Course project

Brainstorming and Searching for Sources

Last week you chose a final project topic and began the research process. This week you will narrow your focus and find some preliminary sources. 

Make sure you read and incorporate your instructor’s feedback on your Milestone 1 submission. You will receive a grade and feedback by Thursday of Module 2 at the latest.  

Begin by reading pages 2.11 through 2.13 in the webtext and then begin the steps below.

Step 1: Freewriting

The first step to brainstorming is to harness your brain’s energy around a topic (aka create the “storm”).  Many professional writers do this by freewriting about a topic for a set amount of time. This helps exercise your writing muscle and broaden your thinking on your topic.  For this exercise, set a timer for 10 minutes.  During this time write down anything that comes to mind about your topic.  Don’t stop until the timer goes off!  You don’t need to worry about proper spelling or sentence structure, just think broadly, pose questions, wonder, consider, and write what you already know about your topic. Think about the facts and questions you posed last week and how your instructor responded to them. You can choose to do this with a pen and paper or on a computer. You don’t need to submit this step with your finished product so feel free to experiment.

For example, if my topic choice is climate change my freewrite might look something like this:  

I chose climate change as my topic. I don’t know much about it but I know that when people say climate change they really mean warmer temperatures on Earth, sometimes it’s called global warming. I have heard that sea levels are rising and the ocean is getting warmer. This is causing ice caps to melt. What is causing it? The article I read last week talked about greenhouse gases and fossil fuels. Does everyone agree that climate change is happening? I don’t think so. Sometimes you hear on the news that politicians or TV personalities talk about climate change being made up, I’m not sure if that’s true. It seems like when you hear scientists talk about it they’re more certain that it’s a problem. Why does it seem like everyone talks about climate change as a problem but nothing ever actually changes? I think electric cars are a good idea but too expensive for me to buy, I wonder how they can bring them down in price so more people will switch from gas. I saw that movie that Al Gore made about global warming, but I don’t remember what it was called. Are alternative energy sources like wind farms and solar power really enough to make a big change? What are other countries doing? What would it take to end climate change entirely at this point or is that impossible?

The end result might be a mess! It might look nothing like the example above. That’s ok! The purpose of this activity is to get your thoughts out on paper so you can begin to filter and narrow them.

See the

Milestone 2 Template

for examples of each of the steps below:

Step 2: Making a List

The next step is to use your freewrite paragraph to help narrow your area focus. The topic choices from Module 1 are too broad to cover adequately in a short research paper, so you need to find one subject or idea within that topic. Pull out the important ideas from your paragraph that could be useful directions of focus. Aim for at least 7 different ideas to pull out and list in bullets.

Step 3: Describing Your Topic and Finding Your Keywords

As you’ve been working on this you may find that certain ideas are standing out to you as more intriguing avenues for research. Now, pick one of these ideas and write one to two sentences describing your narrowed topic.

Step 4: Thinking of Synonyms

Next, underline at least 5-6 key terms and phrases in your description. Then, for each underlined word, come up with 2-3 synonyms, abbreviations, acronyms, or alternative terms to describe it. You can use a

thesaurus (Links to an external site.)

to help you with this. This step is crucial to finding useful sources to use in your paper because the sources you’re looking for may not appear if you search for one keyword but will appear with another.

Step 5: Searching the Library

The synonyms now give you a great list of keywords to use to search the Excelsior College Library for sources.

For this stage, we will NOT be using Google or other internet search engines to find sources. It is important to first understand how to effectively use our Excelsior College Library to find appropriate, scholarly sources. While you can find these types of sources through a Google search as well, you often have to search through and distinguish between many inappropriate sources as well. In later weeks, we’ll learn more about assessing the validity of information on the internet.

Begin by going to the

Library Home page (Links to an external site.)

and using the OneSearch tool. Try several combinations of your keywords and synonyms to see what types of sources come up. (Tip: view

Library searching tips and tricks (Links to an external site.)

and try using search tricks like AND, OR, *, or “ ” to change your results). Then, try an

Advanced Search (Links to an external site.)

within the OneSearch tool to narrow your results further. View the following

video on conducting an Advanced Search. (Links to an external site.)

 In addition to changing your keywords and filters, trying limiting your results by date (look for more recent articles) or by source type (look for Scholarly Peer-Reviewed Journals). This will help you find higher-quality sources that are more likely to be useful to you in later weeks.

Find at least 6 sources that are relevant to your topic. They can be ebooks, journal articles, encyclopedia articles, news, and periodicals, etc. You may use the source you found last week if it still relates to your more narrowed topic. If not, scrap it and start fresh. The sources you find this week may not end up being the final sources you use for your paper, but they are a good way to get started on your narrower area of focus.

