| Gabriela Sonntag
Instruction Librarian
KELLOGG 3422
(760) 750-4356
gsg@csusm.edu IM
name: infolitlib
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 annotated bibliography
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.
-
KiteRunner Wiki
Schedule, Topics and Assignments
The Library Module covers a lot of information in only 6
classes, so attendance and participation are important.
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.
In-class activity:
1. Find a book on your topic.
- First search by keyword,
- Find one good title that is on your topic.
- Write down the title, call number and all
subjects for this book.
2. For each of the call numbers linked below, write
the main topic or subject.
Top
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:
As a group - divide up your disciplinary
questions and find at least one article to answer
each of the questions. The article should have
information that can be used to answer that question. Turn
in a list of your questions and include the
author, article title, journal title, volume, issue, date
for the article for that question.
Top
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Scholarly (peer-reviewed,
refereed, empirical) |
Non-scholarly (popular) |
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Audience |
academic readers |
general audience |
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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!
Top
Writing an annotated bibliography
What is an annotated bibliography anyway?
An annotation is a brief summary of a book, article, or other
publication. Its purpose is to describe the work in such a way that the reader
can decide whether or not to read the work itself.
Annotations often appear as
part of a bibliography, the list of sources that is standard in scholarly books and articles, including most student papers.
When a
bibliography includes annotations it is known as an annotated bibliography.
These are 6 points to help you write your
annotated bibliography (not necessarily in this order):
1. What are the
qualifications of the
author?
2. What is the main
purpose of the text? (summarize in one or two sentences)
3. How does this source
relate to your topic?
4. What is the viewpoint
or bias of the author?
5. Who is the intended
audience of this work?
6. What is your final
comment on this work?
Here is an extended
explanation
and examples
Basically, keep it short and straightforward by using the 6
points above.
Plagiarism and 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.
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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
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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"
Top
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California State University San Marcos Library