Information sources for the project
Using the library
The school library should be used actively to enable students to acquire the skills of individual research through a variety of media such as books, periodicals and electronic databases. The ability to locate and use appropriate sources effectively is essential for worthwhile research in ITGS.
The professional librarian is a trained information specialist, whose knowledge of, and insight into, information will complement that of the subject specialist teacher. The librarian can help students and teachers with information gathering and research skills.
The teacher may wish to build on the work of the librarian with study skills sessions to ensure that students make the best use of their time. Noting down resources in a standard format, prescribed by the teacher, can be a useful starting point. In addition, teachers can give general guidance on information gathering, note-taking and the construction of a well organized file of preparatory material.
How to reference sources
Referencing
References must be included to show where statements, ideas and evidence come from. It is very important to cite all sources used. If students do not reference their work, issues about the authenticity of the work may be raised.
Sources should be referred to in the text, and a standard referencing format should be used for the bibliography and footnotes. Students should ensure that their method of referencing is consistent throughout, and that all the relevant information is provided. The referencing system must enable the reader to locate the original sources easily.
The following guidance is based on the Harvard author–date system. It is offered only as an example: the IB permits any accepted convention for citing and acknowledging sources.
Body text
Use brackets or parentheses to set off a reference in the text. Give the author’s last name, if it is not part of the text, the page number(s) and the date of publication.
(Johnson, p98, 2006)
A full reference should appear in the bibliography at the end of the piece of work.
Footnotes
Footnotes provide related information that does not belong in the text. There should be as few of these as possible and they should be identified with a superscript number (1) and placed at the bottom of the same page.
Bibliography
The bibliography, or list of references used, should appear at the end of the piece of work. In this case the bibliography can be accessed via a link on the cover page.
List sources alphabetically by the last names of authors or editors. If there is no author or editor, list sources by titles and put them in order by date.
Books: Author’s last name and first name, or initial if name is unknown. Date. Title (in italics). Place of publication. Publisher’s name.
Baase, S. 2009. A Gift of Fire (3rd edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson International.
Articles in journals: Author. Date. Title of the article (in quotation marks). Name of the journal (in italics). Volume number, first and last pages.
Lawes, Sheila. July 2008. “Moving towards a new IT paradigm”. Journal of Information Technology. Volume 47 Number 3, pages 13–28.
Information from the internet: Author’s name if possible. Title (in italics). Date site was visited. URL (address for the home page). Heading as listed on the web page (if there is one).
Lindsay, Julie. Welcome to Flat Classroom Project 2007. Visited 17 July 2006. http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com/
Unpublished interviews with a client and personal research such as questionnaires: Name (last name, first name). Type of source, pertinent identifying information. Date.
Student’s name. Initial consultation with Mr Roberts, a garage owner. 12 September 2008.