print this page

Conducting research

Choosing a Topic

Website topics must fit into one of the twelve top-level navigation categories in the ThinkQuest Library (Arts & Entertainment, Books & Literature, etc.) Interdisciplinary topics that could fit in more than one category are encouraged; however, your team must choose two categories in which to submit your entry.

Choosing a topic for your website will probably be one of the first big decisions you make as a team. Here are some tips:

  • Visit the ThinkQuest Library for ideas.
  • Review our examples of topics that fit into each category. Please note that entries are limited to the category only, not to the specific topic examples.
  • Consider these questions:
    • Is the topic interesting to your team? The more captivating to each of you, the more fun the project will be for your team and for your audience.
    • What are you learning at school? Explore a topic you are already studying and explore it in greater depth or breadth.
    • Can your topic be explored from multiple perspectives? Think globally and select an issue that can be investigated from numerous viewpoints.
    • Is it multi-disciplinary? Create interest by covering multiple academic subject areas. Consider whether your site could be listed under more than one category.
  • Once your team has identified several possible topics, explore each idea more deeply by brainstorming or drawing a concept map (visual diagram that shows the relationship between concepts). Here are two tools that can help you with this process:

top

Resources

Create a rich learning experience by using a broad range of resources:

  • Library: Visit the library and ask reference staff to help students find materials such as books, newspaper or magazine articles, encyclopedias, and videos.
  • Field trips: Plan outings that allow your students to do hands-on research.
  • Local experts: Invite people in your community for interviews, lectures, or demonstrations.
  • Internet: You can use a search engine, such as Google (http://www.google.com) or Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com), to locate websites on your topic. However, if your students have limited experience with internet research, first make sure that they understand information literacy concepts and online safety rules.

top

Information Literacy

There is an incredible amount of information on the internet. Determining the accuracy of a website is not an exact science, but before beginning online research, students should be able to critically evaluate a website for important factors such as credibility, bias, and timeliness.

Credibility: Explain to students that anyone can put a website on the internet and nobody validates the information to make sure it is true. For example, there is nothing that prevents someone from posting a website that says the earth is flat or that pigs can fly. Furthermore, just because a website looks good or contains lots of content does not mean the information is accurate. Students should ask themselves the following questions:

  • Who is the author of the website? What are his/her credentials? Can I contact him/her with questions?
  • Is the site a personal homepage or an official source of information? Is the site affiliated with a well-known or respected organization?
  • Does the author provide a list of sources that back up the information on the website? Are those sources credible?
  • Is the writing of good quality or does it seem sloppy? Lots of grammar and spelling mistakes can indicate that the author is not well-educated or that he/she didn't put a lot of time and effort into creating the website. Either way, it's not a good sign.
  • Does anything on the website contradict something you already know?

Bias: Explain to students that there can be many different ways of looking at a particular topic. An unbiased website will try to represent a balanced view by giving you lots of information so that you can make up your own mind. On the other hand, a biased website will say that their way of looking at the topic is the only right way, even though there might be many others that are equally valid. Students should ask themselves the following questions:

  • Does the author benefit if I believe a certain set of information? For example, is the website trying to sell me something?
  • If the website is about a controversial issue, does it tell me that there is only one way of thinking or does it present multiple sides of the argument so that I can make up my own mind?

Timeliness: To determine whether the information provided is current, students should check to see how recently the website was updated.

Additional resources:

top

Online Safety & Etiquette

Since ThinkQuest is a web project, it is likely that students will be conducting research and collaborating with others via the internet. Before students begin any work online, teach them to be aware of the dangers of the internet and how to use common sense in their interactions. It is also important for students to understand the importance of knowing when it is acceptable to download such materials as images, mp3 audio files or video files. Students should stick to the following rules:

  • Tell a parent or teacher before you get on the internet (recommended for younger students).
  • Guard your privacy: Never share your password, full name, home address, phone number, or any information that someone could use to find you in the real world. Note also that ThinkQuest Rules prohibit teams from including student last names or contact information in entries.
  • Don't respond to inappropriate messages: If you receive an email that makes your feel uncomfortable or is hurtful, do not respond and tell a parent or teacher right away.
    • It is not appropriate for a stranger to ask you private questions.
    • If is not appropriate for a stranger to ask to meet you in person.
    • It is not appropriate for anyone to harass you.
  • Be kind to others: When you collaborate with others over email or the internet, treat them with the same kindness and respect that you would use in face-to-face interactions.
  • Keep New Friendships Online Only: If a stranger from Think.com or the Internet asks to meet you in person, do not reply and tell a teacher or parent immediately!
  • Ask Permission Before You Use Others’ Work and Cite Your Source: You may need permission to use pictures, music, words or artwork that you find in books, magazines or on the Internet. Ask a teacher before you borrow anyone’s work for your web site. And, remember to always give credit to the original author or source via a footnote or your citations page.
  • Use common sense and trust your instincts.

