Week 6 Assignment

Part One

Research question:

What were the contributing factors Jeffery Dahmer experienced in his childhood and adolescence that led to his criminal behavior?

Part Two

a. Main concepts: What were the contributing factors that Jeffery Dahmer experienced in his childhood and adolescence that led to his criminal behavior?

b. Write a search statement that you can use to search for information to address your research question. “Jeffrey Dahmer” AND behavior AND crim*

c. Academic Search Complete: “Jeffrey Dahmer” AND behavior AND crim*

d. I used the following database limiters: “scholarly journals” and “references available”. When I selected the “references available” database limiter it produced zero results.

Part Three

I wish I had leanned how to write a well thought out research question years ago. With previous research papers I had always struggled with that. If I continue my education beyond my 4 year degree, I will be able to write a research question that's “just right” for future assignments and projects. This week I also learned how to more effectively use the database limiters. I never knew that selecting “full text” greatly limits the number of search results. I do have an Illiad account. 

Week 5 Assignment

Part One, Practicing Boolean Search Phrases/Statements:

1. Is a vegetarian diet healthier than a meat-based diet?

<vegetarian AND meat-based AND diet*>

<”healthy diet*” AND vegetarian AND meat>

<”healthy eating” AND plant-based AND meat-based>

2. Are big box stores like WalMart and Target good for the economy?

<Wal-Mart AND Target AND economy>

<”Big box store*” AND economy>

<”corporate retail” AND economy>

Part Two:

Part Three:

Reflection- 

I found the lesson about boolean search phrases and statements very helpful. Before this week's lesson I knew how to perform basic searches for research topics. I would use different words and different combination of words. I also knew that by using quotations around a search phrase would give more specific results. But now I have a much better understanding of how to get more results in less time. For any future searches I will look at my research questions and search phrases in such a way that will make more send to a database rather than using natural language. 

Week 4

Week Four Assignment

Background Searching in the Library Resources

1. Electronic Reference:

From the Oxford Reference Collection:

Postmus, J.(2008). Sexual Assault. In Encyclopedia of Social Work. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 Feb. 2015, from http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195306613.001.0001/acref-9780195306613-e-357.

2. Book from Search It, the Library’s Catalog:

Details:

Title: Victims of sexual assault and abuse : resources and responses for individuals and families

• Author: Michele Antoinette Paludi; Florence Denmark
• Subjects: Sex crimes; Sexual abuse victims -- Services for; Rape victims -- Services for; Battered Women -- psychology; Child Abuse, Sexual; Domestic Violence; Sexual Harrassment; Women's Health Services; Rape victims -- Services for; Sex crimes; Sexual abuse victims -- Services for
• Description: v. 1. Incidence and psychological dimensions -- v. 2. Cultural, community, educational and advocacy responses. 
• Related Titles: Series: Women's psychology (Westport, Conn.) 
• Publisher: Santa Barbara, Calif. : Praeger 
• Publication Date: c2010 
• Format: 2 v. : ill. ; 24 cm..
• Identifier: ISBN: 9780313379703 (hbk. : alk. paper) ;ISBN: 031337970X (hbk. : alk. paper) ;ISBN: 9780313379710 (ebk.) ;ISBN: 0313379718 (ebk.) 
• Language: English
• Alma IZ record number: 99380349060101842 
• OCLC Number: 548555681 
• Alma NZ record number: 9993064350001451 

3. eBook from Search It:

Details:

