Introduction to library research for college writing students. Reviews types of sources, and how to use common research tools on a library website. Ends with a collaborate activity where students create an annotated bibliography.

1. Finding and evaluating sources

2. Questions
Subtopic/Approach
Topic Tea
Tea AND
History
How did the
introduction of tea
change English
social dynamics?
How did tea
plantations affect
the Indian
economy in the
1800’s?
Tea AND
Medicine
What is the truth
behind “expert”
health claims
about green tea?

3. How does tea affect the human body?
What is the truth behind “expert” health
claims about tea?
To what extent do the
antioxidants in green tea
actually fight or prevent cancer?
Is the cancer rate lower
than average among
green tea
drinkers?
What length and
type of project would
each of these
questions be
suitable for?

4. SCHOLARLY
NON-SCHOLARLY
(POPULAR)
 Writer is an expert
 Peer-reviewed
 Usually not much profit
 Not entertainment
 Academic audience
 Bibliography and citations
 Writer can be anyone
 Not peer-reviewed
 Often made for profit
 Often entertainment
 Popular audience
 Doesn’t need research

5.  Hard data
• Figures
• Studies
• Timelines
• Statistics
 Responses
• Critical Debate
• Theory
• Evaluation
• Interpretation
 Background
• History
• Key Ideas
• Definitions of Terms
Where you might look for it:
• Scientific/Trade Journals
• Reference Books
• Scholarly Books
• Reports
• Charts and Graphs
• Academic Journals
• Scholarly Books
• Reviews
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Reference Books
• History Books
• Anthology Introductions

6. Information is processed and disseminated at
different rates by different media.
Where you look for information depends on
how recent an event you are researching.
Image courtesy of University of Illinois Libraries

7. How did tea
plantations affect
the Indian economy
in the 1800’s?
What was life like for
native laborers?
How much did they
get paid?
What was their
quality of life?
What role did
plantation owners
play?
How much did they
stimulate the local
economy?
What types of
evidence would you
need to answer
these questions?
Where might you
look for it?

8. Use it
to…
Start your search
Find sub-topics and
alternate search terms
Find basic background
information
Get clues about where to
look for more research
Where to
go
Library website 
Research 
Encyclopedias,
Dictionaries, and
Other Reference
Titles 
• Credo
• Gale Virtual Reference
Library
What
you’ll find
Background
and introduction
Key terms
Related terms
and subjects

9. Search term used:
“tea plantations”
221 results
(excluding
definitions)
Narrow
by sub-
topic
See images, visit
Topic Pages, or
create a Mind Map
of sub-topics

10. Links to
save, cite,
print, or
email article

11. Interactive
Mind Map to
explore topic
and sub-
topics
Images

12. Use it
to…
Browse holdings from
libraries worldwide.
Search the widest
possible selection of
sources.
Find multiple types of
media.
Read online, order
through ILL, or find in
physical location.
Where to
go
Library website 
Research 
Books and E-Books

Search bar at top,
check box for
“Libraries Worldwide”
What
you’ll find
Books, ebooks, film,
and visual media
Broader discussions
and topic introductions
Popular culture
What has been
happening in a field in
the past few years

13. Used a
broad
search
term
Books
give broad
overview
of topic
Choose
from
multiple
forms of
media
Approx.
10,000
results

14. Publication
information
Preview
contents to
see what’s
inside
Summary
of book

15. Use it
to…
Find out what’s happening
in a field this year.
Learn what the experts
are saying about
something.
Get reliable data that’s
been reviewed by experts.
Explore complex theories,
implications, and critiques.
Where to
go
General databases
(cast a broad net)
• JSTOR
• Academic Search Complete
• ProQuest
Discipline-specific
databases (narrow
your search down)
• EconLit
• Legal Periodicals Index
• Political Science Complete
What
you’ll find
Data and statistics
Expert theories and
claims
Research studies
Scholarly arguments
and analyses
Areas of controversy
and debate

16. Narrow by
sub-topic
Articles with
very specific
focus
Read now
in full-text,
or request
ILL
Narrow by
publication
type
Search term used:
“tea AND history
AND India”
124 results
(narrowed to
academic journals
only)

17. Check
for full
text to
read now
Abstract
gives a
summary
of the
article
Publication
information Tools
allow you
to print,
save, cite,
or link to
source

18. Publication
information
Links to
download,
cite, print, or
email PDF
Abstract
summarizes
article
Read online

19. Search term used:
“tea AND India”
37 results
(narrowed to “peer
reviewed” only)
Narrow by
publication
type
Book
review
Journa
l article
Narrow by
sub-topic
Click to
read full
text now
Publication
information

20. Publication
information
Tools allow
you to save,
cite, email,
or print PDF
Read
online
Other
contents of
same
journal

21. Scroll to
find the
needed
citation
style
Copy citation
and paste into
your
References list
Or export to a
bibliography tool
like EndNote or
RefWorks
Click
to cite

22.  Do all of the following, creating a citation for each source as you go.
Annotate each citation with 1-2 sentences explaining what it is and
how you found it. Compile sources and annotations into an annotated
bibliography, using these instructions:
http://rwu.libguides.com/annotatedbibliography
 Look up a topic on Credo
• Find a reference article that gives general background information
• Find an image
• Make a Mind Map of sub-topics for later (no need to cite, since you created it
yourself)
 Search the same topic on WorldCat
• Find a book that would make a good introduction to the topic
• Find another source in a non-print medium (film, e-book, microfilm, etc.)
 Search one of your sub-topics on a general journal database like
Academic Search Complete or EBSCO
• Find a scholarly journal article that addresses a specific issue about the sub-topic
 Search the same sub-topic on relevant discipline-specific database
• Find another scholarly journal article that addresses a specific issue about the
sub-topic