Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog

by William B. Badke

We live in a time when there is more knowledge available to us than ever before. Yet we struggle to make sense of it. When a research deadline looms and all you see is a confusing fog of data, you know you need help. In this sixth edition of Research Strategies, author William Badke helps you make sense of it all. He will show you how to navigate the information fog intelligently, and he will detail how to use it to your advantage to become a better researcher.

Badke focuses on informational research and provides a host of tips and advices not only for conducting research, but also for everything from finding a topic to writing an outline to locating high quality, relevant resources to finishing the final draft. Study guides, practice exercises, and assignments at the end of each chapter will help reinforce the lessons.

As an experienced researcher who has led thousands of students to ramp up their research abilities, Badke uses humor to help you gain a better understanding of today’s world of complex technological information. Research Strategies provides the skills and strategies to efficiently and effectively complete a research project from topic to final product.

Genres: Research, Nonfiction, Reference, Writing, Education, Library Science, School

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mrs. Brim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely not an easy, pleasure read, but it was extremely informational and well-laid out. I thought I was an experienced researcher, but my ego has been deflated: keyword hierarchies, flat searches, wildcard truncations, metadata. Fortunately, Badke's wit & concrete examples frame this information into digestible and relatable contexts. Of the several research handbooks & textbooks I've read, this one was the most beneficial and reader-friendly.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023 reads: 04

Rating: 2.5 stars

William Badke’s Research Strategies is concerned about epistemology, metanarrative, and methodology. Badke’s argument sets out to alleviate the so-called ‘fog’ that surrounds effective scholarship. Knowledge, specifically a way of knowing, the values determining scholarship, and one’s abilities to practically do research all come together to establish scholarship worth creating and benefitting from. At the heart of Badke’s argument is the careful and analytical use of data, specifically its retrieval, in construing effective research. Inherent in this argument is the belief that all research is part of an ongoing conversation in which contributors seek to further a given field through the use of careful data usage. 

Badke’s Research Strategies is immensely practical. His librarian expertise jumps off the pages and steadily steers novices toward insights and new found skills, specifically regarding data retrieval on major databases. It successfully inculcates readers to data retrieval and usage for research purposes. The language is clear but never really concise. Examples are generously given but the material becomes repetitive and essentially redundant toward the end of the book. The gold mined from the 280+ pages is few and far between and one wonders if the book could be reduced to around 100 pages without losing its full weight and usefulness.  

I’m certain this books will prove to be a resource I come back to to sharpen my research strategies. I was able to learn the intricacies of databases, limiting searches, and discovering the beauty and depth of scholarly libraries. Badke’s Research Strategies puts knowledge into the hands of its readers and will effectively aid them in strengthening their research capabilities, so as to make meaningful contributions in their given field.

[Wagner Floriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persuasively, Badke speaks as the master research tutor every student wish they had. While his work is laborious to read through, his insights into effective research methods are worth the hours of headache that would ensue without it. Particularly helpful are his sections in reading purposefully and note taking efficiently.

[Sean-david · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this were required when I was in undergrad. Every college, graduate school, or seminary student could learn from this well put together book.

[Ben Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and informative for how to research effectively and creatively.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a clinical, dry read...who but a librarian or teacher reads a book about research strategies? I was surprised to find a pleasantly readable, humorous(!) book which gives great tips for researchers, as well for those of us teaching research skills to our students. Likely not a cover-to-cover book for most, Badke has great tips for gleaning the very best information from your reference searches. Recommended for students and educators.

[Lisette Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're planning on becoming a librarian or know a student struggling with research papers then just please. Get this. GET this. This is such a gold mine that somewhere a prospector in the West just did the prospector dance.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Badke writes in an approachable, accessible fashion about concepts that often aren't so approachable. As a librarian I appreciate his voice in his writing and the way that he organizes this work.

[Maciek Wilczyński · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has been written by librarian and... it's not boring, but I was expecting something different from it. I've read the edition from 2011 and I must say it's quite outdated. Research strategies, especially the ones about Google are old - I was hoping for something about Quora, social knowledge, crowdsourcing. Unfortunately didn't get that.

However, for students, especially those based in US, where almost every subject needs the thesis to pass, it's brilliant. For me it was not that useful for now, but when I will have to write a research paper, most probably I will use it and maybe I'll change my review.

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bloated book. Full of too much information. This is not a good book to try and sit down and read. It’s super boring and to be honest not the most helpful. At least for someone who is already into a few years of college or their Mdiv. The sub title of the book is finding your way through the fog, yeah of this book. Badke has soooo much info in each chapter that it is almost impossible to read a chapter and then move to the next. Reference maybe.

