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Managing the 21st Century Information Overload

Managing the 21st Century Information Overload. Dr. Barbara Bekken & Margaret Merrill November 11, 2008. Managing the 21st Century Information Overload. “Two hundred hours in the laboratory can save you two hours in the library”.

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Managing the 21st Century Information Overload

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  1. Managing the 21st Century Information Overload Dr. Barbara Bekken & Margaret Merrill November 11, 2008

  2. Managing the 21st Century Information Overload “Two hundred hours in the laboratory can save you two hours in the library”

  3. Research Über-question: Should I drink tap water or bottled water? “In every glass of water we drink, some of the water has already passed through fishes, trees, bacteria, worms in soil, and many other organisms including people…Living systems cleanse water and make it fit, among other things, for human consumption and for the needs of other species. Trout are even fussier in their needs than we are.” -Elliot A. Norse, in R.J. Hoage, ed., Animal Extinctions, 1985

  4. Drinking water project overview • Information literacy survey • SHORT project in lecture and discussion this week • Making an informed choice about drinking water • Finding reliable information to make that informed choice (this is NOT about supporting an opinion) • Organizing information into a format others can use • Sharing information with others • Annotated bibliography • Formal presentation

  5. Information Literacy Survey • Go to: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1226350622033 • If on a PC, use Explorer 6 or greater; if on a Mac, use Firefox • Then, go to : http://carstest.jmu.edu/library • Review the instructions and click Continue • Enter name and Student ID# • Select Institution Code: VT-ILT • Enter the password: carsILT

  6. Drinking water project schedule • Today in lecture: • Information literacy assessment • Research statements • Constructing Boolean searches • Using databases to search for information • Today in discussion: • Use Academic Search Complete to locate resources • Use Clusty to locate websites • Thursday in lecture: • Discuss resource reliability • Process of annotating resources • Describe components of an annotated bibliographic report • Thursday in discussion: work on report • Tuesday and Thursday in discussion: presentations

  7. The Point:Why are we doing this? • Information is chaotic and overwhelming; organizing it is an essential skill • Making responsible choices requires reliable evidence • There is an art to searching for and finding reliable information • Not easy to find • Not free • Not easy to read • You have to work at it • Professional success now requires well-developed skills in information searching and management • Caveat: With the millions of information sources now available in print and electronically, it is highly unlikely that, “There is no information on my topic.”

  8. Information Research Project: Should I drink tap water or bottled water? • Economic Impact • Water rights/ownership • Regulations (municipal/rural) • Water producers • Marketing • Equity for humans, others • Health • Water access • Environmental Impact • Water resources/services • Energy • Waste • Contamination Making sustainable choices

  9. WHAT WE’LL DO TODAY IN LECTURE: The process of searching for information • Select a topic and write a research (purpose or thesis) statement • Analyze the statement for key components using a Concept table (called concept analysis) • Construct an effective search statements using Boolean operators (see: InfoSkills Module 3) • Judge whether your resources give you relevant information; if not, try again. • Search subscription databases, Addison, and search engines beyond Google • Assess reliability of information sources • Websites • Scholarly (peer-reviewed) versus popular

  10. WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY IN DISCUSSION: Searching for information • Select a research statement. If someone in your section picks the same topic you’re considering, pick another. • Use the blank concept table to identify the primary and secondary concepts and their synonyms. • Construct a search statement using these terms joined by Boolean operators (for support, see: InfoSkills Module 3). • Use search statements in Academic Search Complete. Repeat systematically with synonyms. Find at least five scholarly articles specifically on your topic. • Use search statements in Academic Search Complete. Repeat systematically with synonyms. Find at least five popular articles specifically on your topic. • Search using clusty.com; locate at least five reliable websites.

  11. WHAT WE’LL DO THURSDAY IN LECTURE: Using and communicating information (Read: InfoSkills Module 5, screens 1-21) • Assess reliability of information resources. • Select most appropriate sources from pool. • Extract and describe relevant information. • Organize and synthesize relevant information into an “annotated bibliography.” • Purpose--describe specific information in resources that informs the research statement. • Report structure--Intro, Resources, Discussion. • Ethics of annotating a resource. • Organize information into a concise presentation that directly addresses thesis.

  12. WHAT YOU’LL DO THURSDAY IN DISCUSSION:Using and communicating information • Assess reliability and relevance of all of your resources; then select the “best.” • Select a minimum of two from each five resources based on the reliability of sources and direct relevance of information. • Extract and describe the information that is directly relevant to and informs your topic from the “best.” • Organize information into “annotated bibliography.” • Purpose--describe specific information in resources that informs the research statement • Report structure--Introduction, Resources, Discussion • Think about the ethics of annotating intellectual property • Synthesize information in the discussion section that directly addresses the thesis (research statement). • Organize information into a concise presentation that directly addresses the thesis (research statement).

  13. From talking the talk to walking the walk Step 1: Writing a research or thesis statement What exactly is a research or thesis statement? How does it differ from a hypothesis statement?

