\nThis guide brings together resources to support you at every stage of your acaemic research \u2014 from developing your topic and understanding the ethics of your work, through searching, evaluating, and organizing sources, to reading, writing, and reviewing the literature. Use the links above to jump to the section you need, or work through the guide in order as your project develops.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>
Research and Writing Guide<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n
\nTopic Development<\/a> | Ethics<\/a> | Academic Integrity | Methodologies<\/a> | Searching<\/a> | Buddhist Studies and Tibetan Language Resources<\/a> | Evaluating Resources<\/a> | Organizing Your Research<\/a> | Reading<\/a> | Writing<\/a> | Literature Review<\/a><\/h5>\n
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Topic Development<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- Develop a Thesis: What makes a strong thesis and how to craft a thesis PDF<\/a><\/strong>
\nLibraries, Indiana University Bloomington <\/li>\n- Five Types of Thesis Statements learningcommons<\/a><\/strong>
\nDigital Learning Commons, University of Guelph <\/li>\n- Four Steps to Narrow Your Research Topic learningcommons<\/a> (video)<\/strong>
\nDigital Learning Commons, University of Guelph <\/li>\n- From Topic to Research Question PDF<\/a><\/strong>
\nLibraries, Indiana University Bloomington <\/li>\n- One Perfect Source: Broaden your scope to find articles to support your topic lib.ncsu.edu<\/a> (video) <\/strong>
\nAnne Burke, NC State University Libraries<\/li>\n- Picking Your Topic Is Research lib.ncsu.edu<\/a> (video)<\/strong>
\nYour topic will likely evolve as you begin to research. Choosing and revising your topic is part of the research process.
\nAnne Burke, NC State University Libraries <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Ethics<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Your Action Research Project (ARP) is classified as a student project rather than federally regulated human subjects research, so Institutional Review Board (IRB) review does not apply. Even so, ARP coursework addresses research ethics directly: the history and purpose of human subjects protections, the Belmont Report\u2019s ethical principles, informed consent, and confidentiality. As you design your project, think carefully about whether your methods touch on human subjects as technically defined, and consult your advisor if you\u2019re unsure how your project\u2019s ethics should be handled.<\/p>\n
\n
- The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research
\n<\/strong> \u2014 U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1979 (hhs.gov<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Academic Integrity<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- Avoiding Plagiarism: Using & Citing Sources<\/strong> guides.library.harvard<\/a>
\n\u2014 Harvard Kennedy School Library<\/li>\n- Avoiding and Detecting Plagiarism: A Guide for Graduate Students and Faculty <\/strong>PDF<\/a>
\n\u2014 CUNY Graduate Center <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Methodologies<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- Brinkman, Svend, Steinar Kvale. 2015. InterViews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing<\/em>. Third Edition. Sage. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Charmaz, Kathy. 2012. Constructing Grounded Theory<\/em>. 2nd edition. Sage. <\/li>\n
- Creswell John W and Cheryl N Poth. 2018. Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches<\/em>. 4th ed. SAGE. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gajaweera, Nalika and Andrew Johnson. Studying Faith: Qualitative Methodologies for Studying Religious Communities. University of Southern California<\/em>. Free online resource<\/a><\/li>\n
- Janesick, Valerie J. 2016. Contemplative Qualitative Inquiry: Practicing the Zen of Research<\/em>. Routledge. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- McNiff Jean. 2013. Action Research: Principles and Practice.<\/em> 3rd ed. Routledge. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Moschella, Mary Clark. 2008. Ethnography As a Pastoral Practice: An Introduction<\/em>. Pilgrim Press. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Moschella, Mary Clark and Susan Willhauck. 2018. Qualitative Research in Theological Education: Pedagogy in Practice<\/em>. SCM Press. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Payne Richard K Scott A Mitchell, and Natalie E. F Quli. 2021. Methods in Buddhist Studies: Essays in Honor of Richard K. Payne<\/em>. Bloomsbury Academic. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Strega, Suan and Leslie Brown (eds.) 2015. Research as Resistance: Revisiting Critical, Indigenous, and<\/em> Anti-Oppressive Approaches<\/em>. Canadian Scholar\u2019s Press Women\u2019s Press. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n
- Wertz Frederick J. 2011. Five Ways of Doing Qualitative Analysis: Phenomenological Psychology, Grounded Theory, Discourse Analysis, Narrative Research, and Intuitive Inquiry<\/em>. Guilford Press. JABL<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Searching – Online Databases<\/h3>\n<\/div>
JSTOR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
- “Login in With Google” – with your @maitripa.org account<\/li>\n
- Set up your workspace with a folder for each topic<\/li>\n
- Expand search to All Content if results are few (email librarian citations for access to articles)<\/li>\n
- View References <\/em>and Related Texts<\/em> in relevant articles<\/li>\n
- Narrow results by Subject
