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General Education 300, Fall 2009, Accessing Information for Research; recommended for science majors

For Spring 2010: visit GenEd_300_Crook

Betty Galbraith and Linda Crook

Contents

Recommended Resources

Key resources

Citation Generators and Style Guides


Resources for Class session #2


Resources for Class session #3


Resources for Class session #4


Resources for Class session #5


Resources for Class session #6


Resources for Class session #7


Resources for Class session #8


Resources for Class session #10


Resources for Class session #11


Resources for Class session #12

Hands on Exercise
Using the “Evaluating Web Sites” guide, test your critical evaluation skills on these. Be prepared to explain if you trust the site’s content, and why or why not.


Other Interesting Links


Syllabus

Accessing Information for Research in Science & Technology
Fall Semester 2009

Course: Gen Ed 300
Section: 01
Schedule: MW 12:10 - 1:00
Calendar: 8/24/09-10/14/09
Classroom: Owen 319D
Instructors: Betty Galbraith, Linda Crook
Office: Owen 119, Owen 127
Office Hours: By appointment
Phone: (509) 335-7930, (509) 335-7601
Email: bettyg@wsu.edu, lcrook@wsu.edu

Course Objectives:
This course focuses on scholarly communication in science and technology as well as concepts, skills and strategies for accessing information in scientific, engineering and technological disciplines. Knowledge and skills in these areas will enable you to become a more informed, skillful user of an entire range of research tools and options, as well as provide you a framework for gathering information in whatever situation you encounter throughout your life.

By the end of the course you should be able to:

  • Determine the kind and amount of information you need in a given situation.
  • Describe the process of scholarly research and scholarly communication or discourse.
  • Describe the characteristics of various information types and formats.
  • Use the library catalog and databases, along with the Internet, to find relevant information in multiple formats.
  • Critically evaluate the quality of information resources.
  • Correctly acknowledge your sources of information according to standard style manuals.


For Course Policies and Information, please see print syllabus.

Course Schedule:

1. 8/24 Monday, Orientation, Introduction to library research


2. 8/26 Wednesday, The Research Process:


3. 8/31 Monday, The Research Process:

    Information Seeking Strategies
    Communication in the Sciences and Technology
    Types of information resources: primary, secondary, tertiary
    Student presentations of first homework project
    Homework: Look over
    1. WSU Online Writing Lab- http://owl.wsu.edu/
    2. Assignment Calculator http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/


4. 9/2 Wednesday, Locating Resources


9/7 Monday, No Class (All University Holiday)


5. 9/9, Wednesday, Background Resources and Reference Books


6. 9/14, Monday, Finding books and reports: research strategies


7. 9/16 Wednesday, Online Search strategies


8. 9/21 Monday, Choosing and Using Indexes

    Finding journal articles and newspaper articles in electronic indexes Homework:


9. 9/23 Wednesday, Choosing and Using Indexes


10. 9/28 Monday, Full Text Databases


11. 9/30 Wednesday, Sci/Tech Information on the Web


12. 10/5 Monday, Evaluating information resources


13. 10/7, Wednesday Specialized Resources in Science and Technology

    Standards, Codes and Specifications
    Patents, Trademarks and Copyright
    Conference Literature
    Government Publications
    Gray Literature


14. 10/12 Monday, ***Meet at MASC ***

    Primary Research Materials
    Cheryl Gunselman will cover primary research resources


15. 10/14 Wednesday, Final Projects Due in Class

    Present your research process to the class
    Evaluation


Homework #1: Scholarly Communication in the Disciplines

Talk to two of your professors - preferably from two different departments or subject areas. Each must have a Ph.D.

Ask them how they keep up with the changes and research in their fields as well as how they participate in the scholarly discourse in their fields.

Type up a brief report of your interview, indicating the name of the professor, his or her field of research, and the techniques he or she uses to keep and participate in scholarly communication.

Be prepared to describe in class what you learned.


You will be graded on whether you describe one or two interviews and how clearly you convey what you learned.

If you have any questions about this assignment or don't understand the terminology, please email bettyg@wsu.edu and lcrook@wsu.edu.

Reference Resources Assignment

    1. Fill in steps 1-3 of the Keyword Search Strategy worksheet.

    2. Look at an unabridged dictionary and a subject specific dictionary
      a. List the title and the call number of each dictionary
      b. What new words or concepts did you find for further researching your topic?
      c. Write a brief description of the difference in information that you found in the unabridged dictionary and the subject specific dictionary.
      d. What is the value of starting a research project using a dictionary?

    3. Look at a general encyclopedia and a specialized encyclopedia

      a. List the title and call number of each encyclopedia.
      b. What new words or concepts did you find for further researching your topic?
      c. Write a brief description of the difference in information that you found in these two types of encyclopedias.
      d. What is the value of starting a research project by using a encyclopedia?

    4. Look at a handbook, manual, or other specialized reference book in the subject area that covers your topic.

      a. List the title and call number of the reference book.
      b. Why did you choose that book?
      c. What did you find out about your topic?
      d. What new words or concepts did you find for further researching your topic?

    5. Find biographical information on a person who works in the general scientific area that you are researching.

    6. Write a paragraph summarizing the background information about your research topic that you gained using the reference tools.


Bring this assignment and the Keyword Search Strategy worksheet to the next class. You will turn in the reference assignment at the end of class.



WSU WorldCat Assignment

Using WSU WorldCat, http://washingtonstate.worldcat.org/, create a list of at least 5 items about your general subject. You must include at least 2 books, at least 2 articles, and at least 1 item of another media type (ebooks, DVDs, visual material, etc).

Email your list to Linda at lcrook@wsu.edu by 5pm on 9/18.