  14. Thesis and Hypothesis StatementsHow do these concepts differ? • Thesis statement: A concise statement describing the point, purpose, or goal of a study. This statement can also include the methods used for the investigation. • Experimental hypothesis statement: A claim that can be tested by experimentation and commonly involves groups in which specific variables can be manipulated. For example, subjects or things can be divided into “controls” and “experimentals” for comparison purposes. • Descriptive hypothesis statement: A claim that can be supported by observational evidence but does not lend itself to “experimentation” wherein several variables are held constant while one or a few are varied.

  15. Identifying thesis (purpose) and hypothesis (claim) statements • Is the statement a claim that can be refuted (shown to be wrong) with observation or experimentation? • If no, it is probably a research, purpose, or thesis statement. • If yes, it could be either a descriptive or experimental hypothesis • To evaluate this claim, would it be most effective to hold several variables constant in order to measure one of them? • If yes, it is probably an experimental hypothesis. • If no, can the claim be informed by observational evidence? If so, it is probably a descriptive hypothesis.

  16. Can you identify thesis (purpose) and hypothesis (claim) statements? • In this study, we will show that the amount of energy required to produce and transport one bottle of water to residences in the Town of Blacksburg is on average one order of magnitude greater than that used to produce and transport the equivalent volume of municipal (tap) water to those same residences. • This study will identify and document the level and type of pesticide contamination in water produced from municipal water systems in the upper Midwest farm belt. • This investigation will demonstrate that the privatization of water for bottling, which was originally intended to provide greater access to clean drinking water for all people in Bolivia, is actually depriving a greater percentage of people access to potable drinking water than before privatization.

  17. This study will identify and document the level and type of pesticide contamination in water produced from municipal water systems in the upper Midwest farm belt. This is an example of a research, purpose, or thesis statement This is an open-ended statement that does not directly “test” anything

  18. Step 2: Identify the big ideas in your research statement and prioritize them, beginning with the most important idea.

  19. This study will identify and document the level and type of pesticide contamination in water produced from municipal water systems in the upper Midwestern Farm Belt. Every sentence is a mix of unique concepts described by the nouns. Underline the nouns

  20. This study will identify and document the level and type of pesticidecontamination in water produced from municipal watersystems in the upper Midwest farm belt. Choose the main or biggest idea in the sentence. This depends on your guiding research question, in this case, “Should I drink tap or bottled water.” Circle the biggest idea and draw boxes around the secondary ideas

  21. This study will identify and document the level and type of pesticide contamination in water produced from municipal water systems in the upper Midwest farm belt. Place the primary and secondary concepts in the concept table and identify synonyms for each one

  22. Write the primary and secondary concepts in the table and list synonyms (nouns)

  23. Step 3: Link the primary and secondary concepts in your research statement using Boolean operators

  24. Boolean operators are used to link concepts together AND OR NOT

  25. Use Boolean operators, AND, OR, NOT to link primary and secondary concepts Use these statements to search electronic databases: • To begin with, use AND • Municipal water AND pesticides • Then use synonyms with AND • Drinking water AND pesticides • Then use more synonyms based on what nouns you find from the previous searches • Drinking water AND atrazine AND Midwest

  26. Step 4: Using Boolean search statements, search electronic databases; refine search statements as necessary and repeat

  27. Step 5: Assess source relevance first and if the source is relevant to your research statement and goals, assess source reliability

  28. Finding scholarly journal articles using the database Academic Search Complete • Go to the Library home page (linked from the VT home page) or www.lib.vt.edu • Under “Find”, click on “articles/databases” • There are over 300 databases! • Under “A”, click on Academic Search Complete • Enter your first Boolean search statement and hit search • Look for scholarly or peer-reviewed articles by clicking on Academic Journals in the left column • Analyze result set for relevant articles • Look at subject headings on relevant articles and add useful terms to your Concept Table • Revise search statement based on above analysis and repeat • Mark any relevant results and download or e-mail to yourself

  29. Finding popular or trade articles • Go to the Library home page (linked from the VT home page) or www.lib.vt.edu • Under “Find”, click on “articles/databases” • Under “A”, click on Academic Search Complete • Enter your first Boolean search statement and hit search • Look for popular articles by clicking on Magazines or Newspapers in the left column • Analyze result set for relevant articles • Look at subject headings on relevant articles and add useful terms to your Concept Table • Revise search statement based on above analysis and repeat • Mark any relevant results and download or e-mail to yourself

  30. Finding websites using a search engine other than Google • Go to www.clusty.com • Type Boolean statement into search bar • Analyze results, including looking at the “clusters” list on left side • Evaluate relevance • Evaluate and refine search statement and repeat • Mark (save) links to any sites that are directly relevant. We’ll work on assessing reliability later.

