How Do I Find Information For My Assignments?

How do I…
…find information for my assignments?

Why can’t I just use the Internet?

The Internet has lots of
great information,
but not all websites are appropriate
for college and university assignments.

Why?
There are no controls on the Internet
Anyone can create a website and say
whatever they want.
Too much information! It’s hard to sort through
it all to find what you need.
You need to know you have reliable information for college & university assignments.

This is where the Library comes in…
The Library provides
many reliable information sources,
and can help you find what you need
for your assignments!

See us at the Information Desk
if you need any assistance in the Library!
474-3450 ext. 4221
info@eclibrary.ca

“Okay, how do I find information in the Library?”

Understand your assignment!
Read it over carefully.
What is it you are expected to do?
If something isn’t clear to you,
ask your instructor.
First step...

Choose a Topic
Pick something you’re interested in.
Make your topic specific.
Do some background reading to get familiar with your topic.
Look up terms you don’t understand.

Background Reading
Reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.)
Your course textbook
Check the Catalogue for other books related to your topic

The Library website is where you begin.
www.eclibrary.ca

To findreference books you can use online...
Go to www.eclibrary.caand chooseE-Resources.

Select Reference…

Read the descriptions to help you choose which reference source to use.

Next decide…what kinds of information you need.
Books?
Journal articles?
Newspapers?
Statistics & data?
Maps?
Government documents?
Websites?

The kind of information you need depends onthe type of assignment you have to do.
Are you writing an essay or research paper?
Do you need facts or opinion?
Do you need current or historical information?
Are you looking at different viewpoints
about an issue?

Finding Books and Articles…

Think of the main concepts of your topic.
Sample topic:
What are the effects of global warming on weather?
The main concepts are:
global warming weather

Keywords
Global warming and weather are
calledkeywords.
They are what you use to search
for books and articles.

Finding Books…
Go to www.eclibrary.caand chooseCatalogue.

Search using single words or short phrasesthat represent the main idea(s) of your topic.

You can narrow a search by adding another search term.
Join multiple search terms with “and”.

Click onthe title for more information.

Note the Call Number and Locationto help you find the item.

Call Numbers…
...act as an item’saddress on the shelves.
...are a combination ofletters and numbers.
... are read line by line.
QC
981.8
.C5
F446
2006

If the item is anE-Book, click on the http link.

Finding Articles…
Articles are great when you want:
Information on a specific topic
Up-to-date information on current events, new products, trends, or the latest research on a topic
Different viewpoints on an issue

To find articles on any topic…
You search online,
through the Library website
www.eclibrary.ca

The Library subscribes to many
databases
which provide you access to
thousands of online magazines,
journals, newspapers & similar publications.

Databases allow you to search several publications at once...
...so your searching is faster and
more efficient than browsing
one publication at a time!

Many of the Library’s
articles are available
in their entirety
through these databases.

Some articles are available
only in print or microform formats.
These are kept in the
Periodicals Collection
at the back of the Library.

What’s the difference
between a
journaland amagazine?

Journal Articles
Scholarly
Written by subject experts
Report on original research
Specific audience
Usually > 5 pages
Abstracts
References
Usually no pictures
No advertisements

Magazine Articles
General-interest
Written by reporters, feature editors
Meant to entertain
Wide audience
Usually < 5 pages
No abstracts or references
Glossy, with pictures
Advertisements

To Find Articles…
Go to www.eclibrary.caand click on E-Resources.

Select asubject or atypeof resourceto access databases.

General databases provide articles on a variety of subjects. Other databases are subject-specific.
Some general databases:

Academic Search Premier
Vocational Studies Complete
CBCA Reference and Current Events
CPI.Q. Canadian Periodicals
Canadian Newsstand
Subject-specific databases:
Proquest Nursing
CBCA Business
Historical Abstracts
PsycINFO
Project Muse
Anatomy.tv

Designing Your Search
Use single words or short phrases
that best represent
the main ideas of your topic.
Join 2 or more search terms with “and”.

Searching for articles in Academic Search Premier…

If you get too many articles, you need to narrow your search.

Adding another search term results in fewer, more relevant results.

Clicking on a subject heading adds it to your search.

SelectingAcademic Journals will limit your results to these publications only.

To find out more about an article,hold your cursor over the article preview icon or click on the title.

To get the full article…
Look for a full text link…
Or click on

Off-Campus Access to E-Resources
Nipissing students:
Username = WebAdvisor ID
Password = WebAdvisor password
Canadore students:
Username = student number
Password = birthdate (mmddyy)

How can I find out
if the Library has a certain
magazine, journal or newspaper?

Go to www.eclibrary.ca and click onJournals by Title.

Enter the name of the publication.

Journals by Title
will tell you:
If the Library has the publication, and
the dates and formats available.
Tip:Use Journals by Title to find an article when you have a citation and don’t know what database it is in.

Click on here to access the publication online
GO
Click on here to check the print holdings in the Catalogue
GO

Evaluate the information you find…
No matter where your
information comes from,
you need to look at it
criticallyto decide if it is reliable
and relevant to your assignment.

Ask yourself a few questions...
Who is the author?
Is the information current?
Is the information relevant to your topic?
Is the information intended to entertain, provide facts, promote an opinion, or try to sell you something?
Was it written at a level appropriate for
your topic and type of assignment?

Make sure you keep track of all the sources you use for information.
Write it down,
save it on a USB key,
email it to yourself, or
print your information
You will need to include all your sources in a list of references.

Need help in the Library?
Please come to the
Information Desk
if you need any assistance in the Library!
Or contact us at:
474-3450 ext. 4221 or
info@eclibrary.ca

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How Do I Find Information For My Assignments?

by Charlotte Innerd on Aug 24, 2009

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How Do I Find Information For My Assignments? — Presentation Transcript