Starting Your Research Library Instruction Summer 2003

What is the assignment? Paper, Presentation, Annotated Bibliography? Due date – when is the last date for ILL? Citation Style? APA? MLA? Types of publications?

Basic Search Strategies: Sources Available Does your topic cover recent events or research? Newspapers, magazines, journals or the Internet are the best sources. Do you need current, general information? Try a popular magazine. Do you need current, in depth information? Try a scholarly journal. Do you need an overview? Try an encyclopedia, handbook or dictionary Do you need something more detailed? Try a book on the subject

Evaluating Print Resources Every book, periodical article, or other resource should be evaluated to determine its quality and its relevance to your topic and the nature of your assignment. Use the criteria below to help you evaluate resources.criteria Authority Content & Coverage Timeliness Accuracy Objectivity

Encyclopedias African American Authors, : Bio- bibliographical Critical Sourcebook REF PS153.N5 A Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History. REF E185.E vol.1-5 The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Country REF E G Groves Music (Online)

Need a book? 1. Search the Library's online catalog. Search the name of the person as a subject: Morrison, Toni 2. Write down the floor location of the book and the call number where the book will be found on the shelf

How Call Numbers Work

Need an article? Search the name in one of the full-text electronic journal databases, for example: Academic Search Elite (EbscoHost) or Expanded Academic ASAP (InfoTrac). Click on the peer-reviewed or refereed box if the article needs to be from a scholarly, expert or academic journal. Click the full-text box to retrieve only full-text and articles. It is possible to limit the search to articles written in a certain year or range of years.

Article Databases Academic Search EliteFull Text/Index Expanded AcademicFull Text/Index International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text/Index JSTORFull Text Literature Resource CenterFull Text Project MuseFull Text

Types of Periodicals: Scholarly Journals Authors are authorities in their fields. Authors cite their sources in endnotes, footnotes, or bibliographies. Individual issues have little or no advertising. Illustrations usually take the form of charts and graphs.

Types of Periodicals: Scholarly Journals Articles must go through a peer-review or refereed process. Scholarly/academic articles that are read by academic or scholar "referees" for advice and evaluation of content when submitted for publication. Referees recommend to the editor/editorial board whether the article should be published as is, revised, or rejected. Also sometimes know as "peer-reviewed" articles. Articles are usually reports on scholarly research. Articles use jargon of the discipline.

Popular Magazines and Newspapers Authors are magazine staff members or free lance writers. Authors often mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies. Individual issues contain numerous advertisements. There is no peer review process. Articles are meant to inform and entertain. Illustrations may be numerous and colorful. Language is geared to the general adult audience (no specialized knowledge of jargon needed).

Internet Resources vs. Surfing the Web Internet Resources include: Internet accessible databases and journals Use a Web interface Usually require subscription Exception: ERIC Wizard Equivalent to print indexes and journals Authoritative and reliable Surfing the Web: Use free search engines E.G.: Yahoo, Google, HotBot Critical evaluation required Anyone can put up a Web page! Evaluating Web pages ( Evaluating Web pageshttp://library.csun.edu/mwoodley/Webeval.html

Choosing keywords to search If one keyword does not work, try variations on the keyword Teen Job interviews teenage, teenager, adolescent, adolescence student or students If too many titles are returned, try searching more specific keywords employment interviewing, employment interviews, employee interviews

Key WordsControlled Vocabulary

Searching Tips Articles Titles: Look in indexes and full-text databases to find titles of articles Subjects: specific for the article Book Titles: Look in online Catalog to see if we own Subject access: general terms that describe the book as a whole

Contact Information Mary S. Woodley