| Melanie Chu
Outreach Librarian
KEL 3426
mchu@csusm.edu
(760) 750-4378 Office hours (KEL 3426):
Wednesdays 12-1 pm
Emails, drop-ins, and appointments welcome.
|
|
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 research project
and presentation you will do
in this class.
- in general, for the papers and projects you will be
expected to do
for the rest of your college career.
Schedule, Topics and Assignments
The Library Module covers a lot of information in only 6
classes, so attendance and participation are mandatory.
Students who are excessively or regularly late will not
receive credit for attendance.
Appropriate classroom behavior is required (e.g. no iPods,
text messaging, eating, etc).
Each in-class activity and homework assignment is for
credit and must be completed on time.
No late work will be accepted without prior approval.
| In-class activities/attendance
(5 x 10 pts) |
50 pts |
| Homework assignments (2 x 10
pts) |
20 pts |
| Critical review assignments (3
x 15 pts) |
45 pts |
| Quiz |
10 pts |
| Total |
125 points |
Note: The
Office
of Disabled Student Services provides a variety of
services and resources to students. Students with
disabilities should contact me immediately to ensure
appropriate accommodations are made during the Library
Module.
Extra credit-- 15 points
Extra credit due by Thursday, March 8th,
in WebCT.
-
Visit the current
library exhibit (3rd floor gallery, near the main
entrance). Write a response paragraph (approx. 1/2
page), including
your thoughts and reactions to the exhibit. For
example, what do you think the exhibit is about? Why
is it on display in a library? Describe your
reactions to one or two parts of the installation.
Evaluating information
A lot of information is available online from a computer.
You'll need to evaluate your sources (whether they're online
or on a shelf) to make sure it's OK for research.
In-class activity:
Pick
2 of the following sources and evaluate them using the worksheet.
Scholarly vs Popular articles
|
|
Scholarly (peer-reviewed,
refereed, academic) |
Non-scholarly (popular) |
|
Audience |
academic readers |
general audience |
|
Author |
researchers, experts, specialists |
journalists, free-lance
writers, generalists |
|
Vocabulary |
professional
jargon; may be
difficult to read |
common; easy to
understand |
|
Structure |
specific structure (e.g.
abstract, methodology,
data, results, conclusion, references) |
structured like a story; can look
glossy with pictures and ads; comparatively shorter |
|
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 |
Citing sources
For every college paper and project, you will need to
document where you got ideas and quotations from (see
Academic Honesty below).
 |
APA:
Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association.
5th ed. Washington, DC : American
Psychological Association, 2001.
|
|
KnightCite |
A free online citation
tool to help create your bibliography.
In order for the citation to be accurate, you will
still need to understand the difference between a
journal and magazine, volume and issue number, and
so on. You will
need to review the results for
accuracy.
|
Writing a critical review
For most college papers and projects,
you will need to investigate and report on the scholarly
research related to your topic-- in other words,
establishing what has already been said. To do this, you
must read and critically review
each of your sources with the following 4 points:
-
Cite source in APA style.
-
What are the qualifications of the author?
-
What is the
main idea of the source?
-
Include one quote from the source.
A critical review includes a
citation (in proper APA style depending on type of
material) AND review (responding
to the above questions in complete, well-written sentences) for each
of your sources.
SAMPLE
CRITICAL REVIEW
| Points of
critical review |
Sample formats and explanations
|
1. Citation
Where did the source
come from?
|
Author, A., & Author, B. (Year). Title of
article. Title of periodical, volume
(issue),
pg-pg.
Depending on type of material (e.g. article, book,
website), give full citation
in
APA style.
Try
KnightCite,
a free online citation
tool.
|
2. Qualification of author(s)
Why should you trust what
the author has to say?
If the author is an organization
or company, what do you know
about them?
(1 sentence) |
SAMPLE FORMAT
Dr.____ is a professor of
[subject] at the University of ____.
researcher
____ is a staff writer for [title of] newspaper
reporter
magazine.
journalist
____ is a non-profit organization that does the
following ____.
company
government agency
|
NOTES
- A professor/researcher has a PhD and is an expert in
their field.
