Workshop Description:

This 3-hour, non-credit workshop will provide students with the means to be able to conduct academic-level research using academic-level resources. Students will learn how to efficiently and effectively find, identify, select, and acquire quality, authoritative, relevant resources and material for research projects. We will discuss the issues of academic honesty, citation styles and formats, and how to avoid plagiarism. Topics covered include distinguishing academic databases from search engines, basic and advanced database searching skills, and effective internet search strategies. Skills will apply to all disciplines at all academic levels.

Objectives:

• The student will be able to effectively use the online discovery tool to find and determine the availability of print, A/V, and digital library resources.
• The student will be able to construct, implement, and refine search strategies in order to progress through the information seeking process.
• The student will be able to construct basic and advanced search strings (using Boolean operators, quotation marks, or truncation) in order to focus a search and find resources.
• The student will be able to interpret LC call numbers in order to determine the main subject area and location of an item.
• The student will be able to differentiate source types (such as primary, secondary, popular, and scholarly) in order to choose the most appropriate sources to support academic writing.
• The student will be able to apply the principles of resource evaluation using a known tool like the CRAP test in order to identify high-quality resources.
• The student will be able to identify, locate, and arrange publication information in order to accurately cite a source using the required format and avoid scholastic dishonesty.
• The student will be able to interpret a citation in order to locate the referenced work.