Information Literacy: How to Access, Evaluate, and Use Information Effectively & Efficiently Maura Keating, Reference Librarian, Bryant University Phone: Spring

Learning Goals After this class, you should know: How to use the HELIN library catalog to locate books, journals, & DVDs The differences between library databases and the Internet & when to use each How to search efficiently using Google and Google Scholar How to evaluate information retrieved from the Internet The difference between a trade journal, newspaper, news journal, & academic journal Where to find library databases and the different types of databases by subject How a database index is arranged and effective search strategies How to search for an article and view or export the article citation in MLA or APA style format What tools are available to you for managing citations and creating bibliographies

Exercises During this class, you will be asked to: ●Locate a book held by another HELIN library and request the book using a HELIN request. ●Sign up Bryant as your library preference in Google Scholar and locate an article or book on the topic of gun control written by Bryant Professor, Gregg Carter. ●Use the Journals List to find out which database (s) carries the full text of particular publication. ●Locate an article using Proquest Business Databases and view the article citation in APA format. ●Locate a listing of articles on a particular topic in Academic Search Premier and export the article citations.

Google Myth: Google is always bad to go to for information used in class papers and projects. Truth: Google can be a very useful tool for locating CERTAIN types of information. Google is very effective for locating the following: Stock prices Current news Company PR department Government data Cartoon by Victoria Roberts, Published in The New Yorker, February 19,

The Internet vs. Library Databases Some Differences The Internet Randomly organized No standardized review process by editors, publishers, and librarians Unsophisticated search and export features Credible information often requires $$ Library Databases Well-organized information Information reviewed by editors and publishers and selected by librarians Sophisticated search and export features Information subscribed to by the library and made available as part of tuition payments to the university

Evaluating Internet Information Look for…Evidence…Ask… Domain name.gov  government site.edu  educational site.org  organizational site.com  a company site personal name following a ~ or %  individual’s site Is this an appropriate site to search for the type of information you need? About UsRead the “about us” or “about” or “who we are” tab Does the group or organization provide their mission statement? Why does the site exist? Author Credentials Look for the author of the information. Does he/she have credentials posted? Does the author possess credentials that give him/her authority to speak on the topic?

Evaluating Internet Information Look for…Evidence…Ask… Site SponsorLook for the sponsor of the site.Does the sponsor have a bias? Are they open about their bias? Does the site use inflammatory or discriminatory language Facts and Additional References In text Citations and/or Bibliography Are facts and additional references on the topic provided by the author? TimelinessWhen was the site last updated? When was the document you are using written and/or updated? Does the information expire? Is your topic current (changing all of the time) or historical? Even outlooks on historical events can change!

Searching Google Effectively Use the Advanced Search feature!

Searching Google Effectively Holds together search phrases.gov = government sites.edu = educational sites

What’s Google Scholar?? scholar.google.com Google ScholarGoogle Scholar is Google’s response to a demand for an easily searchable repository of scholarly materials. Content is from: ● Academic publishers ● Professional societies ● Preprint repositories ● Universities & other scholarly organizations Content includes: ● Peer-reviewed papers ● Theses ● Books ● Abstracts and articles

Google Scholar Click the “Scholar Preferences” link Link Google Scholar content to resources available at Bryant University:

Type in Bryant University and click “Find Library” Google Scholar

Exercise: Finding a scholarly book or article on gun control You have a paper to do for sociology, and you have selected to research and report on gun control. You know Gregg Carter, a sociology professor at Bryant, has written extensively on this topic…. ● Using the advanced search features of Google Scholar, find a book or article written by Professor Carter that will be useful for writing your paper. ● Is the book available in Bryant University’s library?

The HELIN Library Catalog Click here to search for journals, DVDs, and videos Click here to search by author, title, etc.

The HELIN Library Catalog Use the HELIN library catalog to locate:HELIN library catalog Books Government documents Journals DVDs & Videos Bryant is part of the HELIN consortium. As a Bryant student with a working library barcode, you can: Request books from other HELIN libraries, including Brown University (InRhode) It will take approximately 3 days for the books to arrive You will be notified by when the books are ready for pickup Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to find more resources related to your topic.

Exercise: the HELIN Encore Library Catalog Search for the book The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce: ● What HELIN library holds the 2004 edition of this book in their collection? ● What LC Subject link would I use if I want to locate more books providing criticism on works by Joyce? Go through the process of requesting the book; however, please do not make the final submission!