[John Jaksich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Necessary Read

I gave this edition a full five stars for reasons too innumerable. However, the major reasons focus on backsliding or becoming too comfortable with one's procedures and knowledge. In the present age of false news and sleazy politicians, we need reminders of good form and proper research techniques.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the research process. Filled with excellent info, tips, and suggestions throughout, plus exercises to help you put the concepts into practice.

I actually enjoyed reading this, too. And that is quite the feat for what most would consider to be such a dull topic. William Badke deserves a lot of credit!

[Natalie Coiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish someone had made me read this book my freshman year of college. It was way more interesting than I expected, and as someone who considers herself a pretty good paper-writer already, I still learned a lot! Dr. Badke’s writing is very helpful and genuinely funny (what a blessing in a required-reading textbook).

[Matt Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that he is writing to perhaps a grad or post grad level. The problem is that the tips, tools, and hints that he gives are all that someone should have well before that level. Dont expect to learn much new but do expect it to be a library research refresher.

[Vaibhav Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides all the dos and don'ts you need to know before starting a research on any topic in the world.
You really need this book if you are going to research in any academics field because this is 21st century and there is a lot of data out there. A plan is must.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

6th Edition: Some good information in the book but the author tries too hard to be "hip" and relatable to a younger audience. It's quite unnecessary and quite annoying. Just give me the information without trying to pander to me, thanks!

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my daughter's book from when she was in college, which is the target audience. Very good read with tons of information with a touch of humor. You should strive to get the latest version.

[Marwa]

خطة system،، و تعديلها 0
عندك إيه. عايز إيه?عبد الله الأول الحي
?, one sentence ,,, answer is work not data; conc
Chuck; bite; canape
Academic research engine; google no

Connection not superficial

Light high

Google scholar
Base
Citeseerx, arxiv

[Pamela Cubas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for graduate writing.

The book is an easy read with some humor along the way which made it enjoyable. It’s a useful tool for future writing.

[Nicholas Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, introductory info on academic writing.

[Gerson Vázquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buenos principios para la investigación en medios electrónicos. Lectura indispensable para alumnos de licenciatura de cualquier especialidad.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous. I love the structure as well, a good writer, though the content is not a breakthrough.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

read it for my research strategies course, easy read and useful :) will probably use the methods and resources introduced here for future research.

[Kyra]

read for class

[Nate Boyer]

Excellent book with solid level of detail and examples.

[Brady Graves]

For PhD seminar

[Tyler Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring but useful manual.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for high school librarians looking for new ways to teach research skills to students. Also helpful for middle school for ideas. It is currents and update to date and does what I need most. Gives lots of ideas a suggestions for examples. Highly readable. I was charmed by Badke's humor and subject coverage.

Teachers wanting to improve students search techniques would also find this book to be beneficial.

My favorite quote when Badke when discussing Web 2.0, "...The assumption within Web 2.0 is that connectivity and collaboration create better ideas and make a better world than did one-way communication. This, of course, is not a new insight. Those preliterate people who recounted their history around the campfire so many centuries ago were doing the same thing, but without technology. We need to be careful, however, about not putting Web 2.0 above Web 1.0 and traditional publishing as if collaboration gives our information an edge or credibility that one-way publication could not do. Certainly, a meeting of minds can often result in something better, but that is only the case if the collaborators actually know what they are talking about in the first place."

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Badke has written a book that walks college students through the research process, explaining how to choose a good research question, selecting keywords, searching with controlled vocabulary, understanding metadata, and so much more. The appendix offers lists of bad, good, and better research questions, making it easy to teach a workshop on this idea.

Badke also includes a chapter on searching the internet for academic sources. He recommends a number of academic search engines. For the price of the book, this is a good deal, and students would benefit from studying it. His writing style makes it easy for freshmen to understand, and he regularly inserts humor in such a way that it makes it more interesting to read, though at times the humor is a little annoying.

Because this is a self-published book, there seem to be many grammar and spelling errors smattered throughout the book, which is bothersome, too. Questions at the end of each chapter make it easy to review the material and cement some of the learning. Overall it is a good book, one that would make sense to use in an information-literacy or library-research course.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I had this book when I was in college. I can only imagine those B papers would all be A's, not to mention the stress I could have saved myself. If you are looking to do any kind of research, for a paper, genealogy, whatever, I seriously recommend you read this book. If you are an undergrad just getting started, wondering why your profs all hate you, read this book. If you are a Grad student that has been getting Bs (or Cs I won't judge, I promise) and you stress about every single paper, READ this book!
This author manages to explain what a great many professors are looking for in a research paper (while reminding you to double check before you get really into a project) and how you can deliver it to them. From getting started, organizing everything, to writing the paper. He almost makes me want to write a research paper (almost). If nothing else he has gotten me more excited about teaching a class about research!