jacobson eng111 f11
TRANSCRIPT
INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCH FOR
JACOBSON‟S ENGLISH
111
Jami Bryan, Fall 2011
How do you intend
to do the research
for this class?
The ERIAL Project
Anthropologists followed students while they
conducted research for an assignment
Worked with 161 students, 75 faculty, 48 librarians
at five Illinois institutions
“Almost without exception, students exhibited a
lack of understanding of search logic, how to
build a search to narrow/expand results, how to
use subject headings, and how various search
engines (including Google) organize and
display results.”**Asher, Andrew. “The ERIAL Project: Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries.”
Academic Commons. Academic Commons. 17 May 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2011.
WHAT LACK OF UNDERSTANDING?
Using Google to find info about
a Mexican restaurant in Tysons
Finding a friend from middle
school on Facebook
YOU’VE BEEN HONING YOUR SKILLS – YOU JUST NEED TO APPLY IT
TO NEW TOOLS
Revise and Repeat
Make Connections between
Resources
The ERIAL Project
“ „Students showed an almost complete lack of
interest in seeking assistance from librarians
during the search process.‟ ” *
“A possible reason was that students seek
help from sources they know and trust, and
they do not know librarians. Many do not even
know what the librarians are there for.” *
*Kolowich, Steve. “What Students Don't Know.” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. 22 Aug. 2011.
Web. 23 Sept. 2011.
What are librarians
there for?
Effective College Research
Knowing where to search
Knowing how to search
Evaluating what you find
Avoiding plagiarism
Who cares?
Better research = better grades
Learn it now and apply it in other
courses
Knowing how to research well is
a marketable skill
Image by lanier67: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanier67/3147696168/in/photostream/
Knowing Where to Search
Tools and resources
Search Engines
Publicly available web resources
Databases
Articles in Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
Reports, reference information
Library Catalogs
Books (including e-books)
Library Holdings: DVDs, Periodicals, Reserves, Equipment
Why not just Google?
How does a search engine work?:
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dc
bsfbvq_1fqxzphfm
What‟s an Index? How do these
tools work?
Collect information about resources and allow the user to search this information or index Information collected depends on the tool
Search engines collect: URL Metadata with creator assigned “keywords” Full-text of the page Links and Clicks
Databases and Catalogs collect: Citation information (Author, Title, Publication Date) Keywords or Subject Headings Sometimes the full-text
Why not just Google?
Eli Pariser:
Beware
online "filter
bubbles“:
“The internet
is showing
us what it
thinks we
want to
see, but not
necessarily
what we
need to
see.”
Recommended Resources
Opposing Viewpoints (Topic
Help, Positions)
Issues and Controversies on File
(Reports)
Academic Search Complete (Articles)
Proquest (Articles)
Library Catalog (Books)
Knowing How to Search
Search Terms
Coming up with Search Terms
Pull out key words and concepts from your topic
Think about terms other people might have used
in talking about your topic (Synonyms, Related
Terms, or other Variations)
Revise Terms as Searching
Common Search Features
Phrase Searching
“use quotation marks” to search for that exact match
Ex. middle school vs. “middle school”
Wildcards
Use the * (or ? or $) with the root of a word to search for variant forms
rac* finds race, racist, racists, racism, racial
Use the Advanced Search
Allows you to tell them what you want
searched
If specific doesn‟t work, try going broad
Let‟s try a search….
http://www.nvcc.ed
u/library/
Evaluating What You Find
Evaluating is about Credibility
Credibility
1. capable of being believed;
believable: a credible
statement.
2. worthy of belief or confidence;
trustworthy: a credible witness.
“Credible. ” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Web.
12 Nov. 2009.
Be skeptical!
What you can do:
Rely on library catalog and databases
Find out who's responsible for the
information, such as the author and publisher
Consider the purpose of the source and the
audience (e.g., to entertain or educate? for
practitioners or for consumers?)
Consider the date
See each
source for
what it
offers.….
Avoiding Plagiarism
Citations are also about
Credibility
Citing sources appropriately is about
YOUR credibility
If you copy text, use quotation marks
and cite it
If you rephrase text, cite it
Citation Resources
Library‟s list of citation help:
My recommendations:
Use the Cite This or similar feature in the
databases CAUTION: These aren‟t always accurate, so check the citations
yourself
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): MLA Formatting & Style Guide
Use the Writing Center:
http://www.nvcc.edu/annandale/lrc/writing/index.h
tm
•Librarians are available to help
•Think before you search
•Evaluate and cite your sources
3 things
Need help? Have Questions?
Come to the Library
Online help 24/7 via Ask a Librarian
Contact me
703-323-3867