topic narrowing

Submitted by Tricia Martone on January 16th, 2025
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Short Description: 

This an an active learning class using a jigsaw for teaching how to use Web of Science (25 minutes) and a modified Send-A-Problem (renamed Send Along) activity (15 minutes) that covers keyword brainstorming, practicing searching, evaluating the relevance of sources for a given topic, and considering whether that research topic is right-sized.

The lesson was designed for an environmental studies class with 6 students, though it can be scaled up. The Web of Science jigsaw had 3 groups of 2 each teaching themselves in their pairs the contents of one of the handouts. Students were then shuffled so that each student in each of the 2 new groups of 3 had worked on a separate handout. The students then taught each other what they learned, combining the knowledge of the three handouts. Students were put in pairs for the Send Along activity. All groups completed #1, then passed their paper to the left, and this was repeated for #2 and #3. Papers were passed once more after #3 was complete so that groups ended up with their original paper. The topics of the send along activity were curated such that one topic was too specific, one was right sized, and the other too broad. Reflection on the activity (5-10 minutes) included discussion around what makes a right-sized research question, how useful some Web of Science features were for their searches, how keyword choices impacted their searches, and what they might do differently in future.

This lesson was created by Tricia Martone, Alexis Gomez, and Abigail Murdy during the 2024 Librarians Active Learning Institute (LALI) at Dartmouth Libraries, and has been used by Tricia in one-shot library instruction in undergraduate classes. 

Learning Outcomes: 
  • Students will be able to identify primary peer-reviewed literature relevant to their topic.
  • Students will be able to apply search strategies to locate relevant peer-reviewed sources for their topic.
  • Students will be able to distinguish whether a research topic is broad, too specific, or just right.

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This was created for and used in the Librarians Active Learning Institute (LALI) 2024 practicum. Tricia has since used it in an earth sciences undergraduate class (5 students), and created a modified version of the jigsaw for ProQuest Central in a first-year writing seminar in the earth sciences department (16 students). 

For numbers that aren't even, like the 5 students, I asked the instructor to step in to fill the 6th spot so that the jigsaw could function. It's important to have at least one person in each group that worked on each handout. For the class of 16 students, I still had 3 handouts and kept close to a 3 by 5. For teaching themselves, I had 2 groups of 5 and 1 group of 6, then for mixing, I had 4 groups of 3 and 1 group of 4. The group of 4 had two people who worked on the same handout, so those two team-taught the others in their group. This worked well scaled up, though the classroom can get loud. Scaling beyond 16 may require separating the class into a couple groups and then doing the jigsaw among each group (i.e. 36 students might become 3 groups of 12, and then you break it down from there).

Assessment or Criteria for Success
Assessment Short Description: 
Students will be able to apply search strategies through Web of Science to find and assess 2 resources on a paper topic. Students will be able to articulate when a search topic isn’t specific enough to be able to narrow in on relevant sources.
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

The jigsaw will need a room where students can group up. A lecture hall or room with immovable furniture that's far apart may not accomodate this activity. Students also need to bring laptops to class, so if the instructor doesn't want this, the activity won't be possible.

The send-along that teaches about how to right-size a research question needs very curated topics in order to get this particular part of the lesson across. This landed really well with the topics included in these handouts, but different prompts I used in the Earth Sciences class I taught this in fell flat, though students still got something out of the activity. They instead reflected on what makes a paper relevant to a topic, which was also valuable for them.

Suggested Citation: 
Martone, Tricia. "Strategic Searching and Research Question Evaluation." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2025. https://projectcora.org/assignment/strategic-searching-and-research-question-evaluation.
Submitted by Olga Koz on April 27th, 2022
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Short Description: 

The assignment supports students' ability to explain their research in less than 50 words effectively. Students briefly introduce themselves and their research projects by answering the following questions in the discussion board post:

Learning Outcomes: 

The objective is for students to summarize their doctoral dissertation research compellingly and develop research communication skills.

This assignment is a part of the course on the literature review design. It prepares students to conduct a literature review that aligns with the research question, topic, and design.

Discipline: 
Education

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

The assignment is the part of the first module of the course, in which students introduce themselves, and their research is the first step in planning a literature review for a research proposal.

Students are asked to post the thesis on the discussion board, and other students are required to answer the questions:

1. What elements of the topic and research question are missing?

2. Would you recommend narrowing the topic?

3. Are research questions and design connected?

 

Assessment or Criteria for Success
Assessment Short Description: 
1. Students were able to submit research questions and designs aligned with each other. 2. Students include all required elements in the topic and question. 3. Students can notice mistakes in formulating research questions and topics. 2. Would you recommend narrowing the topic? 3. Are research questions and design connected?
Suggested Citation: 
Koz, Olga. "50 words thesis." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2022. https://projectcora.org/assignment/50-words-thesis.

Teaching Resource

These online, self-paced tutorials built in Articulate Storyline instruct students in academic-level research skills at point-of-need.

Teaching Resource

A website produced by library instructors at Brigham Young University for use in blended learning instruction with First-Year Writing (FYW) classes.

Submitted by Aisha Conner-Gaten on April 25th, 2017
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Short Description: 

A two part instruction session that uses the "fish bowl" method, or students as instructors, to find scholarly sources and complete an annotated bibliography citation.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Introduction Slide for Projector and Whiteboard signsdisplayed 1461 times63.81 KB
Instruction Session Overview and Scriptdisplayed 1187 times16.6 KB
Fishbowl Activity Task 1 Worksheetdisplayed 1263 times68.92 KB
Fishbowl Activity Task 2 Worksheet displayed 1190 times124.57 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

In this session, students will: - find scholarly sources using the library catalog or discovery service -create a citation using a citation style -learn the parts of an annotated bibliography -create an annotated citation

Discipline: 
Women's Studies

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This instruction session was created to support a Women and Gender Studies assignment that includes a 5-6 page paper on a topic related to race, sex, and gender and two annotated bibliographic citations of 100 words or less.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

If students do not yet have topics, construct at least 3 examples for use.

