Basic Research Methods In 6 Easy Steps Thomas Winston Cole, Sr. Library Wiley College

Library Website!

Step 1  Online Catalog  Online databases  Library services Familiarize yourself with the library’s…

Step 2 You can search the catalog to find books and audio/visual materials by… Author Title Subject Keyword Wildcat Library Catalog

Step 2 continued… Valuable Resources at the Thomas Winston Cole Sr. Library Library Catalog TexShare LexisNexis CREDO Reference JSTOR These resources can be found at These online resources have authoritative and factual information on various topics

Step 3 Overview sources are items that give you background information Encyclopedias Dictionaries Handbooks Textbooks CREDO Reference- is an excellent source for general reference needs. The above materials are created and provided by scholarly individuals

Step 4 Periodicals (newspapers, journals and magazines) provide articles on various topics in print and online may be found at… TexShare means Texas Shares which is a statewide consortium of academic and public libraries as well as libraries of clinical medicine. JSTOR is an acronym for Journal Storage which provides a full-text archive of almost 200 core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. A very extensive journal archive. LexisNexis Provides extensive resources for accounting, environmental studies, health and medical care, government and politics, consumer information and people.

Step 5 Bibliographies - the works or a list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production Subject headings - A term that describes the subject of an item Authors - the writer of a literary work Call numbers - used in libraries to classify a book and indicate its location on the shelves Cited references- To quote as an authority or example Use Sources to find other Sources

Step 6 Accuracy –Is the information is reliable? Authority– is the author/creator qualified to write on that subject? Objectivity– are both sides represented? Or, is there bias one way or another? Currency—is the information up to date? Coverage– what range of topics are included? It is important to have accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage (Tate, and Alexander, 1996). Evaluate Sources Sometimes we run the risk of obtaining incorrect information

Step 6 continued… The web domain of reliable website URLs each have a meaning: ◦ Websites ending in “org” usually indicates that a site is run by a non-profit organization (e.g., Public Broadcast System (PBS) or the Red Cross. ) ◦ The ending “edu” is always affiliated with universities, colleges and educational sites. The ending “gov” is exclusively used for sites owned and operated by the government (California State University Long Beach, 2010).

Summary Over View Visit the Thomas Winston Cole, Sr. Library Website ry.asp Familiarize yourself with the library’s Online Catalog, Online databases and other library services Valuable resources are the library catalog, TexShare, LexisNexis, CREDO Reference and JSTOR Overview continued.. Overview sources are encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, textbooks and CREDO Reference Remember to evaluate your sources for accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage Remember the reliable website domains are “gov”, “edu”, and “org” Most importantly make yourself aware of the Valuable Resources that the Thomas Winston Cole, Sr. Library has to offer! Thomas Winston Cole, Sr. Library Online Resources will continue to be valuable tools now and into the future….

Reference / Instructional Services Librarian Ashley Mackifield Call: Come by and visit or me if you have any questions ! I am at the Thomas Winston Cole, Sr. Library on the 1 st floor in room 115!