Metaphors for Research
or, food for thought
forresearch
Katie Day
Research Relevance, June 2015
www.uwcsea.edu.sg
1980
2013
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http://atlanticbb.com/for-home/tv
Concept: Authority is constructed
and contextual
Metaphor:
Subscription databases are like cable TV, e.g., HBO and ESPN.
You pay for better quality information and no advertisements.
Or, like superfoods,
e.g., quinoa and kale?
Harder to source and prepare, but worth it nutrition-wise….
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Photos by Muffet --half apple: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/59060621/sizes/m/ - whole: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/59060629/sizes/m/in/set-1636821/�Photo of core: Apple stark s - by Roberta F. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Photo: http://michaelmossbooks.com/books/salt-sugar-fat/
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“Use lists whenever possible. Lists just hijack the brain’s neural circuitry.”
“It’s about how to make things go viral.”
-- Emerson Spartz
quoted in the article “The Virologist: how a young entrepreneur built an empire by re-packaging memes” - by Andrew Marantz in The New Yorker,
Jan 5, 2015 -- Read at http://bit.ly/clickbaitking
Clickbait = Junk food
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Trophic Pyramid
10% of energy is lost as you move up the pyramid
Eat low on the information trophic pyramid and synthesize the original energy (information) for yourself
For example,
A paraphrasing assignment…
Nina Matthews Photography http://www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/3523627575
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/60216816@N00/2274563541 garann / http://www.flickr.com/photos/26242865@N04/4759988894 diekatrin
The Smooth Fruits of your Labor
Ingredients:
Apple
Banana
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Orange
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2009
edge.org
bit.ly/informavore
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2012
Text
JP Rangaswami
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2012
bit.ly/theinfodiet
See the Google Book preview
Clay A. Johnson
Photo: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1114296/Credit-munchies-entertain-style-just-25.html
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A Research Project
is like a dinner party
Plan
Shop
Prepare
Cook
Serve
Image: http://imgfave.com/view/1795935
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Different styles of presentation (citation) apply to different kinds of meals
MLA??
APA??
Chicago??
Harvard??
Margaux image: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/margaux+medoc+bordeaux+france/1947 / � Cheap red wine:: http://www.seejenntri.com/a-little-wine-with-wednesdays-whine-848
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Who produced your ingredients matters
Concept: Information creation is a process
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How your ingredients were produced matters
Concept: Information creation is a process
Photo: http://euro-toques.ie/
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Cooking competition = research = creativity within constraints
Judges = teacher-librarians taste-testing references
in a bibliography
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Books on the library shelf --
or databases full of articles...
-- like big bottles of water --
Hard to extract the sip of information you need…..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonioviva/3765774765/ Water Bottles by Antonio Viva, on Flickr
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtu/3696065674/ bubblers! by jtu
A sip of clean water is like...
… the perfect resource to cite in your research project
Aerial London view via Feuilllu on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/feuilllu/13320788/sizes/l/
= designed
to be� navigated
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One-way sign http://www.megasafety.com/Categories.aspx
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Page from book: Ganeri, Anita, and Chris Oxlade. Down the drain : conserving water. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2005. Print.
/ PHOTO: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orchard_Road_street_sign_-_Singapore_(gabbe).jpg
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Page from book: Ganeri, Anita, and Chris Oxlade. Down the drain : conserving water. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2005. Print.
/ PHOTO: http://www.photos4travel.com/singapore/map-of-singapore.jpg
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Page from book: Ganeri, Anita, and Chris Oxlade. Down the drain : conserving water. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2005. Print. / Singapore MRT map - http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/proj_maps_rail_l.htm
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Singapore aerial view via williamcho on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/4183927217/sizes/o/
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https://flic.kr/p/PTTi2 - by JASON ANFINSEN on Flickr
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Singapore Chinatown on foot via williamcho on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/300924352/sizes/o/
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Note-taking is like the evaporation of salt water
Ocean: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16230743@N06/2120963746/sizes/m/ / Salt - Duane Romanell - Salt of the Earth - https://flic.kr/p/mapel
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40 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup
Left: Springtime, and the Sap is Running - by Dennis Wilkinson (Flickr) / Right: Maple Spile in Tree - by Susy Morris (Flickr)
Making notes is like concentrating taste
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"Heroesjourney" by Anonymous poster, in a thread, gave permission to use it. Re-drawn by User:Slashme - 4chan.org, thread about monomyths, AKA the hero's journey. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heroesjourney.svg#mediaviewer/File:Heroesjourney.svg
EasyBib = backpack of resources
Google Docs = map of your journey
Turnitin = compass to your own thoughts
other possible metaphors: like a battle? like falling in love?
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Image credit: http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/518224.html
The best metaphor...
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