Contact a Librarian:Sasha Bishop (Beaufort) · Call: 843-525-

8236 · Email: sbishop@tcl.eduAmy Grimm (New River) · Call 843-470-

6003 · Email: agrimm@tcl.eduText a Question: 843-256-2247

Information Literacy & the Research Process

The Importance of Good Information

SITUATION:Your brother just made his college

football team. You plan to be there for his first game.

What information do you need?

The Facts You Need:

Date & timeCityStadium locationDirectionsTicket informationWeather forecast

Possible Sources of InformationYour brotherNewspaperPrinted game

scheduleSports fan friendCollege or coachOnline

Map websiteCollege webpageWeather forecast

site

Are all of these sources of information equally reliable? Are they equally accurate?

What might go wrong if you get bad information?

What other situations call for good information?

School assignmentsJob-huntingWorkLearning a new skillTravelingMedical decisions

Finding good information for all of these situations requires INFORMATION LITERACY skills

Image used under a CC license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagogeek/4006101093/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Information Literacy:

The ability to FIND,

EVALUATE,and USE

RELIABLE INFORMATION

Ethically and LegallyImage used under a CC license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kharied/4128848123/

The Research ProcessToday we will look at Information Literacy and the Research Process. Use these steps to help you organize your ideas and information as you prepare your assignments

Step 1: IDENTIFY your information needStep 2: USE BACKGROUND INFORMATION to

learn about your subject and develop your topic

Step 3: DEVELOP a research strategyStep 4: FIND and EVALUATE informationStep 5: WRITE and REVISE your paperStep 6: DOCUMENT your sources

Step 1: Determine Your Information Needs

What do you need to know about the assignment?

Number of pages

What subjects to cover

How many resources to use

Is a bibliography or works cited page required?

Step 2: Develop a Topic Using Background InformationLook at background information to develop

your topicLook at books and websites to get ideasReference books, such as encyclopedias, are a

good place to find background info

Once you know a little about your subject, you can come up with a specific topicTry to make your topic BROAD enough that you

will be able to find information on it, but NARROW enough that you will be able to cover it in a paper

Broad and Narrow Topics

Too broad:Sports

A narrower topic:Steroid use and sports

Even narrower:Steroid use and Olympic athletes

Probably too narrow:Steroid use and javelin throwers in the

1992 Barcelona Olympics

Step 3: Develop a Research Strategy

Once you decide on a topic, review the list of required sources for your assignmentDo you need books? Websites? News

articles? Scholarly articles? Multimedia?

Think of KEYWORDS you can use in your searchYou will use your keywords to search library

catalogs and databases

KeywordsSample topic:

Should Olympic athletes be penalized for using steroids?

What keywords could we use for our search?Olympics, athletes, sports, steroids, doping,

drugs, drug abuse, performance-enhancing drugs

Coming up with several keywords is important because one catalog or search engine might find many articles under the word “steroids,” but another might find more under “doping”

Step 4: Find Information

Now that we have a topic and keywords, we are ready to begin our search

In this step, we will find info using LRC resourcesLRC homepageOnline CatalogPASCAL DeliverseBooksDatabases (articles)

Starting Point:The LRC/Library Website

On the homepage:• The Online Catalog, eBooks, and Databases, accessible 24/7

Research and citation assistance with LibGuides

IM a librarianAccess FAQsTake the

information literacy tutorial (TILT) to improve your research skills

Find info: the LRC CatalogUse the catalog to find books and other

materials in our library, as well as ebooks that can be read on your computer

Search by title, author, subject, or keyword (e.g., “steroids”)

Can’t find a book in the LRC? Use PASCAL Delivers

Use PASCAL to order books from other libraries

This is a free service, and books usually arrive in our LRC within a week

After you do a search in the LRC catalog, click the PASCAL icon at the side of the screen

Search for your bookClick “Request item”Select TCL as your

school and put in your name and library ID

Note: Your library ID is the school code (00991000) and your 7-digit TCL ID #, separated by an underscore. If your ID# is only 6 digits, add a 0 after the underscore

Examples: If your TCL ID is

2345678, your library ID is 00991000_2345678

If your TCL ID is 123456, your library ID is 00991000_0123456

Click here if you do not have a TCL ID

Find Information: eBooksRead electronic books on your computerClick “eBook full text” to readUse the tools menu to search within a book and

retrieve citation information

Off-campus access: Username: TCL ID number located on your TCL ID card. (If you do not have a TCL ID, click here.) Password: first initial of your first name + last three digits of your SSN

Find Information: DatabasesDatabases let you search many different newspapers,

magazines, and scholarly journals at one time

Try using TCL’s databases instead of websites; the information you find through the databases will usually be more reliable

Select a database from the alphabetical list, or from the subject boxFor English classes, try the “English and Writing”

databases

Off-campus access: Username: TCL ID number located on your TCL ID card. (If you do not have a TCL ID, click here.) Password: first initial of your first name + last three digits of your SSN

Database: Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Use Opposing Viewpoints to research controversial topics

A good resource for persuasive essays

Browse the list of controversial topics, or search by one of your keywords

Database: Academic Search Premier

Academic Search Premier covers many subject areas

Search by your keywordsUse the “Limit your results” option to narrow

your resultsSelect “full text” to find only full text articlesSearch Tip:

Select “Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Journals” to find information in the most reliable sources. A scholarly or peer-reviewed journal is one that has been reviewed by experts in the field prior to publication.

