Connections 2

CNX 2 Library Research Workshops: Recommended Content (as appropriate)

• Discussing the assignment: do students understand what is expected of them?
   
• Discussing scholarly production/communication, organization and access:
  • research/scholarship is an ongoing conversation
    • students are joining an active conversation
    • students will further the conversation 
  • the publication process: from peer-review to publication
  • publication formats
    • monographs, edited volumes, journals, etc.
  • catalogs and indexes
  • discovering and accessing 
     
• Discussing the contextual nature of  “primary,” “secondary,” and “tertiary”
   
• Composing effective search statements:
  • Extracting the key ideas/concepts from a research topic
  • Employing search strategies, e.g. Boolean logic, truncation, etc.
     
• Selecting and searching the appropriate source(s):
  • the library catalog/Discover, an index/database, a full-text collection, a
    citation index, etc.
     
• Interpreting and analyzing search results:
  • It is not likely for there to be one single source that satisfies
    the research need
  • The most relevant source might not appear on the first page of results
  • Multiple formats of information will likely need to be consulted
     
• Accessing materials: not everything discovered is accessible immediately:
  • Use the “link” option from within indexes/databases to determine access
    • E-Z Borrow is available to obtain books
    • Interlibrary Loan is available to obtain articles, and books
      (or book chapters) not available via E-Z Borrow
       
• Evaluating print and digital content
   
• Using intellectual property ethically--discuss:
  • intellectual property and academic honesty
  • citing sources: why it matters and how to do it

Individual “Bibliography Reviews” of first/draft bibliographies

• Note: please confirm the availability of the
  course librarian before assigning
  bibliography reviews to an entire class.
   

Individual “Research Appointments” 

• Note: please confirm the availability of the
  course librarian if you are requiring
  all students to schedule an appointment.
   

Embed a librarian in your course

• Allows for multiple librarian-student encounters
  throughout the semester as best suited to
  support student completion of research tasks.

Library Research Guide for Students