Basic Library Research at the ACC Library

1)Understanding Reference & Circulating Resources 2) Accessing Books and Periodical Articles

3) Selecting a Research Topic 4) Researching a Chosen Topic

Understanding Reference & Circulating Resources

Reference Quick, brief, basic facts Who, What, When, When, Where, How, Why Names, dates, places, statistics, etc. Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Reference A research starting point: background, introductions, overviews yielding topic ideas and narrower aspects of topics Sources: encyclopedias, handbooks, manuals, topic-finder guides, periodicals

Reference Locators (referrals, intermediaries) for additional resources Sources: indexes, directories, bibliographies

Online Reference ACC databases and free websites

Circulating Supplementary, extended, in-depth information, albeit less current Sources: books and monographs

Accessing Books & Periodical Articles

Accessing books online: catalogs ACC (CARLweb) Other CARL libraries, locally and nationally (CARLweb) Prospector and ACLIN (local libraries) OCLC FirstSearch WorldCat (worldwide)

Accessing books online: electronic books (eBooks) netLibrary various free websites for public domain books (e.g., Internet Public Library, Project Gutenberg, National Academy Press ) Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Accessing periodicals and articles print indexes (RGPL, etc.) ACC Periodicals Lists electronic databases (ACC subscription and free Web-based) Prospector Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Levels of credibility: Popular periodicals vs. scholarly journals Secondary vs. primary sources Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Levels of credibility in websites varies by domain:.edu.gov.org.com Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Criteria for judging websites: “AACCUSO” Accuracy, Authority, Coverage, Currency, Usefulness, Scholarly/Popular, Objectivity/Bias Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.Sources: almanacs, encyclopedias, handbooks, government documents, etc.

Selecting a Research Topic

Pick a topic you are interested in or you have heard about in the news. Otherwise use a topic finder guide.

You can start with a one- or two-word general topic: cloning global warming corporate corruption privacy issues

Select an aspect of the topic (a narrower focus).

Main (general) topic: global warming Narrower focus/aspect of topic: is it real? causes impact solutions

After settling on a focus, pose the narrowed topic as a question. ?

What ? Why ? How ? Does ? Can ? Is ? Should ?

cloning

What are the scientific justifications presented by proponents of human cloning?

What are the ethical issues that oppose human cloning?

global warming

What solutions are being proposed for global warming through international cooperation?

corporate corruption

What measures should the government be allowed to take to prevent fraudulent accounting practices within corporations?

privacy issues

How far should government be allowed to infringe on rights of privacy in order to prevent terrorism in the United States?

Researching a Chosen Topic

Concepts are delineated with keywords, which are used for searching topics in databases and search engines. Actually we use keywords in daily life without realizing it.

Concepts and Keywords “Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you could tell me where the milk is?”

Concepts and Keywords “Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you could tell me where the milk is?”

“Milk?”

Concepts and Keywords “Excuse me, please, where is the rest room?”

Concepts and Keywords “Excuse me, please, where is the rest room?”

“Rest room?”

Boolean Search Logic Use AND, OR, and NOT to show relationships between keywords, concepts

Boolean Search Logic We use it in daily life (such as in shopping)

short sleeve shirt NOT t-shirt AND large size AND less than $15 AND (blue OR gray OR black)

Keyword search strings in CARLweb and most periodical databases and search engines have an implied AND.

How to Define Your Research Paper Topic and Search for Information 11 Tips for Using Concepts, Keywords

1. Locate background information on a general topic using reference sources such as encyclopedias or by scanning newspapers and magazines, or using topic-finder guides such as CQ Researcher.

2. Select an aspect of the topic and pose it as a question: What…? Why…? How…? Does…? Can…? Is…? Should…?

3. Is there too much or too little information on the topic? (Test the keywords in a periodicals database, do a literature review, and refine your topic if necessary)

4. NARROW the topic (add precision to your search) if there is too much information (too much information may indicate your topic is too general).

5. WIDEN the topic if there is too little information after you’ve tried various keywords and databases

6.NARROW (specify) if there is too much information by a. Using more specific terms b. Using more terms c. Place phrases within quotes, if search engine/database allows it

7. WIDEN (broaden) by a. Using more general terms b. Using fewer terms c. Using synonyms or alternate terms or spellings (in place of or in addition to existing terms) d. Use truncation on root words (* ?), if allowed

8. Consider using the advanced features of Boolean searching offered by some databases and search engines (most used Boolean operators are AND & OR, but some also use NOT)

9. Consider using the advanced features of using field searches: e.g., searching for keywords within title or subject fields

10. Be aware of using singular/plural forms of words a. Singular forms usually result in more hits b. Use both singular and plural to increase hits and vary results

11. Be aware of capitalized words: some databases are case sensitive, others are not. Examples: Turkey, turkey Dolphins, dolphins

SCHOOL VIOLENCE (very broad, general topic)

SCHOOL VIOLENCE DRUGS (more specific topic)

SCHOOL VIOLENCE DRUGS GIRLS (even more specific topic)

What role do drugs play in school violence committed by girls?

Search using: synonyms/related terms alternate terms/spellings plural/singular Try all possibilities!

Example of alternate terms: instead of “girls” try “gender differences” instead of “TV” try “media”

Example of synonyms: automobiles, cars affect, impact, influence staff, employees

How has television changed the reading and learning abilities of America’s children?

(television OR TV OR media) AND (affect OR impact OR change OR influence) AND (abilities OR achievement OR reading OR learning OR development) AND (children OR students)