The purpose of this guide is support the Library Research Module for Dr. Pedersen's GEL 101 class. Module assignments, worksheets and helpful tips will be posted here, so check this course guide BEFORE coming to class!

Not sure what the Library Research Module is about? Take a look at the Module syllabus and schedule.

Remember where your research fits into the bigger picture of your
group's work-- Dr. Pedersen's Wellness model.
 

	Getting started
	Finding books
	Finding articles
	Focusing on the local community
	Finding newspaper articles
	Evaluating websites
	Writing an annotated bibliography
	Citing your sources
	Presenting your research

Getting Started

It is a good idea to have some background information to put your research in context. Encyclopedias can help you identify a topic for your paper, and often include useful bibliographies.

Go to the REFERENCE section of the Library and look through some of the sources below.

	The illustrated book of world rankings REFERENCE HA155 .K87 2001  This book looks at how the United States compares to other countries by ranking social indicators related to wellness, like vital statistics and family, economy, consumption and housing, health and social services, education, crime and law enforcement, among many others. Try the CD Rom too.
	Leading health indicators for California REFERENCE RA407.4.C2 O73 1999  Take a look at major indicators for health in California, such as life expectancy, death rates, infant mortality, teen births, low birthweight infants, and early prenatal care.
	Charting the course III REFERENCE RA407.4.C2 C53 2001 ELECTRONIC VERSION Charting the course III 2001 From Community Health Improvement Partners, this is an evaluative 'needs assessment' of San Diego County health needs.
	Directory of human care services REFERENCE HV89 .D57  1993  Prepared by San Diego's North County Directors' Council, this volume is a little outdated but can still offer some leads in local community wellness research.
	Encyclopedia Britannica The standard general encyclopedia. A good place to get an overview of your topic and begin your bibliography.

Top


 

Finding Books

Books provide overviews of issues and virtually always have bibliographies, endnotes or footnotes that direct you to other information, including scholarly articles.

Find books by searching the Library Catalog. Can't think of terms to describe your topic?  Catalogs use specific subject headings to group related books together.  A good strategy is to:

• enter a keyword or two
• scan the list for one good item of interest
• click on the subject headings* for that item
• scan the list of subject headings for ones that are of interest
• click on another subject heading to search for more items
  
  HELP: So you typed something into the Catalog and can't figure out what's on the screen... look at this explanation of an entry.
  
  What does a call number tell you? Here's a quick guide to the Library of Congress system.
   

*The following are just a few subject headings from our Library Catalog related to wellness.
Try clicking on some that are related to your topic and see what titles come up:

Health Diet Exercise Health Attitudes Health Behavior Holistic medicine Mental health Physical fitness Community Life Community Organization

Social Indicators Public health Self-care, Health Stress management Mind And Body Medicine Preventive Quality Of Life Health Status Indicators Urban Renewal Cities And Towns

Depending on how much time you have, you have a couple of options for where you can search:

Books at Cal State San Marcos

		availability	# of books
	Library Catalog	in the Library	245,000
	E-Books	online	17,000

Other Options

	Circuit	1-2 day delivery *	3,000,000
	Melvyl	5-10 day delivery **	23,000,000
	WorldCat	5-10 day delivery **	52,000,000

 
* Books will be delivered to Library for pickup. FREE and FAST!

** Find a book in this database, and fill-out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Book will be delivered to Library for pickup. FREE!

Top

 

Finding Articles

Journal articles include the latest research in the field. They're a good source for finding very detailed information on your topic. It's best to start with a couple of books before diving into journals.

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.

In any of the following databases, try typing in some keywords. Just like you did in the Library Catalog, scan through the results, click on an article title that sounds interesting to you, and look at the subjects or descriptors for more ways to search.
 

Most Useful

        EBSCOHost
        Our most popular collection of databases. Covers a wide array of subjects, with substantial full-text options.

        JSTOR
        Contains complete full-text back files (EXCEPT for the latest five years) of core scholarly journals in            
        such areas as sociology, history, economics, political science, mathematics, African-American studies,   
        Asian studies and others.

        Sociological Abstracts
        Provides access to the latest international findings in theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and
        policy science.

