The Research Project

 

For the Research Project, we will establish some "small groups" who will focus their efforts on a local example of the relationship between humans and the natural world. "Local" can mean Blacksburg & the New River Valley, or a place that your group can agree to define as having "local" importance (e.g., NOVA). Some examples of current local issues: Toms Creek Basin development; the Brown property in Toms Creek Basin (there are three options being considered for converting this farm to a town park); light pollution (Tech Commuter parking lot); Brush Mt. development; traffic on the Drill Field loop; the spread of the chip mill industry to SW Virginia.

This project might have one or more of the following purposes:

  • to explore a topic
    • begins with a question ("What if...?" "What is...?")
    • gathers information on background of topic, current state of knowledge about a topic, presents "pros" and "cons"

  • to attempt to demonstrate or persuade an audience that a particular point of view about a topic is "correct"
    • includes locating information
    • documenting sources of information
    • evaluating the information
    • synthesizing (selecting, organizing, presenting) that information in a logical and coherent framework in order to emphasize a particular point of view (i.e., constructs an argument)

  • to inform an audience about a topic (report)
    • includes locating information
    • documenting sources of information
    • evaluating the information
    • synthesizing (selecting, organizing, presenting) that information in a logical and coherent framework, giving voice to various points of view

The document or documents resulting from your research efforts might well end up being a hypertextual Web site. In addition to text, you may want to include graphics, audio, or video. The New Media Center in the Library has many resources available to help you with the latter items; we have flatbed scanners in the CIC. If you know how to do HTML markup, I will be happy to show you some easy ways to get started. Web browser editors and Claris Home Page make that process a pretty straightforward matter.

Once the small groups are organized, you will want to decide who does what and how to structure the project. In locating information about your topic, remember the following kinds of resources (in addition to the resources included on the 1106 home page):

  • Books: check the index for references to your subject(s)
  • Periodicals (indexes available online and in the Library--bound volumes, CD-ROMS, and other formats)
  • Newspapers (indexes available online and in the Library--bound volumes, CD-ROMS, and other formats)
  • Interviews (best conducted after you have a clear sense of the issues involved and questions you need to ask; be sure to make an appointment and to be punctual and curteous)

As you gather information, it is crucial that you record the information necessary to acknowledge the source of that material. Be sure to read and reread pp. 520-527 in LATE for documentation guidelines and formats. Additional information can be found and the end of the "Search Tools" Web page. It is also vital that, as you begin to synthesize--incorporate ideas and information from various sources--you do so in a way that acknowledges your debt to primary and secondary sources. In addition to the information on plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty in the Pylon, you will find some useful information and guidelines here. For guidance on how to compose summaries, or précis, click here.