Title: Up Against a Wall Rape Reform and the Failure of Success

• WWU purchase-on-demand ebooks
• Author: Rose Corrigan
• Subjects: Anti-rape movement -- United States; Feminist theory -- United States; Law reform -- United States; Rape -- United States; Rape victims -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States; Electronic books
• Electronic books 
• Description: Cover; Contents; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction: The Failure of Success; 2. The Anti-Rape Movement and the Turn to Law; 3. Listening to Rape Care Advocates; 4. Institutional Responses to Rape: Following the "Leaky Pipeline" of Rape Reporting; 5. Developing the Body of Evidence: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Programs; 6. When Rights Are Wrong: Emergency Contraception and the Failure of Policy Success; 7. When Is a Rapist a Sex Offender?: Sex Offender Registration and Notification Statutes; 8. Fleeing from Feminism: The Troubled Legacy of Rape Law Reform; Notes; Bibliography; Index; About the Author
  Rape law reform has long been hailed as one of the most successful projects of second-wave feminism. Yet forty years after the anti-rape movement emerged, legal and medical institutions continue to resist implementing reforms intended to provide more just and compassionate legal and medical responses to victims of sexual violence. In Up Against a Wall , Rose Corrigan draws on interviews with over 150 local rape care advocates in communities across the United States to explore how and why mainstream systems continue to resist feminist reforms. In a series of richly detailed case studies, the bo
  Description based upon print version of record. 
• Publisher: New York : NYU Press 
• Publication Date: 2013 
• Format: 1 online resource (331 p.). 
• Identifier: ISBN: 0-8147-0793-9 
• Language: English
• OCLC Number: 825978122 
• Alma NZ record number: 99218238690001451
  99136578150001451 

4. Reflection: In your Research Journal:

I have found that the WSU Library's online resources are fairly easy to navigate and search. I especially like how specific a search can be. I have always been able to effectively research a topic online or in a library. But with this week's assignment I did learn how to search for online eBooks and how to search for books that are available at other WSU libraries. In fact, I requested my first book to be delivered to WSU Vancouver's library from Pullman. 

Week Three Assignment

Background Searching on the WWW

Part One: Background Information

1. My research topic is “Animal Assisted Therapy for Sexual Assault Victims”

2. a. I used http://academic.research.microsoft.com/
 b. I found that I may have to broaden the scope of my research topic from      “Animal Assisted Therapy...” to “Therapy Options” because it appears there are very few sources for animal assisted therapy for sexual assault victims. I found that I can also narrow the scope of my search to include the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder as there are many sources that include information about PTSD.

c. Some subtopics I read about in my search are: the comorbidity of mood disorders in sexual assault survivors, group therapy for the treatment of PTSD, sexual dysfunction in sexual assault survivors, social implications and victim blaming.

d. While I was reading through my initial background search of my research topic, a number of questions came to mind. One research question I would like to answer in my research paper is “How can the current therapy options that are available for sexual assault survivors be improved?”

e. Distinctive- sexual assault

    Broad term- violence
    Narrow term – sexual assualt of adolescent females
    Related term- crimes

Part Two: Evaluating the Website

1. http://www.goodtherapy.org/

2. The website's domain is .org which tells me that it's an advocacy website.

3. There is an “about us” link. It says that the website is “an association of mental       health professionals from more than 30 countries worldwide who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.” The founder and CEO is Noah Rubinstein who is a licensed marriage and family therapist. There are also a number of committee members with PhD credentials who are involved with continuing education for the website.

4. The page about trauma and PTSD was last updated on December 10, 2014.

5. The website appears to have quality information. References are given for each information page or article. It appears to be as credible as textbooks or journals. The website was created by the founder, Noah Rubinstein, to support the worldwide efforts to reduce harm in therapy. The purpose of the website is to educate people about healthy psychotherapy and how to identify unhealthy psychotherapy practices.

Part Three: Reflect

Searching for background information about a research topic is very useful. But I found that it can be very difficult to find background information about a topic if it is too narrow. Since the background information is not used for a research paper's reference list, it's much easier to search a wide variety of information sources in order to narrow the scope of the research topic or to adjust the research topic before setting it in stone. Browsing and reading through a wide variety of information related to my research topic gives me the ability to iron out the wrinkles in my initial research topic.

