| Gabriela Sonntag
Instruction Librarian
KELLOGG 3422
(760) 750-4356
gsg@csusm.edu Email, call or stop by with any
questions or concerns.
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|
What is the GEL Library Module?
The Library Module will introduce you to the basics of
college-level research. The skills you learn during the
module will help you for 2 main reasons:
- specifically, for the
final presentation
and paper
you will do for this class.
- in general, for the papers and projects you will be
expected to do
for the rest of your college career.
- to learn more about the upcoming elections and be
prepared to be a good citizen and cast an informed vote.
Schedule, Topics and Assignments
The Library Module covers a lot of information in only 6
classes, so attendance and participation are important.
- Each
in-class activity and homework assignment is for credit
and must be
completed on time.
- NO late work will be accepted
without prior arrangements.
- Homework must be typed.
- You must do your own work--do not turn in the same
assignment as another student unless you are instructed
otherwise.
- Plagiarism and other forms of cheating, as
defined
here in the General University Catalog, will
result in zero credit for each plagiarized
assignment. Repeated violation will result in a grade of
zero points for the library module.
Advanced
internet searching
Google or DMOZ? Yahoo or LII? What's the difference?
|
Search Engines |
Subject Directories |
Compiled by
computer "spiders" that "crawl"
the web, constantly adding websites |
Compiled by
people, selectively adding websites |
|
"More is better" or "Quick and easy" |
"Less is more" or "Quality, not quantity" |
| Websites often
listed by popularity or paid sponsors |
Websites often
listed by subject categories |
BEST FOR:
- very specific searches (e.g. person or org.)
- phrase searches (e.g. "Martin Luther King Jr")
- you know exactly what you're looking for
|
BEST FOR:
- broad topic or concept searches
- need background information (e.g. alternative
health treatments, history of, types of)
- you're not sure what you're looking for
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Try out:
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Try out:
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Evaluating websites
From your own Internet searching,
you probably realize there is an overwhelming
amount of information available online.
Like searching for a book
or article, you can
plug keywords related to your topic into
a search engine... but doing a Google search
and using the first few results for your
paper does not constitute research!
Anyone can put up a website. How
do you know that its information is accurate,
legitimate or current? Learn how to
evaluate a web site before choosing
to include the information you find in your
research project.
Top
Finding books
Find books by searching the
Library Catalog. A good strategy
is to:
*The following are just
a few subject headings from our Library
Catalog related to the class topics.
Try clicking on some that are related to your topic and see
what titles come up:
E98.E2 O75 1999??
What does a call number tell you? Here's a quick guide to the Library of Congress system.
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Finding articles
Journals articles include the latest
research in the field. To find articles, you need to start
with a research database. Each will allow
you to search hundreds or even thousands of journals at once
by searching for keywords relevant to your topic. Databases
can have BOTH scholarly and non-scholarly articles.
Think you can find all this stuff on the Internet?
Not for free!
See an article you want in
these databases?
- Look for "Full Text" in
PDF,
 HTML,
 Linked
or 
- If all else fails, fill
out an Interlibrary
Loan article request form. You'll get it within 5-10 days for FREE.
- Or, any time you need
help, ask a librarian!
In-class activity:
Each group will search a specific database for articles
related to their topic. Groups will do 5 minute
demonstrations on how to use this database, addressing the
questions below.
ScienceDirect
JSTOR
Lexis Nexis
Academic
Sociological Abstracts
ProQuest Direct
Communication & Mass Media Complete
Show the class a sample search:
-
What kind of information does this
database contain: scholarly or popular articles, other?
-
How do you get full-text? How do
you save, email and print?
-
What is an advanced search feature
in this database?
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Scholarly (peer-reviewed,
refereed, empirical) |
Non-scholarly (popular) |
|
Audience |
academic readers |
general audience |
|
Author |
researchers, experts, specialists |
journalists, free-lance
writers, generalists |
|
Language |
professional
jargon; may be
difficult to read |
common; easy to
understand |
|
Style |
specific structure (e.g.
abstract, methodology,
data, results, conclusion, references) |
structured like a story; can look
glossy with pictures and ads |
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Sources
|
long list of
bibliography, references, footnotes |
no bibliography or
references listed |
| Examples |
Ethnic and
Racial Studies; Gender & Society;
International Migration Review;
American Journal of
Public Health;
Latin American Perspectives |
Time; Newsweek; Business
Week;
US News & World Report; New York Times;
Christian Science
Monitor |
Some databases provide a 'peer-reviewed' or 'scholarly
only' limit function that can narrow the results, but will
still bring back non-scholarly materials that were published
in a scholarly journal (e.g., editorials, letters to the
editor, book reviews.) When in doubt, ask a librarian!
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Plagiarism and academic honesty
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Academic honesty
What is academic honesty?
A major principle of higher
education is student development
of critical thinking skills and
original scholarship.
According to our
Academic Honesty Policy:
"The integrity of
this academic institution, and
the quality of the education
provided in its degree programs,
are based on the principle of
academic honesty."
Academic honesty includes:
- accurate use and
representation of
quotations.
- explicit citation of
sources when paraphrasing
and describing ideas or any
aspect of the work of
others.
- all forms of academic
work-- exams, papers,
presentations, and other
projects.
To best understand academic
honesty, you must know what is
considered dishonest, or
academic misconduct.
Plagiarism and other forms
of cheating are defined
here in the General
University Catalog.
Related
resources:
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What is it? |
Tips |
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Quoting |
Using the author's exact
words. Always cite it
and use "quotation
marks." |
Some good reasons to
include a quote are:
-
You want to support
or add credibility
to your arguments
-
The original is
difficult to
rephrase
-
The original is so
good that you want
to preserve the
language
Quoting in moderation is
acceptable, but
stringing a bunch of
quotes together without
analysis and
well-crafted transitions
is bad. A paper is
supposed to be your
work, so limit quoting
to the minimum needed as
per the above reasons.
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Summarizing |
Condensing the author's
words or ideas without
altering the meaning or
providing
interpretation—you use
your own words for this.
Basically, presenting
the original information
in a nutshell.
When you summarize, you
must always cite the
author of the material
you are summarizing. |
In academic writing,
there are a few things
to keep in mind when
summarizing outside
sources:
-
Use your own words
-
Include the key
relevant elements of
the original and
keep it brief—you're
just going for the
original's essence
-
Do not include your
interpretation/analysis
within the summary—make
a clear distinction
between your
thoughts and someone
else's
-
Vary how you
introduce or
attribute your
sources, like
"according to…," or
"so-and-so concludes
that..." so your
readers don't get
bored
-
Always include a
citation.
|
|
Paraphrasing |
Restating, in your own
words, the author's
words or ideas without
altering the meaning or
providing
interpretation.
Paraphrases are about
the same length as the
original.
When you paraphrase, you
must always cite the
author of the material
you are paraphrasing. |
Paraphrasing is
similar to
summarizing in that you: |
Paraphrasing differs
from summarizing in
that you: |
-
Do NOT include your
interpretation/analysis
within the
paraphrase—make a
clear distinction
between your
thoughts and someone
else's
-
Should vary how you
introduce or
attribute your
sources, like
"according to…," or
"so-and-so concludes
that..."
-
Always include a
citation
|
-
Usually write about
the same length as
the original
-
Use your own words,
but you may
occasionally want to
include a sequence
of words or a brief
quote from the
original (Remember
to use "quotation
marks" if you decide
to include any
sequence of words
from the original.)
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UCLA Bruins Success: Review section on "Citing
and Documenting Sources"
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