Title: Research
Course: Question Banks

Q: Which of these strategies for preliminary research on an essay project is most likely to be effective, and why?

1. Rita uses the library databases to find three sources she can use in her paper, and then works on creating good body paragraphs.
2. Margaret creates a working thesis statement, and then decides what kinds of sources she’ll need to support it.
- A, because in B, Margaret should find her sources before she creates a working thesis statement.
- A, because students need to find all their sources during this stage.
- B, because Margaret’s working thesis statement will guide and shape her upcoming work.
A: B, because Margaret’s working thesis statement will guide and shape her upcoming work.

Q: Your classmate is focusing her research on Google Scholar and plans not to use the library databases, because she says that Google Scholar is easier to use. How would you evaluate her plan, and what feedback should you offer her?
- Google Scholar returns results which are free, but you will have to pay for the results that you find through the library databases, so it’s good to avoid those.
- You cannot conduct advanced searches on Google Scholar, so it’s only a useful site for preliminary research.
- The library databases let you search for full-text articles only, which can save you time. You may want to consider using them along with Google Scholar.
A: The library databases let you search for full-text articles only, which can save you time. You may want to consider using them along with Google Scholar.

Q: You want to find sources on your essay topic, the role of the vice president in deciding national security matters. You begin searching on Google Scholar, but get too many results. Which strategy should you use to make this search more useful for you?
- Make sure you are not accessing Google Scholar through your library database, as that link can limit your searches to less-scholarly results.
- Make sure that the “Import Citations” box in the Settings section is unchecked.
- Decide on a subtopic, settle on some key words, and add them into your search blank with the word “and.”
A: Decide on a subtopic, settle on some key words, and add them into your search blank with the word “and.”

Q: What advantages are there, if any, to incorporating peer-reviewed articles and texts into your research essay?
- There are no advantages. In fact, they offer a slight disadvantage because they are harder to read and understand the first time through.
- These usually contained impassioned pleas about their subject matter, which will appeal to readers’ emotions.
- These are most likely to be accurate in their data and correct in their conclusions.
A: These are most likely to be accurate in their data and correct in their conclusions.

Q: What is the best approach to reading a scholarly article if you are evaluating it for use in your research essay?
- Read the article’s List of Important Studies, then the Materials section, and then the abstract.
- Read the Works Cited at the end, scan the article’s outline, and then begin reading from the first page.
- Read the abstract first, then read the discussion or conclusion section, and then read the introduction.
A: Read the abstract first, then read the discussion or conclusion section, and then read the introduction.

Q: You are writing a research paper arguing that elementary school educators should be concerned about increased diagnoses of childhood attention deficit disorder (ADD). Knowing what you do about the importance of the rhetorical context of potential sources, which of the following sources is the most useful to your project?

1. An account of first-hand experience from a teen who was diagnosed with ADD when he was five.
2. A parent’s blog of first-hand experience of raising three sons who were diagnosed with ADD.
3. An academic article noting survey results from pediatricians demonstrating that ADD diagnoses have doubled in the past 15 years.
- C, because A and B are anecdotal, and such information is never appropriate for a research essay.
- A, because this teen is directly affected by this issue and most likely offers unbiased facts.
- C, because while they are all useful, a scholarly source such as a survey provides the best support for your claim.
A: C, because while they are all useful, a scholarly source such as a survey provides the best support for your claim.

Q: Based on the rhetorical context of the following source, would you include it in your research essay? Why or why not?
- The source demonstrates that it is informative because it answers common questions about this procedure. This is a good source to include because it will inform my readers.
- This source is located on the internet, which means that it is not a good source to include in a research essay.
- The purpose of this text is to sell services, as evidenced by the tabs across the top, so any claims made on this site are suspect. This is not a good source for a research essay.
A: The purpose of this text is to sell services, as evidenced by the tabs across the top, so any claims made on this site are suspect. This is not a good source for a research essay.