Week 2 

1. I have to do a paper on biogeography but I don’t really know what that is. Where should I begin to find out?
   • I would first use a secondary source, such as an encyclopedia, to determine what biogeography is. And encyclopedia is in the years later portion of the information cycle. I would choose this source because an encyclopedia could give me an overview about the topic. It would help me narrow down what I want to write about biogeography.

2. I have heard that the climate is changing and some people say it is getting warmer. Where can I find information on climate change?
   • I would begin my research with periodicals such as a peer-reviewed scientific journal. I would choose this source because scientific journals are written by scholars and experts. The source is reliable and credible because it is peer-reviewed and almost always has a list of references listed at the end of the publication. Periodicals are in the months to a year after and event within the information cycle.

3. I am a psychology major and I am going to be doing an internship at a group home. I hear that the young people who live there have problems with anger. Where can I find professional/ practical information from experts on how to intervene if someone gets mad and wants to fight?
   • I would look for the needed information in a secondary source like a textbook about anger management. I would choose this source because it would include a compilation of practical and professional information from other primary and secondary sources needed to understand the subject. A textbook would be in the years after phase of the information cycle.

4. A professor is writing a grant to the National Science Foundation to get funding for a research project to study the effect of DDT on ground water. The NSF needs to know that there is a foundation of research on which to build this study. Where will the professor get the kind of information that will convince the NSF to fund the project?
   • I would search for primary sources that include research about the subject of ground water contamination. A peer-reviewed scientific journal would be a good resource because the data and information included in the research articles would be verified by other scholars. This source would be in the 6 months to a year or years after phase of the information cycle.

5. I heard on the radio that there are killer bees coming north from Central America. How do I find out if they are in Washington State, yet?
   • I would search for a relevant newspaper article or a recent survey done on bee keepers and farms in Washington. I would select these sources because they would be reporting on current events and statistics. Both sources are primary sources and could be in the weeks after phase of the information cycle.

6. I have heard that there was a man who was president of the United States for one day. Where would I find out who that was?
   • You could find out who that was with an encyclopedia of United States presidents. I would choose this resource because it would be a quick and reliable source of information. An encyclopedia of US presidents would be in the years after phase of the information cycle.

7. My instructor wants peer reviewed articles for my research paper. Where can I find them?
   • Peer-reviewed articles can be found on the EBSCOhost website though the WSU Library. I would choose this source because it is easy to search by a specific topic or keyword, authors and date of publication. Peer-reviewed articles are in the months to a year after an event in the information cycle.

8. Where can I find some firsthand information (primary sources) about the pioneers who came west?
   • Good primary sources about the pioneers in the American West would be journals, memoirs, autobiographies, photographs, diaries, census data, newspapers from the time period or even artwork. Many of these primary sources could be found in secondary sources such as a textbook about the American pioneers. Both primary and secondary sources about this topic would obviously be in the years after an event phase in the information cycle.

9. I need to know everything I can about honey bees. Where should I look?
   • I would look for textbooks about entomology or a credible website about honey bees. These sources would both be secondary sources. I would look at these sources first because they would include a variety of information compiled from primary sources in one location.

10. What kind of outfits does Lady Gaga wear?
    • I would look at a secondary resource like articles from music magazines or fashion magazines. Magazines would be in the weeks after an event phase of the information cycle. Or to get current information and current popular opinion about Lady Gaga's latest fashion endeavors I would look at primary sources like E! News or some other entertainment news source. A source like E! News could be the 1^st source after and event or days after an event in the information cycle.

This exercise was very helpful for me to determine what sources are best suited for various types of information. I learned that not all credible sources are only primary sources and not all secondary sources are only considered non-credible. Through this exercise I have learned how to choose an appropriate source to suit my information needs more accurately which translates into spending less time aimlessly searching the internet or the library. Having a better understanding of the various types of sources, the information cycle, the scientific publication cycle and the types of periodicals with definitely help me with my information seeking needs in the future. Whether it's purely for pleasure or for one of my last research papers before graduation, I feel that I am better equipped for efficient information seeking than I was before.