Suggested Citation: 
Conner-Gaten, Aisha. "Finding Sources and Annotated Bibliography Fish Bowls." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2017. https://projectcora.org/assignment/finding-sources-and-annotated-bibliography-fish-bowls.
Submitted by William (Bill) Badke on August 25th, 2016
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Short Description: 

A two-credit online graduate information literacy course.

Learning Outcomes: 

The student will: A. show an understanding of the complex current world of information resources; B. demonstrate the ability to formulate a strategy for research; C. show skill in identifying a research problem, acquiring a variety of informational resources to address that problem, evaluating those resources, and putting them to effective use; D. demonstrate an appreciation for planned research from topic to completed project.

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This is a required graduate level course for Associated Canadian Theological Schools of Trinity Western University. The course was implemented in 1987 and the online version has been operating without interruption since late 1999.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

Textbook: William Badke, Research Strategies: Finding your Way through the Information Fog (iUniverse.com). Other activities located in the assignments on the course website.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Online information literacy instruction requires intense involvement with students: Ready availability by e-mail, maximum 24 hour turnaround for queries and assignment grading, and extensive comments on student assignments following a formative rather than summative assessment pattern.

Suggested Citation: 
Badke, William (Bill). "RES 502 - Research Strategies." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/res-502-research-strategies.
Submitted by Ryer Banta on March 3rd, 2016
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Short Description: 

For this activity students are asked to imagine that they are organizing a party, specifically a scholarly party. Groups are given a starting article that they evaluate and use as a jumping off point for choosing a theme for their party and finding more sources. Their theme acts as an early version of a research question. Following citations backwards and forwards groups invite other scholars who would have relevant things to say about their theme. Students also assess gaps in their invite list and identify other scholars from different perspectives or discipline who should also be invited.

Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of the session, students will be able to: - evaluate the benefits of thinking of scholarship as a conversation - use appropriate criteria in order evaluate individual sources and search results in their own research projects - use effective techniques to narrow a topic and select appropriate databases and publications in order to conduct effective and efficient searches in their own research projects - evaluate the utility of source evaluation criteria and search techniques from this activity

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This activity was originally designed for a first year University Studies seminar class.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

The lesson plan, activity worksheet and assessment questions are included as Google Doc links that can be copied or downloaded in your preferred file format. These works by Ryer Banta are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Tips on adapting the activity: There are a few sections that you will need to add some relevant local information and directions to. I have comments on each of these that require these additions. Tips for choosing starting articles: Since I designed this activity for first year students and with them I've had most success giving all groups the same starting article. I choose an open access source that is well cited, but not too old. I also tried to find one that was broadly interesting to them and the subject of the course. It is also possible to choose several different sources that explore narrow aspects of a broad topic. For example, the broad topic could be 'wind energy', and sources could range from public perception, to engineering, to wildlife management, and more. Tips for facilitating the activity and timing: This activity as written will typically take groups about 20 minutes, though it can seem tight, especially if they are not used to doing much group work. So make sure to keep the groups moving along. Make sure you have enough time to debrief. Cut or streamline some sections of the activity if you need to save time, or focus students on some parts more than others. Some groups try to divide up the steps of the activity, but each step is really meant to build on the previous.

Suggested Citation: 
Banta, Ryer. "Scholarly Party ." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/scholarly-party.
Submitted by Susan Archambault on August 6th, 2015
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Short Description: 

This assignment is designed to help students develop a thoughtful research topic. Students go through a series of steps, questions, and background reading to help them better understand and refine a research topic.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
DevelopingResearchTopic_socialjustice_FINAL.pdfdisplayed 4557 times263.92 KB
DevelopingResearchTopic_socialjustice_FINAL.docxdisplayed 1947 times297.42 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • Conceptualize and refine an effective research topic
  • Value information and sources from different perspectives
  • Contextualize a research topic by drawing upon their own intellectual curiosity or personal experience

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This exercise is due week 3, usually before library instruction. As a result, the library created a 4-minute instruction video done as a pre-visit homework assignment called "Developing a Topic with CQ Researcher and Opposing Viewpoints" available on this LibGuide: http://libguides.lmu.edu/RHET1000/LibraryVisit

Using a Topic Development exercise, students will explore and conduct preliminary research on three separate research topics. This is in conjunction with the Information Literacy component of the course as stated in "Rhetorical Arts: Speaking and Writing for Social Justice" common syllabus. A requirement for all first-year students, Rhetorical Arts is a course designed specifically to integrate important skills- information literacy, writing, and public speaking- into the Jesuit Rhetorical Tradition "Eloquentia Perfecta." Students will also engage with important ethical themes related to the common good. 

This is the first assignment in a sequence of writing and oral assignments (followed by a Research Proposal, Annotated Bibliography, Persuasive Research Paper, etc.). Each successive assignment expands on the previous assignments.

Assessment or Criteria for Success
(e.g. rubric, guidelines, exemplary sample paper, etc.): 
AttachmentSize
Rubric for Research Exploration.docxdisplayed 1218 times22.71 KB
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Some students may think this is busy work. Don't allow students to turn this in at the end of the semester with their final paper, as this defeats the purpose of sequencing assignments.

Suggested Citation: 
Archambault, Susan. "Research Exploration Exercise." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://projectcora.org/assignment/research-exploration-exercise.