2. I AM . . .
ANITA FORTES
Program Liaison for the General Arts & Science Program
afortes@conestogac.on.ca
3. TODAY we will…
• Locate key sections of the LRC’s website.
• Discuss the importance of using a variety of types of
resources.
• Discuss the importance of evaluating resources using the
CARS Evaluation Method to ensure that they are of good
quality.
• Perform a basic search of LRC resources, narrow our
search ,and create a list of relevant results.
• Understand the importance of PINs and off-campus
access.
• Locate the tools available to assist with organizing
citations and using correct style.
4. Today’s Research Topic is….
• Is binge drinking among college students on the rise?
• Limiters
Geographically (Canada, Ontario)
Date (2009 - )
6. Finding A Source to Answer
Your Question
• Where do we begin?
• Do you have any suggestions…
• Books, E-books
• Scholarly journals
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Websites ( Google, Wikipedia)
7. Group Exercise
• Using one of the resources nearest to you…
• Work within a group to determine whether your resource is
considered a Popular Magazine or a Scholarly Journal
• Have the ability to report which it is and why
• You have 3 minutes
8. Scholarly Journal Popular Magazine
articles VS. articles
• Articles are based on scholarly research • General interest articles, entertainment,
or projects. or information aimed at the consumer.
• Only images are charts or graphs • Colour photos and illustrations.
8
• Long lists of references • A lot of advertising
• Authors are authorities in their field. • Seldom have reference lists.
Professors or researchers. • Usually written by staff, freelance
• Language includes subject specific writers, or may be anonymous.
terminology that is understood by those • Simple language.
in the field.
9. Choosing Better Sources
• How can you tell trustworthy information (the “better”
information) from less-trustworthy information (“worse”
information)?
10. Evaluate Sources using CARS
Credibility – believable, well written, free of hidden
bias. Author’s credentials/affiliation given.
Accuracy - information is up-to-date, complete,
clear, acknowledges opposing views.
Reasonableness – balanced presentation,
objective, not a “rant”, consistent arguments,
reasonable conclusions.
Support – Other sources support this material, and
there is a reference list or bibliography.
Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources." VirtualSalt. 17 Nov. 1997. July 14 2002
<http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm>.
12. LIBRARY as a GATEWAY
The LRC is a gateway to a variety of quality resources for your
College studies
13. HELP AT THE LIBRARY
instant messaging
information service
email or phone
Editor's Notes
How you can help them and how they can find you – leads into the ISEMP introduction
This can be amended to reflect a specific assignment they are working towards or that information could be added verbally.
This will depend on the group of students and their assignment
We could find out all about this using Wikipedia, right? Perhaps start with Wikipedia – to get them to understand where you’re going with this, say “Wikipedia works for day-to-day questions, but why can’t you use just Wikipedia for all your research needs?” You’re looking for them to understand that a single source, regardless of what it is, is not enough for their research, even if it seems to provide all the answers they need…because it’s providing just one perspective, one author’s viewpoint. Facts may have been excluded or modified. You have to use a variety of sources to ensure you’ve got the best information, and the broadest perspective. List potential sources on the screen or on the board – the ones students suggest and you suggest will depend on the research topic
How to differentiate between scholarly and popular articles
Do a quick search for your question, together. Have students look at the first page of results and see if they intuitively know the best from the worst (this can be just by the names of the links and their domain suffixes, or you could pick one or two (one good, one bad) and present the question openly (“Do you think this website is trustworthy, or not? Why or why not? Think about it and then we’ll discuss it.”). You could also do this with preselected websites which you lead students to with links. After the open discussion, present the CAARS/CRAAP acronym to fill in additional considerations. Could also do this in reverse, using the CAARS evaluation tool up front [depends on timing and audience]
When you search for information, you're going to find lots of it. . . but is it accurate and reliable? You will have to determine this for yourself Evaluate what you find. Evaluating what you find using the CARS model C redibility – The source of the information. believable, well written, free of hidden bias. Author’s credentials/affiliation given. Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? What are the author's credentials or oganizational affiliations given? What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net * What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? A ccuracy - information is up-to-date, complete, clear, acknowledges opposing views. Currency : The timeliness of the information . When was the information published or posted? Has the information been revised or updated? Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? Are the links functional? * R easonableness – balanced presentation, objective, not a “rant”, consistent arguments, reasonable conclusions. The importance of the information for your needs Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? Who is the intended audience? Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper? S upport – Other sources support this material, and there is a reference list or bibliography. If you only remember one of these evaluation criteria the most important one would be Credibility
Student ID and PIN overview
Segway – The Library provides lots of print and online information that can be classed as “better” information: published, edited, scholarly, sometimes peer-reviewed. Google is great for finding the free stuff, and we’ve seen that there can be quality info found through a search for free information. But the library specializes in providing more information to you – the kind that usually you have to pay for. Direct students to go the LRC homepage to get started. Proceed with search examples without additional slides.
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