Guides: EDUC 2301: Introduction to Special Populations: Research Report

On a weekly basis, find a scholarly, peer-reviewed article about how teachers make accommodations for students (K-12 classes) with a specific disability that the course is focusing on at the time. Submit a report that includes:

The purpose of the study,
The problem, and
The findings.

What Does Peer-Review Mean?

CAPOW Handout
Is My Source Scholarly
From the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Currency	What is the publication date or last date updated? Is the content timely, useful, and valid for your information need?
Authorship	Who wrote the content? What makes that individual author or organization qualified to write it? What other information about the author is included? Who sponsored the content?
Purpose	Is the purpose of the content to inform, to entertain, or to promote a product or service? Who is the intended audience? Does the information seem credible? If so, can you check the information against another resource (i.e. book, journal article, newspaper, etc.) for credibility?
Objectivity	Is content biased? Are opinions balanced or does the author have an agenda? How does the bias influence the information?
Writing Style	Does the information contain a bibliography, references, or a comprehensive list of sources supporting its theme, topic, or agenda? Is content presented at an appropriate level for an academic research paper? Does the supporting information fit your research need? Is the work complete, or is it a summary of other work?

Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines Checklist

Keywords Activity

Pick out keywords for your weekly question. For example, How do teachers make accommodation for students with attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder?

What are some similar terms to them?

Here is an example of a mind map to help you in this process:

Make note of these terms because they will be useful throughout the semester and your professional career.

You can save these terms in a research log to keep your search strategies organized to reference later. Below is an example of a research log.

Research Log
You are welcome to download this Excel spreadsheet to help you organize your research process and material. Please feel free to tweak the fields as you see fit.

Search Strategies: Boolean Logic

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
To find more peer-reviewed articles, select all collections by clicking on the collections link above the search box.

Search Results Tips: Use the limiters on the left to help narrow your results.
1. Full-Text, to have the complete article. There are teasers in our collection.
2. Scholarly, to help weed out the popular and trade articles.
3. Publication date range, change it to the last 10 years to get the most recent scholarly communication and trends in education.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- Why Search Here?
  An essential tool for education researchers of all kinds.
- What's Included?
  Journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books.
- Getting Articles?
  While some articles are full text some might be citation only, just click on the Get It! icon. If the article is available, it will be delivered to you via email.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Why Search Here?
  One of the most reliable resources for in-depth, scholarly, full-text articles.
- What's Included?
  The collections include top peer-reviewed scholarly journals as well as respected literary journals, academic monographs, research reports from trusted institutes, and primary sources.
- Getting Articles?
  While most articles are full text some might be citation only, just click on the Get It! icon. If the article is available, it will be delivered to you via email in about two weeks.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- Why Search Here?
  For psychologists, counselors, researchers, and students looking for behavioral and social science research.
- What's Included?
  Information about emotional and behavioural characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, observational and experimental methods, and more. It offers particularly strong coverage in child and adolescent psychology and various areas of counseling.
- Getting Articles?
  While most articles are full-text some might be citation only, just click on the Get It! icon. If the article is available, it will be delivered to you via email in about two weeks.
Teacher Reference Center This link opens in a new window
- Why Search Here?
  Find lists of instructional peer-reviewed journals.
- What's Included?
  Assessment, best practices, continuing education, current pedagogical research, curriculum development, elementary education, higher education, instructional media, language arts, literacy standards, school administration, science and mathematics, and teaching education.
- Getting Articles?
  Most articles are citation only, just click on the Get It! icon. If the article is available, it will be delivered to you via email in about two weeks.

How to Log In

Write your Report in MLA Style

MLA Documentation Guide
Learn where to place and format the bibliographic information for a Works Cited page. Includes example citations of various types of information.

MLA Style Center: Quick Guide
Click on the Get Started button to practice the creating Works Cited citations.

Visual Guide to MLA, 8th edition, with MS Word Help