Search for Information OnlinePros

Search engines are user-friendly and usually return lots of results

Information comes from a wide range of cultures and perspectives

Some online info is very up-to-date

ConsYou often find inaccurate informationYou often find irrelevant informationYou often get too many search results

A WARNING about Online Info

Web sites can be created by ANYONE

Unlike books, web sites can be published very quickly, and are not always edited or checked for accuracy

Not all teachers allow online sources for every assignment; make sure you ask before using webpages as sources

Used under a CC license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcobellucci/3534516458/

Evaluating Information

All sources of information should be evaluated

When you find a source, ask yourself . . .

How reliable is this source? Who wrote it? Is he/she an expert?

Is the information given by this source accurate? Can key facts be checked in other reliable sources?

How old is this source? Is it current enough for my paper?

Does the source cover my topic?

Evaluating WebsitesEvaluate websites carefully before using them

as sources

Ask yourself . . .Who created this website? Who published it? What

are their credentials?Is the information accurate? Can it be verified in

other trustworthy sources?When was the site updated? Is the information

current enough for my assignment?Does the site offer complete coverage of my topic?

For more tips on evaluating websites, check out our Evaluating Web Resources LibGuide

STEP 5: Now that you have your sources, you are ready to Write and Revise your paperIf you need writing

practice, try the LearningExpress Library database

Visit the Tutoring Center website to schedule an appointment with a tutor

Try Smarthinking, the 24/7 online tutoring service. Click here for more information

STEP 6: Document Your Sources

Remember, information literacy means using information ETHICALLY and LEGALLY

Documenting your sources helps you avoid PLAGIARISM and COPYRIGHT LAW VIOLATION

Image: jscreationsz, freedigitalphotos.net

Plagiarism and Copyright Law

PLAGIARISMCopying someone’s work and pretending it is

your ownUsing ideas, quotes, or facts that are not yours

without showing where you found them

COPYRIGHT LAW Ensures that authors are compensated for their

workBe careful when copying: making copies of your textbook

for another person’s use is a violation of copyright lawDownloading copyrighted works without permission is a

violation of U.S. law and TCL policy. Click here for more information

Document Your SourcesUse citations to show where you found all

facts, quotes, and ideasFor this class, use current MLA style guidelines

If you paraphrase part of an author’s work, or put it into your own words, you must still credit the author by citing your source

When you have questions about plagiarism or copyright law, ask a teacher or librarian

Resources for MLA Documentation

Handbooks and manuals in the LRC

MLA Citation Guide (http://libguides.tcl.edu/MLA)View examples of Works Cited page entries for

books, articles, websites, and more

NoodleTools (citation assistance)

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab: MLA Style

NoodleTools for Documentation:

NoodleTools is an online citation manager. Use it to . . .Create citationsGenerate your Works Cited pageFormat in-text citations

To get startedVisit NoodleTools (Off-campus, enter name and

TCL ID number when prompted)Create a free accountCheck out our NoodleTools guide for more

information

Information Literacy ReviewInformation literacy means . . .

Finding, Evaluating, &

Using Information Legally and Ethically

It is important for school, work, and any activity or situation you encounter that requires good information

Research process reviewLet these steps guide you through your

assignments

Step 1: IDENTIFY your information needStep 2: USE BACKGROUND INFORMATION to

learn about your subject and develop your topic

Step 3: DEVELOP a research strategyStep 4: FIND and EVALUATE informationStep 5: WRITE and REVISE your paperStep 6: DOCUMENT your sources

LRC ResourcesThe LRC has books, DVDs,

videos, newspapers, magazines, and reference materials

Check out the TCL Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) for more information on the research process and LRC resources

Can’t find information on a topic? Don’t despair! You can order books from other libraries, read eBooks, or find articles in the Databases

LRC Resources: Laptops

The LRC checks out laptops to TCL students for up to four weeks at a time

Click here to learn more about our laptop program

LRC Resources: Kindle eReaders

The LRC checks out Kindle e-Readers to TCL students, faculty, and staff for two weeks at a time. Click here to learn more about Kindles and to put one on hold.

LRC Resources: Ways to Get HelpFor information on using our resources, see our

LibGuides page

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions + Answers page

Text the library: 843-256-2247

Send us an instant message via the chat window on this page

For more help, contact the LRC

Library News

Want to find out what’s new in the library? Check out the Library Blog for news, book reviews, Kindle information, and more!

LRC Hours and Contact Information• Beaufort Campus (Building 12, above the Student Center)

• Mon.-Thurs. 8am–8pm, Fri. 8am– 11:30am • Call or email: Sasha Bishop, 843-525-8236, sbishop@tcl.edu

•New River Campus•LRC open for study/lab use Mon.-Fri. 8am – 10pm, Sat. 8am–5pm•Librarian hours: Mon. –Thurs. 8am-5:30pm, Fri. 8am-2pm•Call or email: Amy Grimm, 843-470-6003, agrimm@tcl.edu