ENGLISH 3022RESEARCH & RESOURCES

Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public Services

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 assessment comprehension distinguishing evaluating/evaluation peer-reviewed research sources periodicals

Making It Work: Keywords

Keywords can be used in› The ULM Library Catalog› The ULM Library Databases› Even on the Internet!

You combine keywords together using certain words called operators. They are:› AND (this is the most common operator)› OR› NOT

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 popular

students AND difficulty AND scholarly AND popular

“college students” AND research AND difficulty

Order 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/bookmark DO take notes/sticky notes DO get organized

DON’T multitask DON’T procrastinate DON’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 everything

When you discover a resource that you NEED but the Library doesn’t have, there’s a way to get it

The 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 materials Articles 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 fees But we will notify you if a lending library

has fees, and Help you make arrangements to pay the

fees The 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 1st floor of the Library.

RECAP

When 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!

RECAP

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!

Use parameters like “scholarly/peer-reviewed” and “full text” – and even publication date – to make the results lists more manageable

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

RECAP

Most 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 ILL

But 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

RECAP

The 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).

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!