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Sarah Riegel
Professor Jan Rieman
Honors English 1103
October 20, 2014
Purdue OWL Research Reading Response
1. What did you learn about where you begin research, where you should look for
information, and what types of sources are available? Was any of this information new to
you? Why or why not?
When beginning research, it is important to consider what kind of information I am
looking for, not just the topic. This will lead to finding sources more effectively as I
decide what types of sources are likely to have helpful information. This may also help
me to determine bias more quickly if I already have source types in mind. I think I
already do most of this instinctively without much forethought, but I can see how such
forethought could make this process go more smoothly. I already knew that most onlineonly sources are less reputable, but the reminder to check for this will be beneficial to my
research. One thing that was new to me was that most printed books are more outdated
because of a longer publishing period. I knew this, but had not considered it yet for my
research. I also have not attempted to find multimedia sources for my research, but now
this type of source is on my radar.
2. State your understanding of primary and secondary research. What are some advantages
of each?
Primary research is more like field work. It is when you go out into the real world to
collect information yourself through interviews, surveys, or observations. This is helpful
when conducting research on a local level, very specific subject, or original topic. These
may not have as many sources written or created about them, or the information might
not be widely-circulated. With a well-constructed, unbiased course of primary research,
one can be surer of the credibility of ones findings. Secondary research, on the other
hand, is done using already-compiled sources. This information may be more readilyavailable and, if researched well, by experts in the field one is exploring.
3. The section on evaluating sources offers ideas on how to evaluate bibliographic
information, how to evaluate while reading, and how to evaluate a print source versus an
internet source. What do you want to remember from this section as you conduct your
own research?
Purdue OWL recommends looking at the bibliography first to determine if the source is
worth taking time to read. When these bibliographies are not readily available, I can
easily find the necessary information if it is given. The tips for evaluating while reading I
think will be most valuable for my evaluation of the site that I list on my research map.
All refer to finding bias within the text. One tip I had not thought of at all is to consider
whether I am part of the intended audience, not just who the intended audience is. This
could have a profound impact on my research. I will also be looking to research the

Riegel 2
sources listed in each document I read for relative information. This reminds me of the
very nature of inquiry. The most general thing I want to remember from this section is
that online sources are more questionable as to their credibility than print sources. This
can be due to an authors name failing to be listed or a misleading date or an unclearly
labeled source.
4. There are nine sections in the Search the Internet topic area of the Purdue OWL site.
Spend some time reading through them. What are two or three helpful ideas from this
section for you to remember as you use the internet for research?
I should not just limit my online research to using search engines. If I decide which types
of sources might have useful information, as I discussed earlier, I will be able to be more
creative with my search options. This will probably give me more specific information. I
should also research how certain search engines list their sources before starting my
topical research. I will need to remember that first is not always best. Thirdly, I will need
to become more creative about how to limit or expand my search by which keywords I
choose. I should check the amount of listed sources before diving in to the first one listed.
5. What do you want to know about research that would help you with your extended
inquiry project work? There is no question too silly, so please ask whatever is on your
mind.
I have had success using Ebscohost in the past. Is there any other online database of
printed scholarly journals, magazine articles, and newspaper articles that I should look
into using? Other than general exploration, is there a better way of narrowing my
research down to a single question? Are there questions I should be asking myself as I do
this? How specific or broad should my research question be?