Introduction
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Research can be defined as both a noun and a verb. It means to methodically study materials and reach new conclusions. Research involves work, thinking and discretion,
and the ability to make and draw conclusions as well as understanding and interpreting information.
In order to have solid research skills, students need to learn and practice Information Literacy.
WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY?
The American Library Association defines Information Literacy set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information.
The beginning of the 21st century has been called the Information Age because of the explosion of information output and information sources. It has become increasingly clear that students cannot learn everything they need to know in their field of study in a few years of college. Information literacy equips students with the critical skills necessary to become independent lifelong learners.
WHY IS INFORMATION LITERACY IMPORTANT?
The skills developed through Information Literacy are recognized as critical to success in every subject discipline and curriculum by the American Library Association and by higher education accreditation bodies throughout the United States including in NCC’s region, NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges).
Choose a Topic
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Pick a topic about something you are interested in or know something about. Or try using newspapers, reference books or talk to the reference librarians.
Topics often need to be limited to manageable concepts from “broader terms” to “narrower terms.” Carefully consider the professors’ written assignment.
Examples of Broad Terms narrowed down to Narrow Terms:
| Broad Term |
Narrowed term |
| Marriage |
Arranged Marriage |
| Drugs |
Medical Marijuana |
| Eating Disorders |
Bulimia and Teenagers |
| Connecticut |
Norwalk |
| 20th Century |
1980’s |
Plan Your Search
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3.1 Prepare your search by identifying the concepts of your theses statement.
Because most computers use a string of words and don't understand when you type in a question such as "Why should people be worried about second hand smoking?"
In order to find what we need, we have to clarify our request to the computer by using specific search terms called keywords.
| Examples |
Explanation |
Should smoking be banned in all public areas? |
Many search engines or databases ignore some common words such as "the","a","an","when","should","can", etc...Those are called "Stop Words". They have no impact on the search. |
Day care can benefit children |
Words like "Benefits", "advantage", will often lead you to articles on someone's opinions and NOT the facts or evidence that prove the benefits of day care. |
3.2 Boolean Searching
Boolean search techniques may be used to perform accurate searches without producing too many irrelevant results or, on the contrary, to open up possibilities for more hits when needed.
When you perform a Boolean search, you search the computer database for the keywords that best describe your topic. The power of Boolean searching is based on combinations of keywords with connecting terms called operators. The three basic operators are the terms AND, OR, and NOT.
| Operators |
Examples |
The search will find... |
Venn Diagram |
| AND |
Internet AND Security |
The search of the database retrieves every record
containing both of the words Internet and security,
only the records from the intersecting, red shaded area will be retrieved. |
 |
| OR |
Weightlifting OR bodybuilding |
The OR search is particularly useful when there are several common synonyms for a concept or variant spellings of a word.
the computer searches for all documents containing weightlifting (left circle) and all documents containing bodybuilding (right circle). All documents represented by both circles will be retrieved. |
 |
| NOT |
Gambling NOT lottery |
The diagram illustrates the search by retrieving documents including the keyword gambling (left circle) and excluding documents with the term lottery (right circle). Retrieved documents are shown in the red shaded area. |
 |
 For more information, see the Boolean chart
Get contol of your time, use an Assignment Calculator. implemented by University of Minnesota.
Quiz about Doing Searches
Locate Your Sources
[ Printable version]
Books
- Use NCC's Library online catalog to find books, DVDs, videos, and more...
Use our tutorial on how to use our online catalog.
- What happens if the item you want is not in NCC Library?
You can use reQuest, an all Connecticut Libraries database to find your books
or if you are a NCC student, staff or faculty, you may fill a request for an interlibrary loan.
If you are not sure on how to read Library of Congress Classification, call numbers that provide a unique location in our collection, here is a very useful video from University of Arkansas. If you still have question, feel free to ask NCC Reference Librarians at the Information Desk, via phone (203) 857-7379 or via meebo on the Library’s website.
Articles
-
Articles can found in periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals, etc...) and can be searched in Databases.
Although those articles come to you electronically, THEY ARE NOT FROM THE INTERNET.
- You may start with a general database, or select a subject-specific one, for example CINAHL for nursing or Westlaw for law.