Q: Based on what you know about evaluating sources for your task, which of the following sources is most likely to be the most useful for a research essay about state vs. federal power in U.S. government?

1. The Declaration of Independence.
2. A list of reasons called “Why we need to destroy the federal government,” found on a personal blog titled “Neo-Conservative Thought” and published three months ago.
3. A story about one man’s struggle to avoid paying federal income tax, published in the popular magazine People.
- B, because this is a blog that not many people are aware of, and they need to know that it exists.
- C, because popular magazines are credible, unbiased sources of information.
- A, because even though it’s old, it’s an important primary source that frames this entire debate.
A: A, because even though it’s old, it’s an important primary source that frames this entire debate.

Q: What are the most effective strategies for evaluating a source’s suitability for use in a research paper?
- See if anyone you know has used it in his or her research paper, and see if your library has it.
- Make sure it’s not available through Google Scholar, and see how many footnotes it has.
- See if the source supports a point of view you want to discuss, and see if contains data you need.
A: See if the source supports a point of view you want to discuss, and see if contains data you need.

Q: The image below captures the homepage of “Kid Fashion” by About.com, a website on the topic of school uniforms and their impacts. Based on this screenshot, evaluate the usefulness of this source for a research essay recommending a local public school switch to requiring student uniforms.
- This is a useful source to cite in your paper, because it includes the author’s name and an “updated by” date.
- This is not a useful source because, as the first paragraph states, it looks at pros AND cons. Good sources will take a firm stand one way or the other.
- This is a useful source for preliminary research, but maybe not for your paper, because it’s written for a popular audience.
A: This is a useful source for preliminary research, but maybe not for your paper, because it’s written for a popular audience.

Q: Maile has found a source for a research essay. She needs to evaluate its authority before deciding whether to use it. Which strategy should she use?
- She should figure out how many total publications this author has on all subjects, and read the author’s Wikipedia page
- She should figure out how long the publication that printed this source has been around, and investigate the rankings of the school where the author graduated from
- She should look at other research results to see how many times the author of this source is cited, and determine her author’s credentials on the topic.
A: She should look at other research results to see how many times the author of this source is cited, and determine her author’s credentials on the topic.

Q: Read the following excerpt from your friend Isobel, who has been finding and evaluating sources for a research project. Which feedback below would most help her improve this passage?

“Choosing a celebrity to endorse your product can sometimes backfire” (from source #1). Youth want to dress like their favorite stars and “stores like Kohls and K-Mart know that and have signed celebrities to clothing lines” (from source #2). “Almost 20% of all television advertisements in the United States feature a famous person as an endorser…Celebrity endorsers may be influential because they are viewed as highly dynamic and they have attractive and likeable qualities” (from source 3).
- Isobel needs to decide whether or not she’s going to quote or paraphrase, and stick to one or the other.
- Isobel now needs to evaluate her rough draft against her outline.
- Isobel needs to synthesize her sources and create a single, guiding purpose for using them.
A: Isobel needs to synthesize her sources and create a single, guiding purpose for using them.

Q: Are the following examples of intentional plagiarism, unintentional plagiarism, or correct ethical use of sources? Why?

1. Mia cites a piece of information that turns out to be common knowledge.
2. Braden wants to use a particular source that supports his claim, but the library doesn’t have it, so he chooses another source to use instead and cites that.
- A is unintentional plagiarism, because Mia was uninformed about the definition of common knowledge, and B is intentional plagiarism because Braden chose not to use a source.
- Both are unintentional plagiarism, because both of them cited incorrect or changed information.
- Both A and B are examples of correct ethical use of sources, because it is never wrong to cite a source that doesn’t need it, and because Braden cited his new source correctly.
A: Both A and B are examples of correct ethical use of sources, because it is never wrong to cite a source that doesn’t need it, and because Braden cited his new source correctly.

