REC 485 

Senior Seminar

Tim Miller

tim.miller@humboldt.edu

707.826.4959

Library 02 (lower level)

About Me

HSU Undergrad

1995-2000 (Biology)

HSU Grad School

2002-2005 (Kins)

Recreation Administration subject librarian

Research Basics

  • Organization
    • attention to detail
    • patience
    • time & exploration
  • online form & paper version
  • fill it out while you work: 
    • save your research
  • what works? what doesn't?

Research Record

Research Guide

  • gateway to REC research
  • recommended databases
  • tutorial videos
  • tips & tricks

Research Guide

Choosing a Topic

Split up into pairs (or threes) and discuss possible topics- write down your ideas.

Brainstorm - five minutes

Listen to the other person's topic ideas and give them at least two ideas:

  • related areas
  • specific aspect of the topic

Choosing a Topic

Brainstorm - five minutes

What activities are you involved in?

What professional fields are you interested in?

What do you have experience with?

Is there something that affects you personally that you'd like to learn more about?

Are there any unknowns that you are curious about?

Listen to the other person's topic ideas and give them at least two ideas:

  • related areas
  • specific aspect of the topic

Choosing a Topic

On your own, look up ideas using Articles+, eBooks, Google, Wikipedia, etc. to find more about the topics you came up with. 

Explore - ten minutes

Look for:

  • search terms and synonyms
  • related topics
  • what types of variables are involved

What has frustrated you about research?

"Don't have a solid topic"

"Looking for review articles was not as easy as I expected."

"I couldn't print any PDFs from the searches I did."

"Having a hard time deciding on a specific topic (I think mine may be too broad)"

"Trying to choose a topic and not finding enough articles."

How do you begin your research?

Where do you search?

What are your strategies?

What filters have you found to be useful?

What is the hardest part about getting started?

REC 485

By Tim Miller

REC 485

Recreation Administration Senior Seminar first instruction session: introducing the REC research guide, basic search strategies, choosing a topic, and searching for literature reviews.

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