QUIZ 1: Are you an expert at searching with Google?
Complete this short quiz to find out: https://tinyurl.com/introresearch
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OVERVIEW: Here's what else we will cover during Session 1:
- What is a URL?
- What are the pros and cons of using Google (or any other free search engine) for doing research? Does it work well for finding out stuff for your personal life? Does it work well for when researching for schoolwork?
- How does Google work? Introduction to keyword choice and search basics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs – This short video produced by Google clearly and simply visualizes what happens when you do a search on Google. An important point is made at the start: Google only searches what is in its index – so there will be some sorts of content that is not included (although they sure are working on it). For more info: http://lifehacker.com/5739284/the-best-ways-to-tweak-your-search-when-google-doesnt-give-you-what-you-want
- Google Scholar, Google Books, Google Images, Google Maps....what are all these things?
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IN-CLASS CHALLENGE: Can you find this out?
Here is the challenge: Someone you meet at a party has told you about a great new band called "The Internet" that is associated with another more famous musical group. You don't get a chance to ask her for more information and later on you would like find out more about "The Internet." Can you find out what the name of this more famous band/musical collective is called?
Just googling the name of the band is not going to work well here, so think about what other words you can add and what search tips that you just learned about you can apply.
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OVERVIEW: Session 2 - We will also talk about:
- What to watch out for; more on credibility; importance of verifying info, e.g. iPad scams
- Review of the Library Basics handout
- Sample searches to highlight examples of different kinds of “bad” results (i.e. paper mills, content farms, etc.)
- Sample searches to highlight examples of different kinds of “good” results (i.e. journal articles and how they are not full-text usually, etc.)
- The economics of the Web (ads, copyright)
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QUIZ 2/Challenge: Test your search skills! Good Results vs. Bad Results
http://tinyurl.com/librarychallenge2
We'll spend a little time working through this search exercise here to answer the questions on this quiz. This will help you learn more about how to find trustworthy information online. It really is harder than it first seems!
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POST-CLASS POSTING: Post your answer to this in the forum below:
On the "Library Basics" handout (PDF attached below), there is a brief description of some low-quality information sources that you find online - "content farms" and Q&A sites. Look over the handout again. Have you ever come across any sites like these when searching for information online? Can you share an example of an article that is providing incorrect, untrue or misleading information?
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Session 3: Different types of information sources
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QUIZ 3/CHALLENGE: Take the short quiz here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDJCUW9pci1WdnZBZ18xSWM3MTVTbGc6MA#gid=0
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OVERVIEW - Session 3 - We will also talk about:
- What is the difference between scholarly and popular sources?
- What is the story with Wikipedia?
- Intro to reference sources; primary/secondary/tertiary sources
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POST-CLASS POSTING: Have you ever done any editing on Wikipedia? Can you share any examples of Wikipedia articles that you have edited or created? OR if you haven't give it a try now and say what your experience was like? Was it easy? Did you encounter any difficulties?
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Session 4: How to avoid plagiarism and cite your sources
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OVERVIEW - Session 4 - We will also talk about:
- Language: We'll review the glossary again. What is a “source”? author, publisher, publication, editor, article, blog etc.
- Citation & plagiarism; review of Library citation guides, sample papers
- EasyBib demonstration > we'll show you some examples of how to cite sources [example: a newspaper blog posting on vaccinations]
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IN-CLASS CHALLENGE: Can you cite this article?
Here is the challenge:
Example 1: You are working on a research paper on the safety of vaccinations for babies. Here is a site that you found that looks usable: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/vaccines-protect-the-youngest-babies/ Using the resources that you were just shown (or any other reliable citation guides you find online), can you properly cite this in MLA citation style?
Example 2: Find another article online about vaccination safety that looks usable. Try citing this in MLA style.
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Some Citation Tips [from http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/finalsugs.php]:
- Write down the citation of your sources. For each source you use, keep track of the bibliographic data--for a journal article, it's the author, article title, journal title, volume and page numbers. For a book, it's the author, title, publication place and date. For an Internet site, it's the author, the title of the web page (if any), the sponsoring organization, the web site address, the date it was last updated, and the date you last looked at it. One handy tip: once you've printed out the article or web site, or copied part of the book, write the complete citation (author, title, etc.) directly on your copy. That way you'll have it once you're ready to do your works cited page.
- Take careful notes. Distinguish sentences/passages you're quoting directly with *big* quotation marks, or by color- coding them with a highlighter. Be sure to note who you're quoting. And when paraphrasing, highlight or mark those passages to distinguish them from your own ideas--which you can mark by writing or typing the word "ME" next to them.
- Keep a research log.On a separate sheet of paper or in a separate document, note the different databases/catalogs/search engines you use when doing research, as well as the combination of terms you use for each source. This will come in handy when you're trying to remember what database you found that perfect article in, and will also come to your defense if you're ever unjustly accused of plagiarism.
- Don't toss your notes till the semester is over. You never know when you'll need to look back at something, or (worst case scenario) provide proof that you didn't plagiarize.
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QUIZ 4 /Post-class quiz: How much did you learn in these classes?