  31. Goal for your discussion section today • Choose a research statement from the list • Find at least five to six relevant sources for each resource type (scholarly/peer-reviewed, popular/trade, and websites) that specifically and directly address your research statement • Several scholarly/peer-reviewed articles using Academic Search Complete • Several popular articles using Academic Search Complete • Several reliable websites using Clusty • On Thursday, you will assess reliability from which you will select the best two for your annotated bibliography

  32. WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY IN DISCUSSION: Searching for information • Select a research statement. If someone in your section picks the same topic you’re considering, pick another. • Use the blank concept table to identify the primary and secondary concepts and their synonyms. • Construct a search statement using these terms joined by Boolean operators (for support, see: InfoSkills Module 3). • Use search statements in Academic Search Complete. Repeat systematically with synonyms. Find at least five scholarly articles specifically on your topic. • Use search statements in Academic Search Complete. Repeat systematically with synonyms. Find at least five popular articles specifically on your topic. • Search using clusty.com; locate at least five reliable websites.

  33. THURSDAY IN LECTURE: Assessing, evaluating and using information (Read: InfoSkills Module 5, screens 1-21) Describe how to….. • Assess/evaluate reliability of information sources • Select the most relevant & reliable sources • Extract and describe relevant information. • Organize and synthesize relevant information into an “annotated bibliography.” • Objective--describe specific information in resources that informs the research statement. • Report structure--Introduction, Resources, Discussion. • Ethics of annotating a resource. • Organize information into a concise summary that directly addresses thesis.

  34. THURSDAY IN DISCUSSION: Assessing, evaluating and using information In discussion, you will get to… • Assess reliability and relevance of all of your resources; then select the “best.” • Extract and describe the information that is directly relevant to and informs your topic from the “best.” • Organize information into an “annotated bibliography.” • Purpose--describe specific information that informs the research statement • Report structure--Introduction, Resources, Discussion • Think about the ethics of annotating intellectual property • Synthesize information in the discussion section that directly addresses the thesis (research statement). • Organize information into a concise presentation that directly addresses the thesis (research statement).

  35. Assess reliability of your resources • Toolkit: Information skills module 5 and Reliability Evaluation Table • If a peer-reviewed journal, assume source is reliable • If not peer-reviewed, reliability needs to be assessed: • Assessing Popular articles • Example: “United States: Turning off the Taps; the Great Plains” (2006, Feb. 11) The Economist, 378(8464), 51.

  36. Assess reliability of your resources • Assessing Websites • Example: Check out these three websites and apply the tools for assessing reliability • www.snopes.com • www.factcheck.org • www.factorfiction.com

  37. Extract and summarize the information that informs your thesis • Find information that directly informs thesis • If not directly informative, go to next resource • If informative: • Cite the article in APA format Below the citation, indicate the reliability criteria from the Reliability Evaluation Table that this source meets • In the next paragraph(s), write an Annotation that summarizes just the information that informs the thesis (not the entire article) • Continue until you have located and summarized sufficient evidence to inform your thesis

  38. What does an annotation look like? Annotation of a Popular Magazine Article United States: Turning off the taps; The Great Plains. (2006, February 11). The Economist, 378(8464), 51. This short article written for The Economist, a British magazine with a focus on business and international politics. It highlights the drinking water problems facing the agricultural, dry northern great plains. It states that the water sources for 15 towns and 5 rural water systems across South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa have been so contaminated with agricultural chemicals that most of them have capped their wells and are importing water from other regions. Although no documentation is provided, specific individuals and towns are referenced. These could be contacted for factual verification or additional information.

  39. What does an annotation look like? Annotation for a Scientific Journal Article Postle, J. K., Rheineck, B. D., Allen, P. E., Baldock, J. O., Cook, C. J., Zogbaum, R., Vandenbrook, J. P. (2004). Chloroacetianilide Herbicide metabolities in Wisconsin Groundwater: 2001 Survey Results. Environmental Science and Technology 38:5339-5343. This paper reports the results of a survey conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to: 1) determine what agricultural chemicals are appearing in Wisconsin groundwater, 2) specifically track atrazine and nitrate levels, and 3) provide a complete look at the metabolites of chloracetanilide in the groundwater. The survey found that these metabolites occurred much more frequently in groundwater than the parent compound. Tables showing the detectable levels of specific metabolites by region are provided. The authors emphasize that the results of their study highlight the need for toxicological studies of these metabolitesand the development of groundwater tolerance levels.

  40. Organize the annotations into a report • Section 1: Introduction • Why is this investigation important? • Provide background information to orient reader • Include research statement at the end of section • Section 2: Bibliography with Annotations • Sufficient number of entries to inform thesis • For each, include an APA citation, a statement of source’s reliability, and a summary of information directly relevant to research statement • Section 3: Discussion • Synthesize the information from all of your cited sources • Indicate how your synthesis informs the research statement • Indicate how your synthesis informs drinking water choice

  41. Present your findings orally in your discussion section • Read the presentation guidelines and practice • Present on Tuesday and Thursday • Three minutes max!!! (UTAs as timekeepers) • State your thesis in an interesting way • Present summary of information from resources (do not walk through each one) • Indicate how the evidence in the resources informs your thesis • Conclude by indicating whether this information influences your choice of drinking water

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