Try to put your sources in APA format in your final submission. You will not be graded on your strict adherence to proper APA format yet, but it is important to practice this skill as you will need to use it effectively later on in the course. Make sure to include the URL, the author (if there is one), the title of the article/book, and date.

Resources:

Milestone 2 Template

(Word document)

Library Homepage  (Links to an external site.)(Excelsior Library)

Library searching tips and tricks (Links to an external site.) (Excelsior Library)

Advanced Search (Links to an external site.) (Excelsior Library)

Video on conducting an Advanced Search  (Links to an external site.)(Excelsior Library)

Thesaurus (Links to an external site.)

Submission  Instructions

Once you’ve completed the steps above, submit the following in one document to the dropbox by Sunday evening of Module 2. Use the

Milestone 2 template

to see examples of each step and assemble the finished product:

1. Your list of at least 7 narrowed ideas on your topic from the freewrite activity
2. Your 1-2 sentence description of your narrowed topic with at least 5-6 key terms and phrases underlined
3. At least 2-3 synonyms for each of the 5-6 key terms or phrases
4. Six sources on your topic from the Excelsior Library advanced search (including author, title, date, and URL)

Put all four components into the Milestone 2 Template and submit the finished document to the dropbox below by Sunday night of Module 1.

Evaluation

• This assignment is due Sunday by 11:59 pm ET. 
• This assignment will be evaluated according to the IND301 Milestone 2 Rubric. Make sure to review the rubric before submitting so you know how you will be assessed.
• This assignment is worth 5% of your overall course grade.

You can find the library in link below, let me know if it works:

https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.vlib.excelsior.edu/eds/results?vid=10&sid=933c5178-1b14-4914-8718-4a31bc2439e3%40pdc-v-sessmgr04&bquery=COLLEGE%2bDEBT&bdata=JmNsaTA9RlQmY2x2MD1ZJnR5cGU9MSZzZWFyY2hNb2RlPUFuZCZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d

[Delete the examples in Red and fill in your own work.]

Student Name

IND301 Milestone 2 Template

Original Topic: Climate Change

1. List of narrowed ideas from the freewrite activity:

· Warmer ocean temperatures

· Melting ice caps

· Greenhouse gases

· Fossil fuels

· Disagreement about whether climate change is real

· How politicians talk about climate change

· Electric cars

· Policies to reduce cost of electric vehicles

· Wind farms

· Solar power

· The cost of alternative energy

· How the international community is addressing climate change

· Global leaders in addressing climate change

· How the US compares to other nations in addressing climate change

2. Description with underlined key terms and phrases:

Electric cars are an important step toward addressing climate change by reducing our reliance on gasoline. However, electric cars are still too expensive for the average American to buy, so the government should provide financial incentives to car companies to reduce the price for consumers and increase the availability of charging stations.

3. Synonyms and alternate terms:

· Electric cars: electric vehicles, plug-in, EV

· Climate change: global warming, temperature change, environmental change

· Gasoline: petroleum, fuel

· Expensive: pricey, costly

· Financial incentives: inducement, tax credit, government subsidy

· Car companies: car manufacturers, automobile manufacturers (also: Tesla, Chevrolet, Ford, etc.)

· Consumers: shopper, buyer

· Charging stations: recharging hub, electric recharging point

4. Sources

Source 1:

· Title: Hidden benefits of electric vehicles for addressing climate change

· Date: 2015

· Author: Li, C., Cao, Y., Zhang, M., Wang, J., Liu, J., Shi, H., & Geng, Y.

· Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09213

Source 2:

· Title:

· Date:

· Author:

· Link:

Source 3:

· Title:
· Date:
· Author:

· Link:

Source 4:

· Title:
· Date:
· Author:
· Link:

Source 5:

· Title:
· Date:
· Author:
· Link:

Source 6:

· Title:
· Date:
· Author:
· Link:

[Optional: Instead of bulleted source information above, include APA Style reference list.]