Also Useful

        Project Muse
        Full-text coverage for hundreds of scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics

        PsycINFO
        Available via EbscoHost: A comprehensive international database of psychology, covering the     
        academic, research, and practice literature in psychology from over 45 countries in more than 30 languages.

        America: History & Life
        Abstracts of journal articles covering American & Canadian history, from pre-history to the present;       
        handful of links to full-text.

        Ethnic NewsWatch
        Full-text ethnic newspapers, searchable in English or Spanish.

        ERIC
        A national database of education literature, including reports and journal articles.

        Factiva
        Covers news and business information, including Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and The Wall Street  
        Journal, plus more than 8,000 other sources providing current news.
 

See an article you want in one of these databases?
Try these steps or ask a librarian for help to find the full-text:

a) if you see a full-text link (usually HTML or PDF), click on it to view the article.

b) if you don't see a direct link to full-text but see , click on it and see what options you have. We may have that journal in print or available through another database.

c) if you don't see a direct link to full-text or ,  do a Title Search in the Library Catalog by typing the journal title (not article title) to see if the Library has the journal.

d) if all else fails, fill out an Interlibrary Loan article request form. The article will be emailed or mailed to you within 5-10 days for FREE.

Top

Focusing on the local community

Does the research at the national level apply to your focus group or local communities? Compare national and local statistics on demographic information.

Statistical Sources on the Internet and through our Library research databases:

Top

Finding newspaper articles

Looking for newspaper articles? Local newspapers will help you find out what is happening in your local community regarding issues related to the wellness of that community.

Type in keywords related to your city (Escondido, Vista, Carlsbad, San Marcos or Oceanside) and your wellness topic (conservation, education, health care, government/politics, recreation or culture/arts) in the following newspaper databases:

          ProQuest Newspapers
          Includes coverage of over 300 major U.S. and international newspapers, such as The New York Times,  
          Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune. 1970→current

          Factiva
          Covers news and business information, including Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and The Wall Street 
          Journal, plus more than 8,000 other sources providing current news. 1975→current

          Lexis Nexis Academic
          Provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information. 1975→current
 

Top

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.

Search for trustworthy websites, recommended by librarians, at Librarian's Index to the Internet.


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 a standard appendage to 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:
          1. What are the qualifications of the author?
          2. What is the main purpose of the text?
          3. How does this work relate to others in the field?
          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 in APA format.
Basically, keep it short and straightforward by using the 6 points above!

NOTE: For the library module, your major project is an annotated bibliography of 3 sources, due 2/26. For your GEL final project, you will hand in a more comprehensive annotated bibliography, with approximately 10-15 sources. Refer to Dr. Pedersen's project instructions before starting!

Top



 

Citing Your Sources

As you write your paper, you'll need to cite passages and ideas from the sources you've found.  In order to cite your resources properly, you need to follow the APA style guide.

The Library has citation style manuals for you to use: 

Example citation for a website:
Author, A., & Author, B. (Date of publication). Title of website.  Retrieved month date, year, 
     from http://web address.edu.

Need more help with citing sources? Visit this Online Writing Lab for helpful advice on how to write college level research papers, how to properly cite your sources, what plagiarism is and more.

Cal State San Marcos students can make an appointment at the Writing Center.

Top

Presenting your research

The group presentation needs to convey information to the audience in an interesting and visually pleasing fashion. One popular method is to create a PowerPoint presentation.

NOTE: Your group is not limited to doing a PowerPoint. Whatever you decide to do, be CREATIVE!

Too often PowerPoint presentations are relied on to deliver the content of your presentation, rather than as a supplemental visual aid. Your PowerPoint is NOT to prove your research and fieldwork-- that is why you are handing in a paper.

Instead, your presentation is to 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:

Remember, the audience should walk away from your presentation with a clear understanding of your research and main points... not scratching their heads, wondering what all that was about!

Also, learn valuable tips on effective class presentations, including preparing your content, analyzing your audience and assignment, and practicing and delivering your presentation.

Be creative! Try incorporating different forms of media, like video or music clips and pictures, into your presentation. It will make it more interesting and memorable for everyone.

Top