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Research Skills for the Real World
Going Beyond
GoogleTM
Essential Research Skills |
This course helps anyone responsible for research at any Washington-area organization, whether an agency, association, business, elected official or nonprofit.
It is designed for anyone who wants to improve their research skills.
A recent survey found:
- A
commanding 95 percent of professionals find
Internet search engines an aid for
conducting work, yet only 40 percent say
they are very satisfied with the results
- Less than 25 percent of professionals are very confident that when using popular Internet search engines they’ve looked everywhere to find answers
- Businesses pay employees to hunt for information that can’t
be found and make decisions without all the
facts.
- More than 60 percent disclosed they do not ask for help when lost, while 80 percent said they have never been trained to use the advanced search feature.
Consumer Search Engines Leave Professionals at a Loss, says Convera Survey
(December 19, 2006) |
Are you among the 80 percent who haven’t received research skills training? Our faculty offer a minimum of 10 years' experience in performing research in Washington.
You'll
gain:
- An overview of online searching, telephone and email research
- A review of legislative, judicial, regulatory, factual and international research
- A review of public and private information sources
Course materials
include your personal copy of "Real World Research
Skills" by Peggy Garvin.
The leadership competencies for this course include:
- Technology Management
- External Awareness
Space is limited.
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please select
the next available date.
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Next Course
December 16, 2008: Location
in Washington, DC will be announced before course.
$395
If you get a "Wait
List Only" message when registering, please select
the next available date. |
 
Approved for .6 CEU credits from George Mason University. |
Research Skills |
Course registration form
(pdf)
 |
 |
Course materials include
personal copy of "Real World Research Skills: An Introduction to Factual, International, Judicial, Legislative, and Regulatory Research,"
by Peggy Garvin
"Peggy Garvin is the 'go-to' Washington expert on how to effectively locate, evaluate and leverage information from federal and state government websites."
-- Sabrina I. Pacifici,
Founder, Editor, Publisher, LLRX.com and Author of the blog on law and technology news, beSpacific.com
"It
includes important basics - how to think before you
begin your research; how to work on unfamiliar topics;
what to search and how to evaluate the results - which
are not always included in books of this type."
-- Kee Malesky,
NPR Reference Library |
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Agenda |
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Research Skills for the Real World |
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9:00 |
Search Techniques: Going Beyond Google
- Why go beyond Google?
- What are Google and other search engines good for?
- Keys to finding and selecting resources beyond Google
- Online search tips: Searching on a topic - synonyms, variations; Applying
filters - carefully - to increase precision
- Selected resources
- Improving Your Search IQ
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10:20 |
Break |
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10:30 |
Federal Legislative Sources
- Brief review of how a bill becomes a law and the primary
documents generated along the way
- Demonstration of Primary Sources: THOMAS, GPO Access, and more
- Review sources for Bill Summary and Status, Full Text of Bills,
Congressional Record, Committee Information
- Review sources for Public Laws, Statutes at Large, US Code
- The importance of knowing a database's contents
- Tips on using specific terms, alternative terms, and applying
filters
- When to use people resources
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11:30 |
Courts and Judicial Sources
- Demonstration of Primary Sources and discussion of commercial
resources
- Limitations of free Web resources for legal research
- Legal research vs. retrieving legal documents
- Field searching, pearl searching, citation searching
- Review Primary legal documents; legal research terminology; the
structure of a decision; how to cite
- Supreme Court documents and procedures
- Email alert services
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12:30 |
Lunch on your own |
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1:30 |
Federal Agencies, Administrative and Regulatory
Sources
- The regulatory process and corresponding documents
- Finding the best tools within the agencies
- Demonstration of Primary Sources: The Federal Register, the CFR and more, and how
to cite
- Administrative Law: review documents agencies generate, as well as
information agencies require and make public
- OMB
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2:30 |
Break |
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2:40 |
Identifying Information Sources
- How private research sources differ from government research
sources
- Value-added, specialized, editorial, copyright
- Tapping into information from think tanks, policy shops, trade
associations, libraries, specialty press, state
government
- Locating international organizations on the web and where to start your
research
People Interviewing Tips
- Do your homework first
- Email vs phone
- Who can you call? What can you expect?
- Respecting your sources
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3:30 |
Review of Online Search Tips, and Q&A
- Research is a process
- Learn from the first search; try again
- Review results skeptically--remember Jason Blair
- Get a second source
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4:00 |
Complete Evaluations; Course Concludes |
If you get a "Wait List Only"
message when registering, please select the next available
date.
This is a sample agenda: the
actual program may differ slightly.
Do
you need a training
course we don't offer or coverage of
an additional topic in this course?
If you have suggestions for courses or topics you would like to see us offer, please contact us or complete our
online suggestion form.
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Suggested
Prerequisites |
None.
If
you need help deciding which courses you should take based
on your work experience or training, please contact
us via email
or phone: 703-739-3790.
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Rave
Reviews |
"[This program will]
help me manage the massive amounts of info that I receive by giving me tools to be more efficient. Exposed me to resources that I didn't know about and gave me
lots of ideas on how to be more efficient and better organized. I will always come back to TheCapitol.Net and encourage my colleagues to do so."
