2. How do you intend
to do the research
for this class?
3. The ERIAL Project
Anthropologists followed students while they
conducted research for an assignment
Worked with 161 students, 75 faculty, 48 librarians
at five Illinois institutions
“Almost without exception, students exhibited a
lack of understanding of search logic, how to
build a search to narrow/expand results, how to
use subject headings, and how various search
engines (including Google) organize and
display results.”*
*Asher, Andrew. “The ERIAL Project: Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries.”
Academic Commons. Academic Commons. 17 May 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2011.
4. WHAT LACK OF UNDERSTANDING?
Using Google to find info about
a Mexican restaurant in Tysons
Revise and Repeat
Finding a friend from middle
school on Facebook Make Connections between
Resources
YOU’VE BEEN HONING YOUR SKILLS – YOU JUST NEED TO APPLY IT
TO NEW TOOLS
5. The ERIAL Project
“ „Students showed an almost complete lack of
interest in seeking assistance from librarians
during the search process.‟ ” *
“A possible reason was that students seek
help from sources they know and trust, and
they do not know librarians. Many do not even
know what the librarians are there for.” *
*Kolowich, Steve. “What Students Don't Know.” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed. 22 Aug. 2011.
Web. 23 Sept. 2011.
7. Effective College Research
Knowing where to search
Knowing how to search
Evaluating what you find
Avoiding plagiarism
8. Who cares?
Better research = better grades
Learn it now and apply it in other
courses
Knowing how to research well is
a marketable skill
Image by lanier67: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanier67/3147696168/in/photostream/
10. Tools and resources
Search Engines
Publicly available web resources
Databases
Articles in Journals, Magazines and
Newspapers
Reports, reference information
Library Catalogs
Books (including e-books)
Library Holdings:
DVDs, Periodicals, Reserves, Equipment
11. Why not just Google?
How does a search engine work?:
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dc
bsfbvq_1fqxzphfm
12. What‟s an Index? How do these
tools work?
Collect information about resources and allow
the user to search this information or index
Information collected depends on the tool
Search engines collect:
URL
Metadata with creator assigned “keywords”
Full-text of the page
Links and Clicks
Databases and Catalogs collect:
Citation information (Author, Title, Publication Date)
Keywords or Subject Headings
Sometimes the full-text
13. Why not just Google?
Eli Pariser:
Beware
online "filter
bubbles“:
“The internet
is showing
us what it
thinks we
want to
see, but not
necessarily
what we
need to
see.”
17. Search Terms
Coming up with Search Terms
Pull out key words and concepts from your topic
Think about terms other people might have used
in talking about your topic (Synonyms, Related
Terms, or other Variations)
Revise Terms as Searching
18. Common Search Features
Phrase Searching
“use quotation marks” to search for that
exact match
Ex. middle school vs. “middle school”
Wildcards
Use the * (or ? or $) with the root of a word to
search for variant forms
rac* finds race, racist, racists, racism, racial
19. Use the Advanced Search
Allows you to tell them what you want
searched
If specific doesn‟t work, try going broad
20. Let‟s try a search….
http://www.nvcc.ed
u/library/
22. Evaluating is about Credibility
Credibility
1. capable of being believed;
believable: a credible
statement.
2. worthy of belief or confidence;
trustworthy: a credible witness.
“Credible. ” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Web.
12 Nov. 2009.
23. Be skeptical!
What you can do:
Rely on library catalog and databases
Find out who's responsible for the
information, such as the author and publisher
Consider the purpose of the source and the
audience (e.g., to entertain or educate? for
practitioners or for consumers?)
Consider the date
26. Citations are also about
Credibility
Citing sources appropriately is about
YOUR credibility
If you copy text, use quotation marks
and cite it
If you rephrase text, cite it
27. Citation Resources
Library‟s list of citation help:
My recommendations:
Use the Cite This or similar feature in the
databases
CAUTION: These aren‟t always accurate, so check the citations
yourself
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): MLA Formatting & Style Guide
Use the Writing Center:
http://www.nvcc.edu/annandale/lrc/writing/index.h
28. 3 things
•Librarians are available to help
•Think before you search
•Evaluate and cite your sources
29. Need help? Have Questions?
Come to the Library
Online help 24/7 via Ask a Librarian
Contact me
jbryan@nvcc.edu
703-323-3867
