This document provides an overview of the college level research process. It discusses defining topics and search terms, searching library databases and catalogs, evaluating sources, citing sources, and getting help from librarians. The research process is presented as iterative, requiring revising search terms and strategies as needed. Students are encouraged to both narrow and broaden their searches using tools like phrase searching, AND/OR Boolean operators, and truncation.

1. College Level Research:
Diana Aram
Technology Librarian
daram@nvcc.edu
http://nova.libguides.com/CST229-globalpresentation

2. Class Objectives
O Know what the library has to offer
you
O Understand the research process

3. Wisdom in Song Lyrics
“You can’t always get what you
want. But if you try sometimes
well you might find you get what
you need.”
Jagger, Mick, and Keith Richards. You Can't Always Get What You Want. London: Decca Records, 1969. Print.

4. The Research Process
Where What should What should
information information
does information
come from? be like? Do for you?

5. Information Literacy
Components: Research Skillset
O Define
O Find
O Evaluate
O Organize
O Communicate

6. Research is a Journey –
Starting with…
What is your topic?
What are your search terms?
How about synonyms and
related terms?

7. Where to search
Library Catalog?
Library Databases?
Google?

8. Evaluate your findings
How does it support my
argument/ purpose?
Is it CurrentRelevantAuthoritativeAccuratePurpose ?

9. Rockwell, Norman. The Gossips. 1948. ARTstor. Web. 1 November 2010

11. Citing your sources
Build your credibility by
giving credit where it’s
due.

12. Revise and Repeat
Revise you search terms/
strategy
Narrow Topic
Explore one aspect of topic

13. Avoid Target Fixation
O Change is inevitable
O It’s possible you (or someone else is
wrong)
O Know how to get unstuck and move
on
O More than one way.

14. What about Google?

15. Using tools

16. 500,000,000 GB
Eric Schmidt:
Every 2 Days We Create As
Much Information As We Did Up
To 2003
2010 Source: "Eric Schmidt: Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As We
Did Up To 2003," TechCrunch.

17. The Filter Bubble
“The ultimate search engine
would understand what you
mean and give you back exactly
what you want.”
- Larry Page, Co-founder of Google

18. The Filter Bubble

19. Library Catalog
O Books
O eBooks
O DVDs,
O eVideos
O Library of Congress
Classification – Call Number

20. Library Databases
O Organized (“quality control)
O Evaluated
O Proprietary (not free)
O Specialized content
O Scholarly/ Academic

21. What’s in a Database?
http://youtu.be/KKIbnNLCh8g

22. Using tools

23. Types of Databases
O Reference
O Article
O Bibliographic
O eBook
O Music & Video

24. Research & Search Tips
Identify:
Topic
Keywords
Synonyms & related terms

25. Topic & Keywords
O Voting laws and the presidential
election
O Other possible search terms:
- Voting rights
- 2012
- Identification requirements

26. “Phrase searching”
Searches for words in exact
order, as a package.
O “Great Depression”
O “Digital Divide”
O “19th Century” or “Nineteenth
Century”

27. AND: Focuses a search
O “Voter rights” AND election
O India AND culture AND
customs

28. OR: Broadens a search
Washington DC OR District of
Columbia

29. NOT: Excludes/ narrows
search
“Social networking” not
Facebook

30. Truncation*
Child*
- child, child’s, children,
childhood
India*
- India, India’s, Indian

31. Review: Evaluation
O Currency: When was it created
O Relevance: How does it relate to topic
O Authority: Who created/ wrote it
O Accuracy: Evidence?
O Purpose: Who’s the audience? Bias?

32. Review: Cite Your
Sources!
O Citation builders
O Web: Online Writing Lab (OWL)
O Print: Rules for Writers, MLA Handbook for
Writers & Research Papers

33. Review: What makes an
effective Researcher?
O Knows where to search
O Knows how to search
O Evaluates findings
O Gives credit (cites sources)

34. Help
O Librarians
O Writing Center
O 24/ 7 Librarian Help via Chat

35. Questions?
Research Guide:
http://nova.libguides.com/CST229-
globalpresentation