1. Jmorgan 1/23/09

3. Just to begin...  There will be so many more resources available to you, you will need to learn how to navigate your way through them  Your sources will need to be more scholarly  Your knowledge of documentation and academic integrity will be assumed. This means no second chances because “I didn’t know”

4. A Library’s Card Catalogue  Provides a list of materials owned by the specific library being accessed.  These materials can be accessed through an electronic card catalogue.  Access is usually available to anyone, but an ID is required to check them out. The materials are onsite.

5. Once you look up a book, the next step is using its call number to find it. Call numbers are found on the spine of the book and they act like addresses that help you to locate the book in the library. You are probably most familiar with the Dewey Decimal System of call numbers, but not all libraries use that system; many use the Library of Congress system How do they differ?

6. Dewey Decimal System  Used by most high schools (including SMR), public libraries, and small colleges.  Books are arranged numerically by subject 001-199 – General works and comp. science 200-299 – Religion and philosophy 300-399 – Social science And so on through 999.

7. Library of Congress System  Books are grouped with similar topics, and the letters of the alphabet are used instead of numbers.  For example: A General works B Philosophy-Psychology-Religion C History (Civilization) And so on through the letter Z.

8.  Besides print sources, you will also have access to online databases.  Regardless of the size of the college or university you attend, you will most likely have access to many more databases than you did in high school.  For example, the University of Maryland subscribes to over 300 databases

9. Subscription databases provide abstracts and full text articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and Internet sites. These sources are usually restricted to community members of the institution that has purchased them. Passwords are needed.

10.  They often contain scholarly and popular sources, so it is still important to evaluate the source.  They usually provide an abstract or summary of the article  SIRS is an example of an online database subscribed to by St. Mary’s Ryken.

11.  General/Multidisciplinary Databases – You should begin your research in a general database in order to focus your research and gather background information Examples are Sirs, EBSCO, Academic Search Premier  Subject-specific Databases – These databases contain articles that are generally more scholarly and are more specific in scope

12. Most college and university libraries will have a Research Portal on their website through which you can access all their available database.

13. When looking for information, try to use a variety of the different types of resources available:

14. Primary Sources  these are original sources that have not been filtered through anyone’s opinion or evaluation.  Examples include diaries, newspaper articles written at the time, speeches and survey research

15. Secondary Sources  These are articles written after the event with interpretations and analyses.  Examples are criticisms, journal articles, textbooks, and biographies.

16. Tertiary Sources  Information that is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.  Examples are almanacs, bibliographies, guidebooks, and indexes

17. The second step in becoming information literate is knowing how to evaluate your sources to make sure they fit your needs. You have already been taught to evaluate a source by asking these questions:  Is it current? How important is currency? For example a paper on Shakespeare’s historical accuracy would not require the most recent research; whereas, a paper on battle techniques in Afghanistan would  Is it unbiased? Who is the author? Is there a personal agenda?  Is it accurate? What are the credentials of the author or organization?

18. In college, however, you will be expected to go a step further. Not only will you be expected to answer those questions, but you will be expected to determine a source’s scholarship. Most college level papers require more scholarly resources than those done in high school.

19. There are various levels of scholarship found between scholarly journals, trade publications and popular magazines.

20.  Popular magazines contain general interest articles which are written for the general public.  Author credentials are not usually included  Appearance – often glitzy with many color pictures and advertisements  Examples: Newsweek, People, Discover

21.  Commercial periodicals are targeted to the interests of particular industries.  Contain product reviews, trends, new regulations, etc.  Appearance is more subdued. Includes photographs and industry specific advertisements  Examples: American Libraries, American Nurse, Landscape Literature

22.  Articles based on original research by experts in the field  Written for other professionals  Includes author credentials  Appearance is generally bland, with few advertisements.  Examples: Modern Theology, Social Psychology Quarterly, Journal of American History

23. Colleges and universities have a wealth of information at your finger tips. The problem won’t be finding material for your papers, it will be choosing which to use. Each type of resource has its uses in research. The important thing is to choose the type that best fits your needs.

24.  If you’re looking for a broad overview of your topic, use general databases, magazines, books, encyclopedias, etc.  If you’re looking for current information, look at newspapers, almanacs, web sites, trade magazines and journals.  For scholarly information, use only scholarly journal articles as defined earlier or current books on the topic.

25. The final component to information literacy is documentation. This is not a new concept for you; however, professors in colleges and universities do not want to teach this skill. They want you to know it. Penalties for plagiarizing vary among higher learning institutions, as they do among high schools; but you should be aware that in some universities, expulsion is an option, even for first offenses.

26. Plagiarism is the act of treating work done by others as though it were your own

27.  Is this information common knowledge?  Did this information come from a source outside of myself?  Did this information come from my own experiences?

28. If the information, idea or statement is not common knowledge, and if it came from an outside source, it must be documented. There are several documentation styles that you can use.

29.  MLA Style is used most often by literature and languages, and is the one used at SMR.  The sciences often use CBE Style;  the social sciences tend to use APA ; and  the humanities often use Chicago style

30.  Even though, most styles require the same information, the information will be displayed in a different format, depending on which style is required.  Different disciplines favor different styles, so it will be important for you to determine the style requested by your instructor.

31. You already know how to write papers; just remember to:  Utilize all the resources available to you  Evaluate them, not only in regards to currency, accuracy and reliability, but also as to the level of scholarship  Document all research conscientiously and accurately. Ignorance will no longer be an excuse.

32. Good Luck and Happy Researching!

33.  “Information Literacy Programs”, Jan.10,2008, http://www.lib.umd.edu/ Feb. 13, 2008. “Information Literacy Programs”, Jan.10,2008, http://www.lib.umd.edu/  “Research Help”, www.smcm.edu/library/ Feb. 13, 2008. www.smcm.edu/library/  Michael Lorenzen, “Understanding Information Literacy” http://www.libraryinstruction.com/infolit.html Feb. 13, 2008. http://www.libraryinstruction.com/infolit.html  Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin’s Handbook. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.