Additional resources:

top

Avoiding Plagiarism

As stated in the Code of Conduct, ThinkQuest expects all teams to produce websites that meet the highest standards of intellectual honesty. Plagiarism is not only dishonest, it is a violation of copyright law, and entries that contain plagiarized content will be disqualified. In past competitions, hundreds of websites have been disqualified for failing to give credit to the original author by citing the source, using another’s words without quotations, and including images without citation or permission. In some instances, only one student has plagiarized and the entire team is disqualified. Please make sure to teach your students exactly what plagiarism means.

According to plagiarism.org, "plagiarism" is defined as:

  • "(a) copying words or ideas from someone else and attributing those words or ideas as your own;
  • (b) copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit;
  • (c) failing to put a direct quote in quotation marks;
  • (d) giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation;
  • (e) changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit;
  • (f) any copying of another person's work that results in the entry not being substantially the original work of the team members, regardless of whether the copied work is cited; and/or
  • (g) use of website templates without giving credit to the original creator/owner of the template."

Students should use the following guidelines when working on their ThinkQuest entry:

  • Create original material whenever possible. Conduct your own research (via interviews, field trips, surveys, etc.) and write your own content. In addition, you can create original graphics by taking photographs or drawing your own artwork. Even when you are creating "original" content, don't forget to ask for permission if your content features the names or likenesses of other people. For example, if you interview an expert from a museum, ask permission to use that expert's name, quotes, picture, voice, etc. on your website.

    Example of Original Created Material: http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00923/index.html

    On their Credits page, they state the following:
    "Pictures of bandaged globe and animated nurse kitty on our pages created by our teammate Emily (Emma)."

  • Put it in your own words. Just as in a traditional report or paper that you might turn in at school, it is not appropriate to directly copy the words of others without quotation (except as described in the bullet point below). Instead, you should paraphrase or summarize in your own words; it is not appropriate to just replace a word here and there or to simply change the order of sentences. To minimize the chances of plagiarism, read the material, absorb the information, put the material away and then begin writing. This method allows for independent thinking and creation of original writing.
    • There is one exception: You don't have to cite a source if the information is considered "common knowledge" (facts that are so widely known that it is reasonable to expect that the reader will already be aware of them). If you're unsure whether something is "common knowledge," cite a source to be on the safe side.
  • Cite your source. Citations must be provided for all of the sources from which information was obtained. There is one exception: You do not have to cite a source if the information is considered "common knowledge" (facts that are so widely known that it is reasonable to expect that the reader will already be aware of them). If you are unsure whether something is "common knowledge," cite the source to be on the safe side.
  • Obtain permission when necessary. If you want to re-use someone else's material "as is", or with only minor modifications, you may need to obtain their permission, in addition to clearly identifying the material and citing its source. Here are the general rules:
    • Include Info on copyright exceptions (75 years after author’s death), Fair Use & Fair Dealing doctrine.
    • You do not need to ask permission to cite some works under certain conditions (e.g. Creative Commons license). For example, the work may include a note that it may be referenced without permision as long as the content is used for nonprofit or educational purposes, provide a link back to their site, etc. In these cases, your citation should include a short explanation of why permission was not required, so that it's clear you are not violating any copyrights.
    • Generally, you must obtain permission to include creative works, such as photographs, illustrations and original music.  These usually do not fall under the fair use doctrine, as do facts and ideas. If you want to use an image, audio file, or video file that someone else created, obtain permission. If you want to directly excerpt someone else's words (for example, an entire article, essay, or poem), obtain permission. In addition to asking for permission, you must clearly identify the re-used material on your site, use quotations where appropriate, and provide a citation that states that permission was obtained. It can take weeks or months to receive permission, so be prepared and ask well in advance of the Entry Submission deadline. In some cases, you will not receive a response and will most likely be unable to be use the image or content on your website.