Go to: Database Tutorials on the library's home page, it will give you hints on how to search different databases.
- If your professor asked you to use "academic" or "scholarly" journals, that means articles in journals that have been published by a scholarly society and/or reviewed before publication by an editorial board of scholars.
For reviewed articles, check the box "refereed" or "peer reviewed"
You may start with a general database, or select a subject-specific one, for example CINAHL for nursing or Westlaw for law.
Go to: Database Tutorials on the Library’s home page, it will give you hints on how to search different databases.
- Go to myCommNet if you want to access Databases when you are not on NCC's campus.
Quiz your knowledge on how to find books
Go to our tutorial for more information about finding journal articles
Quiz about databases
Internet
- Start with NCC Library's Internet Resources pages.
- When searching for other sites, keep in mind that not all websites are trustworthy, evaluate each site for accuracy and currency.
- Consult the next chapter on how to evaluate your Internet resources
Evaluate Your Sources
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The five criteria for evaluating web pages are:
Accuracy: Is the information correct?
- What is the purpose of the site and why was it produced?
Authority: What gives the author(s) of this site authority or validation?
- Who is the author?
- What are his/her credentials?
- Does he/she have sufficient authorithy to speak on the subject?
- Is there any way to reach him/her?
- Is there an organizational or corporate sponsor?
- Is this page authentic, or is it a hoax?
- Is there a reference list?
Objectivity : Is the information on the website neutral?
- Does the content reflect a bias?
- What goals or objectives does this page meet?
- Is the bias explicit or hidden?
- Does the identity of the author or sponsor suggest a bias?
- How does the bias impact the usefulness of the information?
Currency : Is the information current and is it relevant?
- Is the information on the page up-to-date?
- Can you tell the page was last updated?
- Are there dead links?
Coverage : Does the site throroughly cover and explain the material?
- Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement the document's theme?
- Is there a balance between test and images?
- Is the information presented cited correctly?
When in doubt, type in your URL in http://www.alexa.com, it will reaffirm the content of your site. Here is an example on how it works.
Quiz on websites evaluation
How to Avoid Plagiarism
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What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of taking credit for or turning in work that is not your own. In an academic setting, it means:
- NOT Citing Sources, and/or
- NOT showing the reader where the ideas originated.
Other examples of plagiarism include:
- Copying, quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing from any source without adequate documentation.
- Purchasing a pre-written paper.
- Letting someone else write a paper for you.
- Paying someone else to write a paper for you.
- Submitting as your own someone else's unpublished work, either with or without permission.
What needs to be cited?
- Quotation : copying a passage exactly as it is.
- Paraphrase : translating the source into your own words.
- Summary : condensing a writer's complete argument and stating it in your own words.
Take the quiz to test your knowledge
Cite Your Sources
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Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you are required to cite the source, either by the way of parenthetical (in text) citation or by means of a footnote.
It is also necessary for students to complete a works cited page or a bibliography at the end of the paper. There are two common forms of this: MLA style and APA style. There are several other subject speficic citation manuals such as AMA.
What is MLA?
The MLA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the Modern Language Association for acknowledgeing sources used in research papers. (MLA handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed., New York, Modern Language Association, 2009).
The MLA style is commonly used by writers of papers in the subjects of Liberal Arts, English, Languages, Art, History and Philosophy.
In the MLA style, parenthetical references are placed in the text of the papers in order to briefly sources in the WOrks Cited list at the end of the paper. These parenthetical references should be kept as brief and as clear as possible.
For details see MLA Handout created by NCC's librarians
or, consult the MLA Questions and Answers Page
What is APA Style?
"The Publication manual of the American Psychological Association" (5th ed., 2001) is the standard writing guide for psychology and other disciplines in the social sciences.
See details in APA handbouts created by NCC's Librarians or consult the APA Frequently Asked Questions page
What is AMA Style?
AMA is a style recommended by the American Medical Association (AMA), and is often used for scholarly writing about medicine, physical therapy or health related subjects.
See details in AMA handbouts created by NCC's Librarians or consult the AMA Frequently Asked Questions page
Quiz on citing sources
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