Li, C., Cao, Y., Zhang, M., Wang, J., Liu, J., Shi, H., & Geng, Y. (2015). Hidden benefits of electric vehicles for addressing climate change. Scientific Reports, 5, 9213. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09213

National Research Council (U.S.). (2015). Overcoming barriers to deployment of plug-in electric vehicles. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21725

Noori, M., & Tatari, O. (2016). Development of an agent-based model for regional market penetration projections of electric vehicles in the United States. Energy, 96, 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2015.12.018

Sandalow, D. B. (Ed.). (2009). Plug-in electric vehicles: What role for Washington? Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjbk&AN=edsjbk.j.ctt1262t0&site=eds-live&scope=site

Sperling, D. (2018). Electric vehicles: Approaching the tipping point. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 74(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2017.1413055

Zhang, X., Bai, X., & Shang, J. (2018). Is subsidized electric vehicles adoption sustainable: Consumers’ perceptions and motivation toward incentive policies, environmental benefits, and risks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 192, 7179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.252

IND301Course Project – Milestone 2 Grading Rubric

Criteria A+ (100) A (95) B (85) C (75) D (65) F (55) F (0)

Possible Points: 30 30 28.5 25.5 22.5 19.5 16.5 0

List of Ideas Based

on the Freewrite

and Description

Sentences: The

work includes a list

of at least 7 ideas

and phrases on

the student’s topic

emerging from a

freewrite exercise

and a 1–2

sentence

description of a

narrowed topic f

or

the final project.

The list of

ideas is

clearly

relevant to

the chosen topic

and important in

building the

foundation for

the project.

Information

about the

chosen

narrowed

topic is

unique,

described

concisely (1–2

sentences), and

highlights the

importance/

significance of

the

topic.

The list of ideas

is clearly

relevant to the

chosen topic.

Information

about the

chosen

narrowed topic

is described

concisely (1–2

sentences) and

highlights the
importance/
significance of
the topic.

The list of

ideas is
relevant to

the chosen

topic.
Information
about the
chosen

narrowed

topic is
described

somewhat

concisely (1–2

sentences)

and highlights

some

important and

significant

aspects of the

topic.

Some of the ideas

are relevant to the

chosen topic.

Information about

the chosen

narrowed topic is

described

adequately but

may not be

concise or

highlight the

importance or

significance of the

topic.

Many of the ideas

are irrelevant to

the chosen topic.

Information

about the chosen

narrowed topic is

mostly

unclear,

incomplete,

mostly irrelevant,

or not concise.

The list of ideas is

irrelevant to the

chosen topic.
Information
about the chosen
narrowed topic is
unclear,
incomplete,
mostly irrelevant,

and not concise.

No list of

ideas and

description

or no

submission.

Possible Points: 30 30 28.5 25.5 22.5 19.5 16.5 0

Underlined
Keywords and
Synonyms: The
work includes at
least 5–6

underlined

keywords that are
the key phrases
and ideas from the
description. The
work also includes
2–3 appropriate
synonyms,
abbreviations,
acronyms, or
alternative
keyword terms.

The work

includes at least 6

underlined

keywords that

are all the most

important, key

phrases and ideas

and

includes

at least 3

appropriate,

relevant

synonyms or

alternatives for

each.

The work

includes 5–6

underlined
keywords that

are all key

phrases and

ideas and
includes

at least 2–3

appropriate,
relevant
synonyms or
alternatives for
each.

The work
includes 5–6
underlined
keywords that

are mostly key

phrases and

ideas. The

work includes

2–3

synonyms

or alternatives

for each that

are

mostly

relevant and

appropriate.

The work includes

5–6 underlined

keywords, some of

which are key

phrases or ideas.

The work includes

2–3 synonyms or

alternatives, but

some are not

relevant or

appropriate.

The work

includes fewer

than 5 underlined

keywords, and

most

are not key

phrases or ideas.
The work
includes fewer

than 2 synonyms

or alternatives, or

they are mostly

irrelevant or

inappropriate.

The work
includes fewer
than 5 underlined

keywords.

Keywords chosen

are not key
phrases or ideas.

The work does

not include 2

synonyms or
alternatives for

the keywords, or

they are totally

irrelevant and

inappropriate.
The work

does not

include

underlined

keywords

or
synonyms
or no
submission.

Possible Points: 30 30 28.5 25.5 22.5 19.5 16.5 0

Sources: The work
includes at least 6
appropriate
sources from the
Excelsior College
Library on the
topic with all of
the necessary
information about
the sources
included (author,
date, title, URL).

The 6 or more

selected sources

from the library

are

credible and

have clear

relevance to the

selected topic.

Information

about the sources

is detailed,

accurate, and

complete.

The 6 or more
selected sources
from the library
are credible and
relevant to the
selected topic.
Information
about the

sources is

accurate and

complete.

The 6 selected

sources from

the library are

mostly
credible and

generally

relevant to

the selected

topic.

Information is

complete for

almost all

sources.

Several of the 6

selected sources
from the library

are not the most

relevant (i.e., may

be outdated or not

clearly tied to the

topic) to the

selected topic.