Do I need to create an account on WorldCat.org to use lists?
Yes. Creating an account is free and fast: You only need to provide an e-mail address, a unique user name and a password to get started with lists. http://washingtonstate.worldcat.org/account/?page=register

How do I create a list?
 There are two ways to create a list within WorldCat.org. You can search WorldCat.org and select items from the search results; or you can create your new list, and then search for items to add to it.

To create a list from WorldCat search results:
 1. Click the checkbox next to one or more items in your results
2. At the top of the results display, select "New List..." from the "Save to:" menu and click the "Save" button
3. Give your list a unique name (up to 75 characters)
4. Choose whether you want the list to be public (viewable by other WorldCat users) or private (viewable only by you)
5. Click the "Create New List" button
6. Give your new list a description, and add notes to individual list items, if desired

To create a list first and then add items:
 1. From the My WorldCat menu near the top of the page, select My Lists and then click Create New List.
2. Give your list a unique name (up to 75 characters)
3. Choose whether you want the list to be public (viewable by other WorldCat users) or private (viewable only by you)
4. Click the "Create New List" button
5. Search WorldCat using the "Search for Items to Add" box
6. Click the checkbox next to one or more items in your search results that you want to add to the list
7. At the top of the results display, select your list's name from the "Save to:" menu and click the "Save" button

Final Project

Choose a research topic.
Send it by e-mail to bettyg@wsu.edu and lcrook@wsu.edu.
Topic must be pre-approved.
The Final Project is to be submitted in hard copy.

Prepare an annotated bibliography using the MLA Style Manual. The bibliography is to be divided into 8 sections, in the order given below. Each annotation is to contain the specific information specified below.


Part 1:

  • 1 reference tool (must be provided by WSU and be a good choice for your research topic)
  • Annotation to include: WSU Library call #, or internet address pages used for your topic
  • Statement of why you chose this resource for your topic


Part 2:

  • 3 books available at WSU
  • Annotation to include:
    • WSU Library call #, or internet address if e-book
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the book to your research


Part 3:

  • 2 books you would ILL from another library
    • find one on Summit
    • find one from a library online catalog on the internet
  • Annotation to include:
    • Source of the citation (summit or URL of library catalog)
    • Name of the library that owns the book


Part 4:

  • 1 journal article found in paper indexes
  • Annotation to include: Name, volume number, page of the index it was found in
    • WSU Call number of the journal
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the article to your research

(**If you can not find an article that is owned by the WSU Libraries after checking 3 citations, cite all 3 articles in your bibliography with a statement of why you would have read them)


Part 5:

  • 4 journal articles found using 3 different WSU online indexes
  • at least 3 articles must be in Pullman WSU Library
  • Annotation to include:
    • Name of the index article was found in
    • Is the article available in a Pullman Library?
    • If it is include:
    • WSU call number of the journal
    • 2-3 sentence evaluation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the article to your research


Part 6:

  • 1 newspaper article
  • Annotation to include:
    • Name of the index it was found in
    • Call number of the newspaper, if it is in WSU
    • Internet location of the article if it is in electronic form
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the article to your research


Part 7:

  • 1 Internet Resource (an individual document or page you would cite in your paper)
  • Annotation to include:
    • Name of the site
    • Internet address of exact page info starts on
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the site to your research


Part 8:

  • 1 government document
  • Annotation to include:
    • WSU Library call #, or internet address pages used for your research
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the document to your research


Part 9:

  • 2 articles found in library products containing full text journal articles (e.g. Science Direct, Wiley Interscience, Synergy, etc). Do not use indexes, abstracts, Academic Search Complete.
  • Annotation to include: Name of the full text product
    • Limitation of the contents (dates, publishers, subjects)
    • 2-3 sentence annotation of the material
    • Evaluation of reliability of the information
    • Statement of the value of the document to your research

Do not cut and paste annotations for this bibliography. You will not be given points for annotations unless they are in your own words.

Alternate Final Project

You will create 3 podcasts or videocasts explaining the steps of doing research using the library resources and the internet. These podcasts will be designed for the use of freshmen. They will each be no longer than 20 minutes in duration. There is no minimum length; choose a length that works best with your material. Choose 3 of the topic groups below.


Topics and Required elements:

1. Researching and choosing an idea for a paper and selecting a topic

  • Deciding what subject areas to look in for elements of your topic
  • Information seeking strategies, who to ask, where to look


2. Types of information sources to use

  • Primary and secondary research resources
  • Popular, scholarly and peer reviewed sources


3. Finding books, reports and government documents using library catalogs, bibliographies, and the internet

  • Do not try to explain in detail how to do a search in Griffin or indexes


4. Choosing an index

  • Framing a search query using Boolean operators
  • When to use online resources, when to use print resources
  • Focused searching strategies


5. Evaluating what your have found. What is good, what is not?

6. When to search the web, and the need to evaluate what you have found

7. Concept of intellectual property and academic integrity (plagiarism)

  • Citing your resources


8. Synthesizing the information you have collected to write your paper

Podcasts:

  • Required software:
    • Audacity and a program to create an MP3 file from your aud file. (This software can be downloaded free from the internet)
    • We have a room and computer with this software; you can book times to use it through Betty.

1. You are to provide an MP3 file of your podcast. This may be emailed to Betty at bettyg@wsu.edu

2. You are also to provide Betty with the audacity file and the audacity data file for each podcast. This is best done by bringing Betty a stick drive and allowing her to download them to her computer.

3. If your podcast is good enough for publication, it will be uploaded onto the library website, and you will receive an A. If it is almost good enough and only requires a little tweaking by me in order to upload to the library website, you will be given an A-. Other grades will be applied depending on the extent to which your podcast shows your grasp of research strategies.

Videocasts:

  • Use whatever software that you wish to use.
  • Turn them in as wmv files.
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