finding Known Citations

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:51:08 -0800

Often you need to find a specific article for which you already have the citation. How do you do it?

Google Scholar If you have the proxy server set up, you may be able to link to a pdf or html file of the article

Citation Linker This function of UC-eLinks allows you to search for a specific article without knowing which database it may be listed in. You may have to study your citation to determine if it's an article, a chapter in a book, or something else, in order to use Citation Linker.

Where's the PDF?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:45:13 -0800

Many article databases contain information about articles (citations or abstracts), not the entire text of the article. Once you've used an article database to find articles on your topic, you may need to use this button: in order to locate and read the full text of the article. The UC-eLinks button appears in nearly all the databases available from the UCB Library website.

UC-eLinks will link you to the online full text of an article if UCB has paid for online access; otherwise, UC-eLinks will help you locate a print copy on the shelf in the library. If UCB doesn't own the article in print or online format, UC-eLinks can also help you order a copy from another library.

For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 4 min.)

You can also set up UC-eLinks to work with Google Scholar. For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 2 min.)

Proxy server

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:57:07 -0800

To use library databases from off campus you have to set up the proxy server: this changes your browser settings.

Different browsers [Firefox, Chrome, Safari...] have different instructions- they are all here.
You can set it up on multiple devices
You log in with your CalNet ID
There's an alternative: the VPN

IT and New Media databases

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:46:45 -0800

For more possibilities, look at the Media Studies databases.

Economics and business databases

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:32:29 -0700

International topics databases

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:26:53 -0700

These three databases are policy and political science oriented.

International economics data

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:48:59 -0700

Africa Development Indicators. Detailed collection of data on Africa, containing over 1,600 indicators, covering 53 African countries from 1961 to 2008. Data include social, economic, financial, natural resources, infrastructure, governance, partnership, and environmental indicators.

Asian Development Bank Statistical Database System. Statistical Data from the Asian Development Bank (query at the top of the page).

China Data Online. Focuses on economic statistics of China, arranged by regions and categories. Includes monthly and yearly reports on China's macroeconomic development and statistical databases about China's population and economy at the county and city levels.

Eurostat. Publications and statistics from the EU, with data in economics, population, agriculture, trade, transportation, the envornment and much more.

FAOSTAT. Extensive data on agriculture, food supply, food security, prices, commodities, forest products, and fisheries from the FAO.

Human Development Report Statistics. Statistics from the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP). Links to the text of national human development reports from over 250 countries and regions.

Indiastat. Statistical data from Indian government and private sources: finance, agriculture, health, housing, transportation, and many other areas. Data is derived from documents, reports and policies from the states and national government of India. Information is classified into 30 major sections and includes census data. Userid and password required. Please inquire at any Library Reference Desk for assistance.

International Data Base. From the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics for demographic, and socioeconomic data for countries and areas of the world. Information dates back from 1950 and as far ahead as 2050.

International Financial Statistics (IFS). From the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Includes data on exchange and interest rates, balance of payments, government finance, national accounts, prices, foreign reserves, and more. Recommended: use the economic concept view.

ISI Emerging Markets. Includes company data, financial statements, industry analyses, equity quotes, macroeconomic statistics, and many national government statistical yearbooks.

LABORSTA. International labor statistics from 1979 to the present on employment, earnings, wages, migration, strikes and more.

ProQuest Statistical DataSets. Provides fast and easy one-stop shopping to more than 5.3 billion (and growing) data points from licensed and public domain datasets. Sources of data include local, state and international governments and organizations.

OECD iLibrary. Leading International Organization for Foreign Aid data. Includes International Development Statistics as well as statistical databases on External Debt Statistics and Geographical Distribution of Financial Aid Flows to Developing Countries. Choose the "international development" link on the statistics section.

Official Statistics on the Web. Access to social, economic and general data from official government sources. Includes statistical offices, central banks and government agencies. Features a good subject list.

PRS Country Risk Data. International political risk data, macroeconomic data, and forecasting, including measures of bureaucracy, corruption, civil disorders, ethnic tensions, inflation, terrorism, etc.