Publication Examples Trade Journal: Use when researching an industry Peer-reviewed academic journal: Use to locate scholarly research Newspaper: Use to locate daily news News Journal: Use to locate news occurring within a particular subject area

Different Publications – Different Purposes Trade Journals Cover particular industries and include industry news, ratings and rankings, interviews of industry leaders, etc. Trade journals are a good source to use when conducting a company/industry analysis or looking for an industry forecast. Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Journals Publish articles written by scholars and reviewed by a jury of peers. These articles include, but are not limited to, original research with data. Peer- reviewed scholarly journals are a good source to use when writing a research paper in the humanities, business, or the social sciences. Newspapers Report on the news of the day and also include commentary and editorials. Newspapers are a good source to use when looking for current political or economic news or when following the news on a particular company. News Journals Published monthly or weekly, report on the news for a particular subject area. For example, Forbes and Fortune report on business news; the Economist reports on world events and economics. News Journals are a good source to use when writing a report on science, political science, economics, or business; any paper where you need to be updated on recent events.

Information in the Library Databases To Find…Look in: Articles from Scholarly Journals Proquest databases, EBSCO databases, and subject-based databases Articles from Trade journals, news journals, and newspapers EBSCO, Proquest, and Lexis/Nexis databases Articles focused on particular subject areas (e.g., literature, psychology) Subject specific databases: Gale Literature Resource Center, PsycInfo & PsycArticles, EBSCO Communication & Mass Media Complete, EconLit, etc. Country Information ITDN, EIU Country Commerce, Internet Securities Emerging Markets Company Data Hoovers Academic, Mergent Online, and Mergent Horizon Overviews of Contemporary Topics CQ Researcher and Opposing Viewpoints

Selected Library Databases by Content Type Articles on General Topics Academic Search Premier Proquest Research Library News Articles on Companies Proquest EBSCO Business Source Complete Lexis/Nexis Articles on Literary Works Gale Literature Resource Center MLA International Bibliography Articles on Psychology PscyInfo PsycArticles Company Data Mergent Online Mergent Horizon Hoovers Academic Industry Information IBISWorld S&P NetAdvantage Hoovers Academic Plunkett Research Online Articles on Communication Communication & Mass Media Complete Proquest Psychology Module Articles on “Hot” Topics CQ Researcher Opposing Viewpoints Country Information & Data CountryWatch (in Ebsco) EIU Country Commerce ITDN ISI Emerging Markets Mergent Country Reports

Locate Library Databases by Subject

Exercise: Advanced Search in Proquest Use an “Advanced Search” in the Proquest Business Databases to locate a recent article: ● The article appeared in the Wall Street Journal. ● The article discusses Hasbro’s attempts to save its rights to the game Scrabble. ● What is that name of the popular game played on Facebook that Hasbro claims infringes on the company’s copyright and trademarks? ● How would you cite an article that you found in your search?

Exercise: Advanced Search in PsycInfo Use an Advanced Search in PsycInfo database to locate articles: ● Search for the subject obsessive compulsive disorder ● Limit your search to find only full text articles ● Mark the first 3 articles and then click on the Folder View and print or the article citations.

The Journals List Use the Journals list link to locate the full text of a particular journal or newspaper:Journals list

Exercise: Locate a Full Text Article What database(s) carry the full text of the Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition? What database (s) carry the full text of College Literature? What dates are available as full text?

Database Indexes Library databases contain thousands of full text articles students can retrieve using any of the following search limits: author, title, keyword, subject, company name, etc. Each article retrieved has a corresponding “record” for it in the database. If you look closely at some of these records, you will see descriptors (word tabs that describe the article), listed at the top and side of the screen. You can use the Advanced Search feature in a particular database to make your searches more exact by using these descriptors. Use the Basic Search features to run searches where there is limited information on your topic. Use the Advanced Search features where there is a wealth of information on your topic and you want to narrow your search to find exactly what you need.

Basic Search Protocols Use…To…Example… ANDLimit results to documents that include both terms women AND men ORExpand results to find documents with either or both terms women OR men (AND) NOT Exclude a term women NOT men

Basic Search Protocols Use…To…Example… Truncation * or ! (Lexis Nexis) Include variant endings human*  humans or humanize, etc. Wildcards ? Find alternative spellings wom?n  woman or women

Use a Subject Search The subject term describes the content of an article… Searching by subject in a database enables you to: ●Locate information on a particular subject ●Provides an authoritative list of subject terms created by indexers ●Locate articles containing synonymous terms for the same concept WORLD War, World War 2 World War II Second World War Great Patriotic War

Manage Citations & Build a Works Cited Page ●Citation Machine Quickly formats individual citations (not recommended for articles from library databases) ●The References tab in Microsoft Word Stores citations, inserts in-text citations, and automatically creates a bibliography ●APA & MLA Guides from OWL at Purdue University Guides to help you construct your own citations ●EndNote (Available through the Articles & Databases page)EndNote Export citations from library databases to this bibliographic manager, stores citations, creates in-text citations and bibliographies

Librarians Have Answers!