ACS 1001Library WorkshopJanuary 31, 2013

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Research Process

Image from Ohio Dominican Library, retrieved 8/29/10 from http://www.ohiodominican.edu/library/help/knowhow/module_research/M0_A1c.htm; Edwards, Sylvia and Bruce, C.

News SourcesKeep up to date on current events surrounding your topic. Or, research the history of your topic.

The VillanovanCurrent

Print editions available in Library and throughout campus.

Online at http://www.villanovan.com/

Historical 1893-1991 in

Falvey’s Digital Library. Full text searching.

1991-present: select articles in Lexis Nexis

Philadelphia Inquirer Available online, 1981-present Full text searchable

Scholarly InformationUse scholarly information to back up important points in your argument.

CQ Researcher CQ Researcher is one of several

resources that explores issues, rather than just publishing articles.

When looking at an article, check out the Pro/Con section to become familiar with both sides of an issue.

What is a scholarly article? Scholarly articles have undergone a peer review process

prior to being published in a reputable journal. According to the Encyclopedia of Evaluation, peer review is:

Peer review refers generally to the evaluation of professional performance or products by other professionals and, more specifically, to a set of procedures for evaluating grant proposals and manuscripts submitted for publication. For peer-reviewed journals, content-matter specialists are asked to judge a manuscript, often using specified criteria and blinded to the author's identity. The journal editor considers reviewers' comments and decides whether the paper should be published, rejected, or revised and resubmitted. Similar procedures are used to review grant applications. Critiques of the peer review process focus on the low reliability of reviewers' recommendations, but the goal of peer review is to make good and defensible judgments rather than to have high reliability. Peer review is an example of an expertise-oriented approach to evaluation.

What is a database? From the Encyclopedia of Health Care Management

A database is an organized collection of data that can be manipulated to produce information specific to a user's needs. Conceptually, a database is an electronic filing system with an indexing structure linking to specific data elements. …The basic element of a database is a field, or variable. Each field in a database is specified as a fixed (maximum) number of characters, each equivalent to a byte of data. The data elements may be text, such as a patient name, or numeric, such as a birth date…A group of related fields is called a record.

Search TabBooks & More

Mostly books and videos that are found within the library building

Includes e-books and government documents

Articles & More Online full text

journal articles Limit to scholarly

journals Or, search for

news and trade publications

Contact Me•Phone•Email•Chat•Group & individual research appointments•Stop by!

Kristyna CarrollResearch Support

LibrarianKristyna.carroll@villanova.edu610-519-5391