ENGLISH 3024 Research & Resources - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

ENGLISH 3024Research & Resources

Interim Assistant Dean/Coordinator of Public Services

Megan Lowe

Introduction

This presentation will walk you, step-by-step, through the research process. It will use the following thesis as its object:

Students have difficulty understanding

the difference between

scholarly and popular resources.

VS

Making It Work

Okay, so you have a topic – now you have to make it manageable. You have to break the topic down into

smaller concepts to make it easier to research.

You wouldn’t eat a pizza whole, would you? No, you cut it into slices. So: pizza = thesis

, slices =

keywords

.

THESIS

KEYWORD

Students have difficulty understanding the difference between scholarly and popular resources.

students

difficulty

understanding

difference(s)

scholarly

popular

resources

“college students”

“high school students”

problems

assessmentcomprehension

distinguishing

evaluating/evaluation

peer-reviewed

research

sources

periodicals

Making It Work: Keywords

Keywords can be used in

The ULM Library Catalog

The ULM Library DatabasesEven on the Internet!

You combine keywords together using certain words called

operators

. They are:

AND (this is the most common operator)

ORNOT

Making It Work: Keywords

So a keyword search for our topic could look like any of these search strings:

students AND evaluating AND

scholarly AND popularstudents

AND

difficulty

AND scholarly AND popular“college students” AND

research AND difficultyOrder is not

important; neither is capitalization. Spelling and number, however, ARE very important. BE CAREFUL!

A Few Tips…DO create a list of keywords

DO underline/highlight/bookmarkDO take notes/sticky notesDO

get organizedDON’T multitask

DON’T procrastinateDON’T plagiarize

A BIG TIP

And most importantly, remember: if you need help…

JUST ASK A LIBRARIAN FOR HELP!

That’s what we’re here for –

we want to help YOU

!

All you have to do is

ASK.

LET’S DO THIS

We know we need scholarly resources on students having difficulty evaluating resources

. We know how to use keywords and

search strings. We have the

skills

we need to get started.

So we start with the Library’s websitehttp://www.ulm.edu/library

What If the Library Doesn’t Have It?As huge as the Library is, and as large as our collections are,

we still don’t have everythingWhen you discover a resource that you NEED but the Library doesn’t have,

there’s a way to get itThe Library has a (free!) service called Interlibrary Loan (ILL for short)

With ILL, we borrow needed materials from partner libraries and

lend those materials to you

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)In order to request an item through ILL,

you will have to set up an ILL account (which I’ll demonstrate shortly)Please note: it can take some time

to receive requested materialsArticles can be sent via fax or email (so, fast)

Books and other materials like that come through the mail; sometimes those requests take 2-4 weeks to fill (this is why you should never procrastinate w/research!)

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Please note: some libraries charge to lend

; the Library does NOT pay those feesBut we

will notify you if a lending library has fees, andHelp you make arrangements to pay the feesThe Library will

NEVER borrow an item with a fee without discussing it with you first!NOW LET’S LOOK AT ILL!http://www.ulm.edu/library

After the Searching’s Done… You have the resources you need, either digitally or physically, if you’ve printed them out

This is when underlining/highlighting comes into play, as well as notes and sticky notes

Documentation is also important, in order to avoid plagiarism – several of our databases (like Ebscohost) will generate citations for you

Need a Hand?Remember, if you need

help with the research process – at ANY

point in the research process – you can ask the librarians for assistance – that’s what we do!

We also check documentation (quotations and

citations

) for accuracy.

If you’d like someone to check your writing (grammar

, spelling, and syntax), you can go to the

Write Place on the 3rd floor of Walker Hall

.

RECAPWhen doing research, make sure you have a

manageable (narrow) topic.Create a list of keywords and search strings.

Bear in mind that you need scholarly resources, which can be found in the Library.

Search the Library’s resources using the keywords and search strings, bearing in mind

the tips

we discussed.

Make sure you document your resources!

RECAPEbsco Discovery searches all the Library’s content, but you can also search relevant databases only. In that case, select databases

based on your research needs – for a class like this, focus on databases in your major

, but also don’t forget to think outside the box!Parameters like “scholarly/peer-reviewed

” and “full text” – and even publication date and

language

– make the results lists

more manageable Some databases will create citations FOR you – take advantage of that for accurate citations!

RECAPMost of the Library’s resources are

available OFF-CAMPUS (aka remotely); you will have to login in order to use those resources (CWID/MMYY)

If the Library does NOT have a resource you need, you may still be able to get it through ILLBut

ILL is not a same-day service, so be sure to give yourself time, and don’t procrastinate w/research

ILL is

free

on the Library’s end, but some libraries charge; the Library won’t pay the fees but will notify you and help you make arrangements to pay

RECAPThe

librarians can help you with research, from start to finish!The

librarians can also help you with citations and documentation.The

Write Place can help you with writing – they can check spelling, grammar, and syntax.

Most

of these services can be found on the

1st floor of the Library (that’s also where you check out books, study rooms, and make copies). The Write Place

is on the 3rd floor of Walker Hall.

Question & Answer Time!

Remember, if you need research help, all you have to do is ask the librarians. You can… Visit the Reference Desk, Library 1st floor

Email us at reference@ulm.edu Call us at (318) 342-1071

Thanks for your attention!