Some of the

information is

provided, but it is

incomplete for

some sources.

Many of the 6

selected sources

are not from the

library or not

credible. Sources

have little

relevance to the
selected topic.

Little

information

about the sources

is provided.

The selected

sources are too

few and not from

the library,

credible, or

relevant to the
selected topic.

Little to no

information
about the sources
is provided.

The work
includes no
sources or
no
submission.

Possible Points: 10 10 9.5 8.5 7.5 6.5 5.5 0

Writing Skills:
Grammar,
spelling, and
syntax are
appropriate for
college writing.

The work

contains no

errors in

spelling

or grammar;

word

choice

demonstrates a

deep

understanding of

the topic, always

using relevant

key terms

appropriately.

The work
contains no

errors in

spelling

or

grammar; word
choice
demonstrates a
good
understanding
of

the topic,

using relevant
terms
appropriately.

The work

contains a few

spelling

and/or

grammatical

errors; word

choice

demonstrates

proficiency on

the topic using

relevant terms

for the most

part.

The work contains

a few minor

spelling

and grammatical

errors; word
choice
demonstrates

basic

understanding of
the topic,

sometimes using

relevant and

appropriate

terms.

The work exhibits

consistently

poor spelling

and grammar;

word choice

demonstrates a

lack of

understanding of

the topic, often

using irrelevant

or inappropriate

terms.

The work exhibits

extremely poor

writing skills;

incorrect spelling

and grammar

limits the

reader’s ability to

follow ideas or

thoughts. Word

choice
demonstrates a
lack of
understanding of

the topic, with

many irrelevant

or inappropriate
terms.

No
submission.

HectorRodriguez

Answer template

1. Topic selection (from a list of choices in the course): College Dept.

2. One source from the Excelsior College Library on your topic:

· Title:
Casualties of college debt: What data shows and Experts say about Who Defaults and why

· Date: 2018

· Author: Bonamici, Suzann

· URL for the source: https://bit.ly/2WsUSpn

Example of APA format: Bonamici, Suzanne. July 24, 2018. “Bonamici Plays Key Role in Plan to Improve Student Loan System, Increase Higher Education Affordability, and Access.” https://bit.ly/2WsUSpn; Andrew Kreighbaum. December 21, 2018. “Senate Passes Bill to Streamline FAFSA.” Inside Higher Ed. https://bit. ly/2SGZkQm.

3. At least three interesting or troubling facts about the topic (in your own words) that come from your source listed above:

a. The government is the main stakeholder in securing the future of students. Every year, millions of students are sponsored to ensure that they pursue their tertiary education.

b.

Although there are many loan defaulters after college, it is not their wish to remain in that situation, but the prolonged expenses of homeownership and minimal retirement savings are the key aspects of every situation.

c. Although there are new policies regarding student loans, including reduced interest rates, there is still a long way to go to ensure that the students do not dig up into bad debts in the pursuit of higher education.

4. At least three questions you have about this topic and how it might impact the future of our society:

a. Who is delinquent but not yet in default?

b. What will happen to future defaulters?

c. What is the role of the government in preventing emotional and financial challenges to students in the future?

d. How much will education change in the next century?

e. What are the roles of other financial hardships?

5. A short paragraph (approx. 200–250 words) reflecting on this process.
Consider the following as you reflect: Why did you choose this topic? Do you think you have any biases toward a particular perspective on it? How will you try to minimize your own preferences as you conduct research? Did you find it challenging to find a source or come up with facts and questions about your topic or to think about how this topic relates to the future?

I chose casualties of college debt because there are many graduates suffering both financially and emotionally with this debt because of their education out there. Even though the effects of college debt vary depending on the country of residence, the impacts always have the same weight on graduates. I do not think I have any bias in the points of view about the topic. As a student, I know what it means to have a student loan to pursue higher education. Although the money is intended to give the students school fees and upkeep, the process of repayment is not often favorable. The economy and the job market are not agreeable to graduates at any point. As I conduct my research on the topic, I will minimize my business by studying students and the non-student population. This will ensure that I get the point of view of both sides. Having data that relates to graduates, students, and the rest of the community will offer a room for drawing relevant conclusions. I did get some challenges in coming up with questions for researching this topic. When it comes to student financing, the item is more emotionally oriented and can, therefore, drain the self-esteem of most of the students. I had, therefore, to ensure that I did not affect the emotions of my target audience. The topic relates to the future by laying out a background of the impacts that the current students are going through in financing their education. It analyses the drawbacks of student financing, which has to be rectified for a better tomorrow.