UN Data. Wide range of economic, social, cultural, and demographic indicators: population, environment, health, economics, technology, trade, refugees, and more.

U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants (Green Book). Loans and grants from the US government each fiscal year by purpose and country.

World Development Indicators. Time series data from 1960 for 207 countries in the areas of population, labour, education, economics, the environment and much more.

World Income Inequality Database. Information for over 140 countries on income inequalities at both cross-country and time series levels over the period 1950-98, with a focus on the period since 1980. See also the University of Texas Income Inequality Project.

Interlibrary Borrowing

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 07:55:37 -0700

As a Berkeley student you are eligible to use books and articles from other libraries around the United States.

Check OskiCat to make sure UC Berkeley does not own the material you want.

Searching Library Catalogs

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:54:25 -0800

Use OskiCat to locate materials related to your topic, including books, government publications, and audio and video recordings, in the libraries of UC Berkeley. OskiCat will show you the location and availability of the items that we own.

Using OskiCat (but not Melvyl) you can also renew your books online, look up course reserve materials by course number or instructor name, and place holds on items that other library users have already checked out.

Use Melvyl to locate materials related to your topic located at other campuses in the UC system, or worldwide. You can use the Request button to request an item from another library, if we don't own it.

Using Melvyl (but not OskiCat) you can find articles as well as books, easily format a citation for copying into a bibliography, and see images of book covers, when available. Melvyl will also show you the location and availablity of items that we own.

Melvyl has changed as of January 2012, and now includes many more articles. Detailed Melvyl help

Citation Management Tools

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:01:56 -0700

Citation management tools help you manage your research, collect and cite sources, and create bibliographies in a variety of citation styles. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but any are easier than doing it by hand!

Zotero: A free plug-in that works exclusively with the Firefox browser: keeps copies of what you find on the web, permits tagging, notation, full text searching of your library of resources, works with Word, and has a free web backup service.
RefWorks - free for UC Berkeley users. It allows you to create your own database by importing references and using them for footnotes and bibliographies. Use the RefWorks New User Form to sign up.
EndNote: may be purchased from UC Berkeley's Software Central.

It's always good to double check the formatting -- sometimes the software doesn't get it quite right.

Using APA 6th? Purdue has produced this very handy quick guide. The fulltext of APA 6th is not available online, but we do have print copies in the EdPsych Library in reference and short term reserve at BF76.7 P83 2010

Google Scholar

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:23:08 -0700

Google Scholar is an easy way to do interdisciplinary research, and with some settings changes can become even more useful. You need a Google account to use these features.

Set up a Google Scholar Alert to be automatically notified when new articles are added to Google on topics of interest:

Do your search in Google Scholar. Look in the green toolbar for the envelope icon, and click it. New items will be sent to your email account as they are found by Google.

Make Google display links to full text of articles that Berkeley subscribes to:

Open Scholar. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner, and choose 'scholar preferences'. In the new window, scroll down to 'Library Links', type the word Berkeley. Choose University of California, Berkeley-- UC eLinks, and Open Worldcat Search.

Ever wanted to trace an article’s impact? Google now permits searching within citing articles.

Do a Google Scholar search. Click on the "Cited by" link under a citation and select the "Search within articles citing..." checkbox.

Library Services

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:48:26 -0700

Make an appointment with a librarian
Get just the books you want by searching subject headings [tutorial]
Set up the proxy server for off-campus access

All Questions Welcomed!

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:00:52 -0700

"There are no dumb questions!"

That's the philosophy of reference librarians, who are here to save you time and trouble. If you get stuck, you can talk to a reference librarian at any campus library.

Ask a Librarian 24/7 Chat

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:05:50 -0800

You can type your question directly into this chat window to chat with a librarian. Your question may be answered by a reference librarian from Berkeley, from another UC campus, or another academic library elsewhere in the US. We share information about our libraries to make sure you get good answers.

If the librarian can't answer you well enough, your question will be referred to a Berkeley librarian for follow-up.

Have fun chatting!

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