Librarian pre-selected a variety of scholarly and popular journal articles.

SCHOLARLY VS. POPULAR You need 3 scholarly articles for your paper. Can you find them in this packet? Refer to the handout and work in small groups to decide whether these articles are scholarly or popular and, if you can, list three scholarly articles. Citation: Why is this scholarly? Dev by P. Jackson

Scholarly Articles or Popular Magazine Articles? How can you tell the difference? Here are some clues to look for: Scholarly Journal Articles Popular Magazine Articles Usually a scholar or researcher with expertise in the subject area; Author's credentials and/or affiliation are given. Author Author's name may or may not be given; often a professional writer; may or may not have expertise in the subject area. Other scholars, researchers and students. Audience General public; the interested non- specialist. Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires prior knowledge (or a good specialized dictionary!). Language Vocabulary in general usage; understandable to most readers. Articles have clearly-defined, regular structure with an abstract, objective, methodology, the results, analysis, and conclusion. May include charts or graphs but rarely photographs or other illustrations Appearance / Organization Informal organization: eye-catching type and formatting. Usually includes illustrations and photographs. Always has a list of references or bibliography; sources of quotes and facts are cited and can be verified. References / Bibliography Rarely has a list of references; usually does not give complete information about sources of information. Articles are peer-reviewed before publication : A panel of researchers or an editor reviews each paper for accuracy, methodology, and importance. Peer-Review Articles are usually not evaluated by experts. Non Peer-reviewed sources must be carefully examined for relevance and accuracy. Dev by C. Hope and P. Jackson

DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY Write down your topic in a sentence or two (ex. I want to look at using PDA technology in the medical field.): What are the keywords for your topic (ex. PDA, Medical): What are some other ways to say your topic (synonyms) (ex. Personal Digital Assistant, handheld): Combine your search terms using boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT): ex. (PDA OR Personal Digital Assistant OR handheld) AND Medical Conduct Your Search in one of the databases. Find some citations for articles that relate to your topic. Look at the keywords used in the citations. Can you add any words to your search? Are there better words to use than the ones you used? Adapted 2003 from SJSU 1B, P. Jackson

Evaluating a Book Book Citation: Authority / Expertise Who’s the author, organization or sponsor behind it? What can you tell about their credentials? Tip: have they written other books on this subject? Content, Scope, Authenticity What is the date of publication? Is there a bibliography? How detailed or in-depth is it? Tip: how long is it? What are the subjects for this book? Availability Is this book available for check out? What is the Call Number and location? Overall, would you say this is a source that you would use in your academic research? Why or why not? Developed 2002 by C. Hope and P. Jackson.

Article or Web Page Citation: Authority / Expertise Who’s the author, organization or sponsor behind it? What can you tell about their credentials? What can you tell about their point of view or bias? Content, Scope, Authenticity What is the date of publication or when was the web page last updated? Is there a bibliography or sources cited page that tells what this information is based on? How detailed or in-depth is the article or web page? Type and Purpose of Page or Article Who is the intended audience? What type of language is used? (General, advanced, technical, specialized jargon, etc.) Why was this written? To inform, explain, persuade, sell, etc.? Do you see evidence of advertising? Does the author present a balanced viewpoint? Overall, would you say this is a source that you would use in your academic research? Why or why not? Developed 2002 by C. Hope and P. Jackson. Evaluating an Article or Website

Choose a country : Search the Library Catalog for a book on your country. Try a subject or word search. What is the title? Who is the author? Where is the book located? What is the call number? Is it available for check out? Name 2 of the subjects for this book: Find your country in the Country Watch database. What is the capital? What is the largest city? What is the official language? Are there other languages? What are some examples of cultural etiquette? Find an article in Expanded Academic Index on your country. Write down the citation. Title Author Journal Title Volume, Issue Date Pages Find your country at the U.S. State Department government database : Click on “Country Background Notes” What is your country's official name? What are the people called? Developed 2002 by P. Jackson.

A Step Further… Now that you have navigation skills down, let’s take your research a step further. Compare the information you found about your country in Country Watch with the information on the State Department’s website. Do you see any similarities? Differences? Is there additional information or information that appears to be missing from either sources? What can you learn from that? What do you think about it? Developed 2002 by P. Jackson. And S. Kendall