EXAMPLES:

Here is an example of unacceptable and acceptable paraphrasing:

Here is the original text, from http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com:

"In 'Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix,' Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts only to discover that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that the story of the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry’s integrity in question. Worse, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, the duplicitous Professor Dolores Umbridge."

Here is an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is plagiarism:

In the movie 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' Harry returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year discovering that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that Harry’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry’s integrity in question. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, has also appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge.

The writer above is guilty of plagiarism because he did not create his own summary, but rather changed a few words and phrases. Additionally, he did not cite the source.

Here is an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase that is not plagiarism:

In the fifth Harry Potter movie, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', Harry begins a challenging new school year at Hogwarts. Many wizards do not believe his story that Lord Voldemort has returned, including the Minister of Magic and his newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. They believe that Harry is lying and thus fail to prepare for combat. So now Harry must defend his reputation while preparing himself and his friends for the dark lord’s next move. (Source: http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com)
  • This passage is acceptable because the writer relays the facts in her own words and cites the source of the information. Further, because the intent of using the information is to relay the facts of the plot within a greater context of analyzing the entire series and its popularity, its use falls under the fair use doctrine.

Appropriate Use of Interviews and Citing Permission:
http://library.thinkquest.org/04apr/00460/en/reality/interviews/

Interviews: Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org, a free service of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Further reprinting prohibited.

Photos: courtesy of kaisernetwork.org. Reprinted with permission. Further reprinting prohibited.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1175

Additional resources:

Note: Some of these resources may provide slightly different guidelines on plagiarism than ThinkQuest's. However, all ThinkQuest teams are required to abide by ThinkQuest standards and Rules. When in doubt, contact thinkquest.ww@oracle.com for assistance.

top

Citations

You must include a citation whenever you use information or materials that came from another source. A citation contains the information that a visitor to your website would need in order to identify and locate the original source, such as the author or creator's name, title, date of access or publication, URL, and so on. There are many proper ways to format a citation. Some of the most common styles are MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago, and Turabian.

Because citations must be provided for all information and material used in a ThinkQuest entry, it is very important for students to keep track of their sources while they are conducting research. Give your students a worksheet or log so that they remember to record all of the vital information about a source.

Below are some excellent examples of proper citations on a website:

Special note on search engines: Search engines (such as Google and Yahoo!) offer a quick way to conduct online research. However, make sure that students understand that Google and Yahoo! are merely tools that help them find material on the internet. They are not the original sources of the material. Students must go to the website that is actually hosting the material in order to find the correct source to credit.

Additional resources:

top

Permissions

It may take some "detective work" to figure out whom to ask for permission to re-use material. If the material is copyrighted, you should contact the owner of the copyright, which could be a person, organization (such as a university), or company (such as a book publisher, record company, or movie production company). If the material is not copyrighted, you should contact the original author or creator. You might have to write several emails or make multiple phone calls before you find the right person.

Students under the age of 18 should never contact strangers, even if they are experts or employees of big companies. A coach or an adult student should always request permission from strangers. It will be safest for emails to come from a coach or generic team email address. Similarly, it will be safest for letters to have a return address for a coach or school, and a coach or parent should be on the line for any phone calls.

Here is a sample letter requesting permission:

Dear [insert name of copyright owner],

We are students from [insert school name] in [insert city, state/province, country]. We are creating a nonprofit, educational website for the ThinkQuest competition. We would like to include the following images(s) from [your website; CD-ROM; publication, etc.]:

The file name(s) of the image(s) we wish to use is: [insert file name]. It is located at [insert URL] in [Name of publication or resource, etc.].

Our final website will be published in the ThinkQuest Library, a free educational resource located at http://www.thinkquest.org. We will honor your copyright by giving your organization full credit and citing you as one of our sources.

Please respond to this message and let us know if we may use this image in our project. Our deadline for publication is [insert date], and we would appreciate your quick response. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
[insert name(s)]
[insert team or coach email address]
[insert school mailing address]
[insert coach or school phone number]

Click here to download the letter in MS Word format.

Make sure that you are prepared to remove excerpts, images, video clips, and other re-used material from your website if you are unable to obtain the proper permissions before the Entry Submission Deadline. It can take weeks or even months to receive a response to a permission request (if you receive a response at all!). The owner might also decline your request.

Additional resources:

top

end of conducting research | go to building web pages