Welcome to Lib1010 Purpose of this class is to help you learn how to do research. It will especially help you when you are looking for information for harder topics. The key to an online course is to treat it exactly like a face to face course. Schedule a time during the week to listen to the modules and complete the quizzes. Stay on schedule and even move ahead. You don’t have to wait for the deadlines! If you need help come to the library and the librarians can help you with your research or this course. Time to begin the Modules…
Transcript
Welcome to Lib1010 Purpose of this class is to help you learn how to do
research. It will especially help you when you are looking for information for harder topics.
The key to an online course is to treat it exactly like a face to face course. Schedule a time during the week to listen to the modules and complete the quizzes.
Stay on schedule and even move ahead. You don’t have to wait for the deadlines!
If you need help come to the library and the librarians can help you with your research or this course.
“A set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information.’” (ALA 1989)
Information literate people “have learned how to learn.”
What’s included? “They know how to learn because they know how
knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information so that others can learn from them. These people are prepared for lifelong learning because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand” (Angeley and Purdue).
Information literacy is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.
ACRL Standards According to the Association of College & Research Libraries, an
information literate individual is able to:
Determine the extent of information needed
Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate information and its sources critically
Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.
Don’t I know this already? If you believe you are already information literate,
consider taking the Test Out Exam
Only available during first week of the semester
No penalty
However, if you are unsure about how much you know, consider the following:
Spring 2006, Education Testing Service (ETS) tested 6,300 college students’ information literacy skills and their findings showed that improvement is needed
ETS Results Evaluating web sites:
Only 52% of college students correctly judged objectivity
Only 49% selected the one web site that met criteria for timeliness, objectivity, and authority
When searching a database:
Only 50% used a strategy that minimized irrelevant results
Selecting a research question for an assignment:
Only 44% selected a statement that met the demands of the assignment
When asked to narrow an overly broad search:
Only 35% selected the correct revision
Knowledge workers
Knowledge workers are information literate
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Knowledge workers (professional, managerial, and administrative)
Duties most highly valued are cognitive (related to thinking, learning, and problem solving)
Varieties of information The type and quality of information source
required varies with the circumstance.
Finding, evaluating, and integrating information – into both one’s own knowledge base and the project at hand – are major skills that students must learn and frequently use.
While discipline specific information sources and research techniques do exist, there are basic practices that will create a foundation for information gathering and use in all academic situations.
Out of the classroom Business
Market research
Use of critical information to make the best decisions
“Search smarts” – locating information
Health
Good or dangerous information?
Need for appropriate evaluation criteria
Getting hired Most important attributes a job seeker can have:
1. Communication Skills: Listening, verbal, and writing
2. Analytical/Research Skills: Deals with your ability to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather more information if necessary, and identify key issues that need to be addressed.
Primary Sources
Primary sources
Original
Non-interpreted
Unevaluated
Examples: creative works, legislation, original research, raw statistics, some government or organizational documents, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, some photographs, interviews, and some scholarly articles that report results of original research. Certain newspaper articles reporting events and not offering any analysis or interpretation are primary sources.
Secondary Sources Secondary sources take information from primary
sources and:
Summarize
Analyze
Evaluate
Interpret
Commentary
Discussion
Secondary sources Examples: scholarly periodicals and books,
magazine and newspaper articles, textbooks, works of criticism and interpretation, works that analyze events or creative works.
Some secondary sources can contain primary source material.
Tertiary Sources Tertiary sources appear last in the publication
cycle
Compile and digest secondary sources
Focus on factual information
Examples: encyclopedias and other reference books
Types of Publications Print publications are not necessarily accessed in
print form (electronic versions)
Periodicals: published at regular intervals (more than once each year) as opposed to books, which are published once.
Scholarly journals
Trade publications
Popular (or general) magazines
Newspapers
Scholarly Journals Authoritative authors (experts with qualifications listed)
Peer review (more experts!)
Research based (contain critical analysis or original findings)
Sources listed (bibliography)
Technical academic language in a formal tone
Long articles (10+ pages not uncommon)
Examples: Journal of Geology, American Art, Ethnomusicology, Evolution, Social Psychology Quarterly
Trade Publications Published by professional or other associations, catering to
a single-interest group.