\n<\/em><\/li>\n- Use Text Analyzer<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
Gale Databases<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
- Subject Guide search with Subdivisions<\/li>\n
- Advanced Search with proximity, nesting<\/li>\n
- Limit Results to Academic Journals<\/li>\n
- Refine Results by Subject, Publication Title, Date<\/li>\n
- Use More Like This<\/em> and Related Subjects<\/em> in relevant articles<\/li>\n
- Check References for deep dive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Buddhist Studies and Tibetan-Language Resources<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- Classical Tibetan Study Guide<\/a> \u2014 Maitripa College Guide to Classical Tibetan Language, Texts, and Translation<\/li>\n
- Buddhist Reference<\/a> \u2014 Maitripa College Guide to Buddhist Research (Dictionaries, Glossaries, Digital Libraries, Guides & Bibliographies)<\/li>\n
- Buddhist Publications<\/a> \u2014 Maitripa College: Journals fully or significantly publishing articles about or related to Buddhism<\/li>\n
- Tibetan Arts and Culture<\/a> \u2014 Maitripa College Guide to Tibetan Arts and Culture<\/li>\n
- Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC)<\/a> \u2014 digital library of Tibetan, Sanskrit, Chinese, Pali, Burmese, and Khmer Buddhist texts (17+ million pages) via the BUDA platform; free account required<\/li>\n
- BDRC Common Searches Guide<\/a> \u2014 how to search by topic, genre, and more<\/li>\n
- Tibetan and Himalayan Library (THL)<\/a> \u2014 digital library on Tibetan and Himalayan languages, history, and geography, hosted by the University of Virginia<\/li>\n
- THL Key Tibetan Reference Resources<\/a> \u2014 searchable catalogs and canonical collections (Kangyur, Tengyur, Nyingma Gy\u00fcbum)<\/li>\n
- Tibetan Collection: Electronic Resources<\/a> \u2014 Library of Congress research guide listing additional specialized Tibetan\/Buddhist studies databases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Evaluating Resources<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- Evaluating Internet Resources<\/strong> \u2014 Georgetown University Library (georgetown.edu<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Evaluating Sources<\/strong> \u2014 UC Berkeley Library (lib.berkeley.edu<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Know Your Sources<\/strong> \u2014 Portland Community College Library (edu<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Evaluating Sources Rhetorically<\/strong> (PDF<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Evaluating Wikipedia<\/strong> (PDF<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Organizing Your Research<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Decide how you will store and organize your research before you begin:<\/p>\n
\n
- Print articles, organize in physical folders, using index cards for each source<\/li>\n
- Download articles to your computer, organize in digital folders by topic\/search <\/li>\n
- Use bibliographic management software to store articles with features for organizing and creating citations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Keep track of your searches – when, where, what worked, what terms you used, how many results, were the results relevant?<\/p>\n
\n
- Create your own log, or download this one<\/a> <\/li>\n
- Email articles and citations to yourself as you search <\/li>\n
- Create bookmark folders to save links by topic\/search<\/li>\n
- Keep a physical notebook for each research assignment for taking notes<\/li>\n
- Print web pages you cite; websites are often updated and may not be the same at a later date when your faculty checks your source.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
Use bibliographic management software to store articles with features for organizing and generating citations. Choose one and learn it before you begin your research \u2014 some are more advanced or complicated than others.<\/p>\n
\n
- Comparison of Reference Management Software <\/strong>\u2014 Wikipedia<\/a><\/li>\n
- How to Use Zotero (A Complete Beginner\u2019s Guide)<\/strong> \u2014 YouTube<\/a><\/li>\n
- Using MyBib for Citations<\/strong> \u2014 YouTube<\/a><\/li>\n
- Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition (Author-Date) \u2014 Citation Samples<\/strong> \u2014 chicagomanualofstyle.org<\/a><\/li>\n
- Maitripa Style Guide <\/strong>\u2014 PDF<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>Reading<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n
- How to Read a Scholarly Article, <\/strong>NC State University Libraries — lib.ncsu.edu<\/a> (video)
\nThree NC State faculty members respond to the questions: What is your process for reading a scholarly article? How long does it take you to read a scholarly article? Does your reading process change when you read articles from different disciplines? What is one piece of advice you would give to a student who was attempting to read a scholarly article? <\/li>\n- Reading Scholarly Articles: Joining the Conversation — <\/strong>download pdf<\/a>
\nStrategies to help you read and use scholarly materials effectively. You may find that many academic texts offer meaningful ways to explore your and others\u2019 ideas and perspectives.<\/li>\n- Peer Review in 3 Minutes<\/strong>, NC State University Libraries — lib.ncsu.edu<\/a> (video)
\nArticles are evaluated by asking questions to judge the quality and significance of the research: What is this research about? Is it interesting? Is it important? Is the methodology sound? Are the conclusions logical? and Are the findings original? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Writing<\/h3>\n<\/div>