-- Senior Policy Associate, National Recreation and Park Association
"Provides additional avenues to information and
new ways to use the web more effectively."
-- Research Analyst, National Marine Manufacturers Association
"I learned some really
great techniques and tips today."
-- Public Policy Manger, United Health Care
See
more
testimonials about this course.
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Time
and Dates |
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
-
Tuesday, December 16,
2008
-
Tuesday, December 15,
2009
If you get a "Wait List
Only" message when registering, please select the next
available date.
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Location |
December 16, 2008: Location
in Washington, DC will be announced before course.
Other dates: Location
in Washington, DC will be announced
before course.
Many of our courses are held at
these locations:
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Cannon House Office Building (HOB), First and C Streets, SE,
Washington, DC (Capitol South Metro
stop)
Our map
|
Google Map
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Capitol
Hill Club, 300 First Street SE, Washington,
DC (directly across the street from the
Capitol South Metro
stop) Our map
|
Google Map
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College of William & Mary Washington DC Office,
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 810, Washington, DC (two blocks southeast of the
Dupont Circle Metro
stop)
Google Map
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DC Bar
Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW,
Washington, DC (Metro Center station)
Our map
|
Google Map
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Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh Street NW,
Washington, DC (Gallery Place /
Chinatown Metro stop) Our map
|
Google Map
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Hall of the States, 444 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC (1 1/2 blocks from the
Union Station Metro
stop)
Our map
| Google Map
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The Liaison Capitol Hill, 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC
(2 1/2 blocks from the
Union Station Metro
stop)
Our map
|
Google Map
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Longworth House Office Building (HOB),
New Jersey Ave. and C Streets, SE, Washington, DC
(one block west of the
Capitol South Metro stop)
Our map
|
Google Map
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National
Democratic Headquarters, 430 So. Capitol Street
SE, Washington, DC 20003 (Capitol South Metro
stop) Our map
|
Google Map
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Rayburn House Office Building (HOB),
Independence Ave. SW and South Capitol Street
(two blocks west of the
Capitol South Metro stop)
Our map
|
Google Map
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Reserve Officers Association, One Constitution Avenue NE, Washington, DC (3 1/2 blocks from the
Union Station Metro
stop)
Our map
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Google Map
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Course
Materials |
Course materials include
personal copy of "Real World Research Skills: An Introduction to Factual, International, Judicial, Legislative, and Regulatory Research,"
by Peggy Garvin
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Registration Fee |
$395
**
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please
select the next available date.
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Discounts |
** Group Discount!
When 4 people from the same
organization register and pay together, the 4th person is
free! When 8 people from the same organization register and
pay together, the 4th and 8th persons are both free! See complete
details here.
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Certificate of
Training
and
CEU Credits |
A Certificate of
Training is available for this
course.
To get a
Certificate of
Training,
your registration fee must be paid in full, and you
must attend the entire course.
This course is
approved for .6
CEU credits from George Mason University.
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Policies |
For this course, substitutions, cancellations, and transfers must be submitted in writing to us. Our transfer and cancellation fees are outlined below.
** Transfer and Cancellation Fee
For all registrations received on or after September 1,
2007 |
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Time Before Course |
Substitutions Allowed |
Transfer Fee |
Cancellation Fee |
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More than 4 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
None |
None |
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2 to 4 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
25% of tuition |
50% of tuition |
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3 days to 2 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
50% of tuition |
75% of tuition |
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1 to 2 days |
Yes, in writing |
75% of tuition |
100% of tuition |
day of program
(no refunds to no-shows) |
Yes, in writing |
100% of tuition |
100% of tuition |
No refunds for no shows. We reserve the right to
change this fee and time period.
TCN
reserves the right to cancel any course in the event of
insufficient registrations.
All statements and
discussion at all of our courses, workshops and seminars, public and custom,
are off the record and not for attribution, unless specified otherwise.
The resulting confidentiality ensures a frank and
free exchange of views.
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FAQs |
FAQs
about our training
including suggested attire.
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Register
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We accept
checks,
VISA,
MasterCard,
Discover,
American Express
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please
select the next available date.
Click here for a
course description and registration form
(pdf)
Fax or Mail: Print
out and complete the registration
form
(in Adobe pdf). The completed form should
include your method of payment.
Fax the completed form to us at
703-739-1195.
Mail the completed form to us at
TheCapitol.Net, Inc., PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA
22313-5706
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Related
Information |
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Educational Tracks |
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Related
Training |
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Available as custom, on-site training? |
Yes.
This
program can be tailored
for on-site agency, association and corporate training.
Please call 703-739-3790 for information.
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Need
more information? |
Phone:
703-739-3790
Email: registrar -at- TheCapitol.Net
Complete our
online information request.
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Non-Partisan |
TheCapitol.Net is a
non-partisan firm, and the opinions of its faculty,
authors, clients and the owners and operators of its vendors are
their own and do not represent those of TheCapitol.Net.
|
URLs: www.thecapitol.net/PublicPrograms/researchskills.html
www.DCResearchSkills.com
www.WashingtonResearchSkills.com
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Last updated:
June 27, 2008
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