I have learned many new and more efficient ways to use the TWU library search page and I believe that this will help me to be more successful with my research. Although I found some of the topics for e-books very interesting, I believe that I will find the most current and valuable information through peer reviewed articles. In Clark and Creswell’s Understanding Research, they state, “when reading about research on a specific topic, journal articles are generally the best source.” (Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 11). The explain that journal articles are the best source because they are written by the people who actually conducted the research. This provides an unbiased viewpoint.
To ensure that the articles are credible and reliable, I will invest time in not only reading th research article, but researching the background/credentials of the author(s). Also, I noticed with some of the articles that you can tell how many times it has been cited. I will look for this as well because if it has been cited by other authors of peer review journals, it is more reliable. I will also make sure that the majority of the articles that I reference have a publishing date that is current.
Once I have found a reliable article, I will also access the sources referenced within that article for further information.
Even though most of my resources will be peer reviewed articles, I will still access some information found in e-books on the TWU website as I feel that the information is valuable and helpful.
My topic that I have started with is as follows. It is formatted according to the 3 step statements that were provided to me by Dr. Strong.
- I am researching chemicals or dyes in processed and packaged foods and children with special needs (topic)
- because I want to find out if chemicals/dyes in processed and packaged foods have an effect on the behaviour of children with special needs(issue/question)
- in order to develop a nutrition program at our school that promotes the health and well-being of our students (application – audience).
As I learn more about being an effective researcher, I believe that this topic will change and evolve so that I can more effectively and efficiently find reliable sources.
References:
Plano-Clark, V., Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.