- A journalist/staff writer is a generalist
(writing about any current topic), not an
expert.
- An organization may conduct research or
disseminate knowledge to further their cause.
- A company is for-profit, and might be trying
to sell something.
|
3.
Main purpose
What are the key points/
main ideas of the source?
(1-2 sentences) |
SAMPLE FORMAT
This scholarly article
proves ____.
This newspaper shows ____.
book
magazine
website
The main point of this source is ____.
key idea
NOTES
You might note if the source has
a strong bias or point of view:
The author(s) have a biased opinion on ____, because
of ____.
organization
balanced
company
well-researched
-
Bias is a point of view that is one-sided, based
on opinion rather than research, and without
consideration of the "sides" of an issue.
-
A viewpoint (e.g. hypothesis or
thesis) that is based in research is not biased...
the research has proven their point!
|
4.
Quotation
How does this source
support your research?
(1 "quote" or sentence) |
SAMPLE FORMAT
Author (Year) says, "____" (pg #).
According to Author (Year), "____" (pg #).
This source provides historical background that
prove ____.
statistics
disprove
case studies
show
quotes
opposing viewpoints
|
Finding articles
Research
databases search hundreds of
journals, magazines, and newspapers-- both scholarly and
non-scholarly articles.
Try searching these
research databases:
NOTE:
Depending on your topic, other databases might be more
relevant.
You can choose a
database by subject.
Think you can find all this stuff on the Internet?
Not for free!
See an article you want in one of
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!
Find an article and answer these questions in WebCT (Day
#3):
-
What kind of information does this
database contain: scholarly or popular articles,
or both?
-
Does it cover one subject area
(e.g. biology, history) or a mix of subject areas?
-
How do you get full-text--
or is it all full-text?
-
How do
you save, email and print?
-
What is one advanced search feature
in this database?
Finding books
Library Catalog
--for books (print and electronic), media (DVDs, VHS, CDs),
and periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers) in our
library.
Map
to
find materials in Kellogg Library.
The Circuit
(UCSD, SDSU, USD, SDCL)
--for books we don't have at CSUSM (delivered to our check
out desk in 1-2 days).
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:
| |
What is it? |
Tips |
|
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.
|
|
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.)
|
Effective PowerPoint
design
Even the most exciting research needs to be communicated
in an effective presentation. PowerPoint is used to convey
information in
an interesting and visually
pleasing fashion.
Your
PowerPoint is NOT to prove your research—that
is why you are handing in a paper. Instead, HIGHLIGHT and
focus the most important points of your work. Succinct and
straightforward presentations will be more impressive than
ones with lots of jargon and statistics.
Keep in
mind:
|
SIMPLICITY |
- When slides are
cluttered with words, bullets and statistics,
the audience will be too busy reading to pay
attention to you.
-
The rule of thumb is
"6 by 6": no more than 6 lines of text and 6
words per line per slide.
-
No more than one
topic per slide. This will also help you resist
reading right off the screen.
-
Go easy on the
special effects, animation, charts, tables and
clip art.
-
DO select powerful
images. A picture can be worth a thousand words.
|
|
AESTHETICS |
-
Is the background
too busy or distracting?
-
Can the audience
clearly distinguish the slide colors?
Typically light colored fonts against darker
backgrounds are easy for the audience to read.
-
Is the font large
enough and easy to read?
Use font size, style and color to emphasize
titles or major points.
-
Overall, is the
presentation professional looking and visually
appealing?
-
Remember the
importance of non-verbal communication-- good
posture and eye contact gives you more
credibility.
|
|
TIMING |
-
How long is the
allotted presentation time? Are there enough
slides or too many?
PRACTICE beforehand to time the speaker and
slides accordingly.
-
Repetition =
Retention. Make your main point or argument
clear in the beginning, support it during your
presentation, and recap before the show is over.
-
A group member can
be responsible for keeping track of time and
moving things along.
You don't want to spend too much time
elaborating on some points or slides, and then
have to race through the remainder of your
presentation.
|
Additional PowerPoint design resources from:
Need more help?
Don't hesitate to contact me
for research help.
|
