CLASS OBJECTIVES
• Understand your role as a student and
researcher
• Understand the research process
• Know what the library has to offer to support
your academic mission
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS
KNOW…
• that they’re in college to learn how to learn – not simply
to be taught
• that they must take responsibility for their own
learning
• to find ways to distinguish themselves from everyone
else
Where
does information
come from?
What do you want
your information
to be like?
What should
information
do for you?
THINKING ABOUT
RESEARCH
RESEARCH TOOLS
• Library Website - GATEWAY
• Library Catalog - BOOKS
• Library Databases - ARTICLES
• People – EXPERT
• The Web
LIBRARY WEBSITE
HTTP://WWW.NVCC.EDU/LIBRARY/
• Library Catalog
• Article (& more) Databases
• Research Guides
• Library Information
• Citation Help
• Research Help
LIBRARY DATABASES:
ARTICLES, EBOOKS, VIDEO &
MUSIC
• Organized – “Quality Control”
• Evaluated – Credible
• Proprietary
• Specialized & subject specific content
• Scholarly
• Ability to apply limiters/ filters
LIBRARY DATABASES 101
• Search using keywords
• I want to explore the topic of the effect trans fats on
health
• Broadening or narrowing your topic
• Broad: fats and health
• Narrow: Processed foods and trans fats and health
• Synonyms, like and related terms
• Hydrogenated oils, disease
SEARCH TERM Number of
Search Results
“counter culture” 655
counter-culture 680
counterculture 1290
Academic Search
Complete
LIBRARY DATABASES 101
• “Phrase Searching”
• “civil rights”, “trans fats”, “Breaking Bad”
• AND, OR, NOT
• “Breaking Bad” AND TV
• “Breaking Bad” OR Weeds
• Java NOT Computers
• Truncation
• Econom*: economics, economy, economist
“In the last few years, we've moved from an information-scarce
economy to one driven by an information glut. According to Eric
Schmidt of Google, every two days now the human race creates
as much information as we did from the dawn of civilisation until
2003. That's about five exobytes of data a day, for those of you
keeping score. The challenge becomes, not finding that scarce
plant growing in the desert, but finding a specific plant growing in
a jungle.”
- Author, Neil Gaiman
EVALUATING WHAT YOU
FIND
• Currency: When was it created?
• Relevance: How does it relate?
• Authority: Who created/ wrote it?
• Accuracy: Is it supported by evidence?
• Purpose: Who’s the audience? Bias?
AVOID TARGET FIXATION
• Change is inevitable.
• More than one way.
• It’s OK to be wrong.
• Know how to get unstuck.
CITING YOUR
SOURCES
• Citation builders
• Library website
• Web: Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• Print: Rules for Writers, MLA Handbook for
Writers & Research Papers
REVIEW: WHAT MAKES
AN EFFECTIVE
RESEARCHER
• Knows where to search
• Knows how to search
• Evaluates findings for credibility
• Gives credit by citing sources
HELP
• Librarians
• Writing Center – CG409
• 24/7 Librarian Help (Chat)
• My contact Info:
Diana Aram
703-323-3868
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