Q: Tad wants to model strategies for avoiding academic dishonesty for his younger siblings. Which of the following should he do?
- Tad should avoid working with any classmate to get advice on his rough draft.
- Tad should clear every source he wants to use in a research assignment with his professor before including it in the project.
- Tad should compose a brand-new essay for his English class, even though a previous essay he wrote for a Humanities class would also fit the English assignment’s parameters.
A: Tad should compose a brand-new essay for his English class, even though a previous essay he wrote for a Humanities class would also fit the English assignment’s parameters.

Q: Sergei copy and pastes a passage from one of his sources into his essay. He does not use quotation marks, but he does provide a clear citation at the end of the passage. This is
- unintentional plagiarism.
- academically honest and okay to do.
- intentional plagiarism.
A: intentional plagiarism.

Q: Evaluate these two students’ strategies to avoid plagiarism. Which one is more effective and why?

1. Bryony looks up all the authors she is going to cite to make sure they are credentialled. She also plans on using mostly quotes instead of paraphrases or summaries, since they are easier to check for accuracy.
2. Candice plans to use a reference management website for her note-taking, and she checks with her professor if she’s not sure if a piece of information needs a citation or not.
- Bryony’s system is more effective because it helps find the most expert sources; it also helps her avoid common plagiarism errors that happen when paraphrasing and summarizing.
- Bryony’s system is more effective because Candice should not use a reference management website in college-level writing.
- Candice’s system is more effective because it solves the root problems of plagiarism.
A: Candice’s system is more effective because it solves the root problems of plagiarism.

Q: Why are citation and formatting styles necessary for academic writing?
- These styles serve students’ interests, by providing a template for how to write an effective essay
- These styles serve teachers’ interests, by providing an easy way to gauge at a glance how effectively an essay has been written.
- These styles serve our readers’ interests, by clearly identifying where scholarly resources are incorporated so that they can be found and consulted easily
A: These styles serve our readers’ interests, by clearly identifying where scholarly resources are incorporated so that they can be found and consulted easily

Q: Evaluate the first page of this student’s paper, focusing on MLA document format and page layout.
- This page conforms to all MLA document formatting and page layout rules.
- The page should be single-spaced and paragraphs should not be indented.
- The title, top three lines, and page numbers are all formatted incorrectly.
A: The title, top three lines, and page numbers are all formatted incorrectly.

Q: Which advice should you give the author of the following Works Cited section to help her improve it?

Work Cite

Mara Brendegen.. "Verbal Abuse by the Teacher and Child Adjustment From Kindergarten Through Grade 6." Officail Journal of the American Accademy of Pediatrics, 1 May 2006.. 27 Nov. 2012.

Julie Mack. "Tenure Reform: Union Says It's Open to Streamlining Process for Firing." The Kalamazoo Gazette. Michigan Live, 21 web. Nov. 2010. 30 November 2012.

Reeder, Scott and the rest. "The Hidden Cost of Tenure." The Hidden Cost of Tenure. Small News Group, 3 Apr. 2002. 02 Dec. 2012.
- This is a strong list of Works Cited, because you’ve included all the elements you need.
- Pick a style and stick to it. For example, sometimes the authors are listed last names first, and sometimes first names first. Choose one of those and be consistent with it.
- Review what order your Works Cited entry elements should come in, how to write author names, and the citation formatting rules.
A: Review what order your Works Cited entry elements should come in, how to write author names, and the citation formatting rules.

Q: While peer-reviewing another student’s essay, you notice that he has quoted six lines from a book. What should you look for to make sure the quote and in-text citation are formatted correctly?
- Make sure that the quote is italicized and in a slightly larger font. The in-text citation should also be enclosed in quotation marks.
- The six lines of quoted text should be formatted the same way as shorter quotes.
- Check to see if the material is formatted as a block quotation. It should be indented more and should lack quotation marks. The in-text citation should come after the period.
A: Check to see if the material is formatted as a block quotation. It should be indented more and should lack quotation marks. The in-text citation should come after the period.