Dealing With Library Sources for Research What do you use when? Which one is the best? How do you document what you used?

Nonfiction books Nonfiction is usually in the form of expository writing rather than a narrative. It tells facts, which are what you need for reports. Cite it like this: Dunlop, Storm. The Weather Identification Handbook. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2003.

Dictionary or Thesaurus A dictionary tells word meanings. A thesaurus gives synonyms and antonyms. Cite either one the way you would any book. (See previous slide.)

Encyclopedias Print encyclopedias always come in sets. They contain articles about people, places, things, events, and ideas. Some are a couple of sentences, some several pages long. There are lots of pictures and graphics. You don’t usually know the author’s name.

Encyclopedias Cite them like this: “Weather.” World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 21. World Book, 2010.

Online Encyclopedias Several encyclopedias has been transcribed completely to the Internet. They contain the same information as the print sets. Some were never in print but always just online. Cite either kind like this: "Weather." World Book Online. World Book, March 17,

Magazines and Journals In this case, “journal” is just another word for “magazine.” Magazines are a great place to get up to date information.

Magazines and Journals When citing a periodical source, remember that it is most important to include the issue date and pages. Cite it like this: Turner, Stan. “Weather and Erosion.” Odyssey Magazine. November, 2010:

Almanacs An almanac is a periodical that comes out once a year and contains up-to-date facts and statistics (lots of lists!) It is not arranged alphabetically.

Almanacs Almanacs are useful for finding specific measurable facts—who, what, when, where, how much, and how many. (Not “why”—the almanac doesn’t include opinions.) Cite an almanac like this: Janssen, Sarah, ed. World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2011: 392.

Editorial Ever hear that word? It means a personal opinion article published in a newspaper or magazine. Editorials are expository writing that is designed to convince you of something or change your point of view—in other words, to win you over to the writer’s side of an issue.

Editorials Cite an editorial the way you would any article in a periodical, like this: Como, Ted. “Disaster in Japan Reminds Us of Our Vulnerability.” Kingsport Times-News. March 13, 2011: 6A. Kingsport Times-News Sunday, March 13, 2011 Editorial Disaster in Japan Reminds Us of Our Vulnerability Despite our increasing ability to forecast all sorts of weather- related phenomena, providing long- term advance warning of an impending earthquake eludes our grasp. This is true even in Japan, an acknowledged leader in such seismic monitoring, where weekly earthquake drills are commonplace. The horrific devastation of an earthquake, tsunami or major hurricane reminds us how vulnerable and vain is our sense of security and sophistication.

Websites We’ve all used the Internet to find information. That’s good, because just about anything is available, and that’s bad, because just about anything is available! The trouble is that there is so much out there, and it can be very difficult to sift through the junk to find the gold.

Websites Some websites will include a citation at the bottom of the website, like this one: Hyperlink: PebbleGo Earth and Space (Weather) PebbleGo Earth and Space (Weather) For others, you will have to create your own. The citation should look like this: “Internet Weather Source,” National Weather Service. March 16, 2011.

Choosing the Best First, make sure you know which source is most likely to have the best information. You will find information on weather in nonfiction books, in encyclopedias, in almanacs, in newspapers, in magazines, and online. Which one will probably have the best information for you and will be easiest to use and quickest to access?

Choosing the Best Want the very latest? Maybe the almanac, a website, a magazine, or a newspaper. Want different opinions? Try a newspaper editorial or a magazine article. Want solid in-depth information? Go to a nonfiction book or an encyclopedia. Want great pictures and different ideas? This might be a good time to use the Internet.

Other Things to Remember Every time you use a source to gather information for a report, you ABSOLUTELY MUST CITE THE SOURCE! That means that you write down the citation information BEFORE you return the book to the library and before you click out of the website. No doing it later!

What’s Next? A source is just that—a place to find information. Now you have to use it! For a solid, well-written report, you have to keep these things in mind: –Identify the information you need –Take notes (that doesn’t mean just copy) –Organize the information in good order –Re-write the information in your own words –Proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammar –End your report with a bibliography of your sources

Bibliography Como, Ted. “Disaster in Japan Reminds Us of Our Vulnerability.” Kingsport Times-News. March 13, 2011: 6A. Dunlop, Storm. The Weather Identification Handbook. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, “Internet Weather Source,” National Weather Service. March 16, Janssen, Sarah, ed. World Almanac and Book of Facts. 2011: 392. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York: Merriam Webster, “Thunderstorms.” PebbleGo. March 18, Turner, Stan. “Weather and Erosion.” Odyssey Magazine. November, 2010: “Weather.” World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 21. World Book, "Weather." World Book Online. World Book, March 17,

Composed by: Joy Branham Library Media Specialist John F. Kennedy Elementary School Kingsport, Tennessee 2011