Authors may be specialists in that industry
Authors frequently mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies
Audience is composed of members of that profession or industry
Images are often colorful, and advertising is common
No peer review process
Examples: Nursing, Reading Teacher, Concrete Monthly, Teddy Bear and Friends
Popular Magazines Geared toward general public
Usually published weekly or monthly
Meant to inform and/or entertain
Easy-to-read
Authors are magazine staff members or freelance writers
Authors may mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies
Contain numerous advertisements and colorful illustrations
No peer review process
Examples: Newsweek, Road and Track, Consumer Reports, Sports Illustrated Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone
Newspapers Usually local or regional (some, like Wall Street Journal and USA
Today have a national audience)
Usually published daily or weekly
Short accounts (reporting) of events to a wide audience
Printed on inexpensive paper and contain many advertisements
Authors can be local staff, newswire reports, or columnists.
Focused on current events, often with a regional or local emphasis.
Politics, sports, and business are common topics.
Examples: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Salt Lake Tribune, Spectrum
Books/E-books Both general and specific information
Usually essential in research process for undergraduate students
Books cover the full range of content, and due to their length, topics can be explored in depth.
Some books are compilations of individual articles by a variety of authors.
Books are of course available in print, but increasingly they are also available in electronic format and can also accessed through the Internet.
E-books have full-text searching capabilities (every page of every book!)
Currency? Depth? Different formats of information are useful for
different purposes
Periodicals – current, specific
Books – in depth and specific, not current
Encyclopedias – background information, not current
Different formats of information have different content!
Different formats = Different content
What you find in a book, you won’t necessarily find in a journal; the content of a newspaper is very different from the content of an encyclopedia.
What you need to know and your purpose will dictate the type of source you look in.
Popular sources are derivative
College students are expected to seek out the best – scholarly – sources available
Assignments Type of assignment determines the types
of information required
How much?
To answer question
At least 2 sources per page of written work
Does it need to be current?
Get up-to-date information, but don’t neglect background
Assignments Are there specific requirements?
If the assignment requires scholarly material, then focus on that
Do you need multiple perspectives or points-of-view?
Specific sources can help with this (CQ Researcher)
Will I need to order materials?
Leave enough time to get what you need!
Information Scan A quick look at resources to determine the
appropriateness of a topic based on the amount and type of information found
Search the World Wide Web – not the first place to look for actual sources, but useful in choosing a topic. Don’t look for actual sources, ask these questions:
Are the web sites found good quality sources?
Are there so many that the topic should be narrowed?
Does it look like there’s enough good information to support this topic?
Developing a Research Plan Most effective method:
1. Consult a subject-specific encyclopedia to find background information, refine your topic, and learn terminology useful for later searching
2. Search the library catalog for books, e-books, videos, and other materials on your topic
3. Look in periodical databases for articles about your topic
4. Explore the World Wide Web using a search engine to find quality web sites with good information for your topic
Research process Heaviest to lightest!
A good way to remember the order for effective research is that the sources go from the encyclopedias (heaviest) to books, which are a bit lighter than encyclopedias to articles (only a few pages) to Web sites (which don’t weigh anything at all!)
Find the best sources
Be able to evaluate the worth of the information found
Using the library web page
Gateway to expensive resources
Books & More
Encyclopedias
Library Catalog for books
Article Databases
General / Multi-Subject
Subject
Research Guides Library Home Page > Research Guides
Librarians have created helpful research guides for many subjects, including:
Citations (MLA and APA)
Reference
Education
Communication
Health Sciences
More
Avoiding Errors1. Start early! (as soon as you receive the
assignment)
2. Follow the research plan
3. Use a variety of quality sources (encyclopedias, books, articles, authoritative web sites, etc.)
4. Ask for help if you need it!
Getting Assistance Librarians are experts in information! We’re here
to help! Don’t be frustrated; contact the human search engine – your librarian!
Text-a-librarian (Text DSClib to 66746)
Chat with a librarian (Click on “Ask a Librarian”)
In person at the Library Reference Desk
Check the library home page for times (library.dixie.edu)
Ready to Take Quiz 1 You’re now ready to take Quiz 1.
It’s located in Module 1. Although the quiz is open book, remember that the Final Exam is not, so you’ll need to actually be learning the content not just filling in the bubbles.
If you have any questions or run into any problems, please let us know.
This class is much easier for students who work quickly through the modules. Don’t be afraid to work ahead and get the entire class done!
