Library Research Orientation
Research from Home or Office Computers
College of Education Students

Starting Research

Define Terms

Select Tools

Starting Research

Defining Your Terms and Finding Keywords.

First, make sure you understand your key research terms. For example, if you are not sure what dry goods means or includes, look it up in online or print dictionaries: http://www.onelook.com

Be prepared to find and use alternate, narrower or broader keywords as you do your research. For example:
- classroom management or discipline
- phonics or reading (broader term)
- conduct or behavior (alternate terms)

Starting Research

Select Your Research Tools

Look for reliability, thoroughness in research resources. Using web sites alone may give incorrect or slanted information. Often, print based publications have specifically been developed for marketing research and do not have an online equivalent. Many print based resources are available in an online source through SPC Library Online. Consider these qualities for research tools:

Resource	Reliability for Research
Books	Excellent to Fair: occasionally poor Editorial process offers better authority Footnotes/ Works Cited offer better scholarship/reliability Published studies generally scientifically conducted Content rich -- lots of information and facts Not always current
Journal Articles	Excellent to Fair: occasionally poor Current research More scholarly journals & professional publications offer: Editorial process for better authority Footnotes/ Works Cited for scholarship/reliability Published studies are scientifically conducted Content rich -- lots of information and facts
Web Sites	Excellent to Poor -- Varies drastically Problems Content varies - some content poor (very little information) Authority varies drastically - some web sites are personal and have incorrect or misleading information; others (.gov, .edu) can provide excellent information Point of views not always balanced. Some personal, business & organizational sites are biased or inaccurate Benefits: There are many excellent government and industry sites that do provide highly reliable information

Starting Research

Books (Online and Library)

Library. SPC Library Research Collection – Industry Background. The following reference books provide invaluable information and are available at SPC Library:

SPC Catalog

Note: you can have books from other SPC libraries interlibrary loaned to you at your home campus.

Online Books (although there are not be the same titles as physically owned by the library, there are some business online books available:

Go to SPC Library (http://www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline/)
On top sidebar, click on Ebooks
Enter name: spc and password: ____ (call library)
Link to netLibrary E-books Collection
Search keyword
Select from displayed titles
For quick reading, copying or printing, select "Browse Category from right sidebar. (see Netlibrary Tutorial)

Starting Research

Tutorials on How to Use Databases:

E*Subscribe

Academic Search

Journal Articles from Databases

Library Online Article Databases.

journals, magazines and newspapers using online library databases.

Hundreds of thousands of full text articles from thousands of journal titles.
Easy to Search
Publications are selected for content and offer a wide scope of opinion and current information.
Passwords to access databases are available from libraries.

FIRST STEPS

Go to SPC Library Online at: http://www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline
On top sidebar (TOP LINKS) click on Academic Search Complete (or click here)
Enter name: spc and password: ___ (call library for passwords)
Select one of the databases: Academic Search Complete, Professional Collection or E*subscribe follow directions:

Academic Search Complete

Click on Link to all EBSCO databases
Check box for [x] Academic Search Complete; click Continue
Type in keywords – Make sure to check box [x] for Full-text
- Search examples – you can use these keywords combinations :
  - educational software and evaluation
  - reading and software and effects

Professional Collection (Education)

Click on Professional Collection
- Type in keywords
  - reading software and effects or
  - educational software and evaluation
- Under Limit the Current Search, use check box [x] for articles with full text
- Click Search
If you see one article, read or view bottom screen for alternate readings (suggestion: Educational Software - Evaluation)
If you see a listing of article topics, click on View or View Subheadings

E*Subscribe

Click on E*Subscribe
From top green bar, pull down Search Menu and select
Easy Search
Type in keywords
- reading software and effects
At Electronic Only menu, Pull Down Yes option
Click Search
View articles; for full text

Free Internet Article Databases. Many government and business web sites offer internal databases with articles and other publications. Among them:

Findarticles.com - http://www.findarticles.com is a free periodical database which includes numerous reliable business publications in full text of articles:

Go to http://www.findarticles.com

Search for:
- +reading +software
- +”educational software” +evaluation
Note: you must use +in front of important keywords for a good search

Note: for better search, use Search pull down menu (at left)

St. Petersburg Times (Local and international news).

Starting Research

E-Periodicals - Individual Publication & News Web Sites. Less comprehensive than databases, you can search individual publications or news site.

Electronic journals, magazines, and newspapers on the Internet provide access to current information on various subjects. Normally researchers need to access an indexed database for information on a particular subject. (See Databases above.) However, researchers can browse through individual titles to locate subjects. See SPC Library Online's E Journals or Newspapers and News Sources for full listing.

Magazines & Journals:
A variety of sources ranging from general news publications to specialized professional journals.
- Library of Congress Periodicals
- ENews.com
Newspaper Sites:
Recent newspaper issues include current events, government, business, and social issues.
- Newspaper Association of America
- Newspaper Archives on the Web
Searchable Online Publications:
Some publications allow easier subject based searching of current and back issues.
- Christian Science Monitor
- The Scientist
- Scholarly Journals on the Web

Starting Research

Internet Web Sites

The Internet

A wide range of information is represented on the Internet. Many government, educational and organizational sites offer good information. However, there are also a disproportionate number of commercial and personal web sites which are self-published and do not offer a means of judging reliability of content.

Search Tools allow researchers to access web sites through keyword and subject searches. Use the "Search" button at the top of your web browser screen for a variety of search tools. For access to other search engines, go to the SPC Library Online's

Search Engines

No one search engine indexes all information available through the Internet. For example, Google does not search for very large files. Use more than one engine in your search.

Single Search Engines

MetaSearch Engines (don't always display return results from some engines. For good search, use individual search engines)

Search Engine Tools:

Starting Research

Research Guides

Informational guides on specific subject areas are published by the library. Guides include information on online research databases, library resources and links to relevant web sites. Try SPC Library Online's guides:

Starting Research

Web Site Evaluation Criteria

The variety of information on the Internet and the lack of monitoring of this information make it difficult to evaluate Internet sources for research. Any individual or organization can put up web site information, which may or may not be correct. It is up to a researcher to judge the reliability of web site information. Several criteria need to be examined to help ascertain this:

Authority and Reliability:
Look for information about organizations or individuals sponsoring the web site and their purpose. This information is usually listed (or linked) somewhere on the front-page. Also, look for information about authors of individual articles or reports and see if the articles were published elsewhere. It is optimum if authors are considered experts in their subjects or the articles come from (or are also published) in respected sources. Web site contact information should also be provided on the site. It is also helpful to know if the web site is recommended by trustworthy sources (listed on other reliable sites, recommended by instructors, etc.).

For further information, look at the URL of the web site address. The domain (last part of URL) indicates what type of sponsor the web site has and may help indicate authority:

Domain	Type	Example
.com	Commercial/business Personal	http://www.nike.com http://www.geocities.com
.gov	Government	http://www.fedworld.gov
.edu	Education	http://www.spcollege.edu
org	Organization	http://www.madd.org
.net	Network related (business, education or organization)	http://www.educationamerica.net/
.mil		http://www.navy.mil

Government, education and some professional or organization sponsored sites are generally considered reliable.

Currency:
Web sites must be updated regularly to reflect currency and accuracy. To find the latest update, check at bottom of the front page. Also look for dates on individual articles you are using for research.

Scope of Coverage:
An informational web site should have thorough and in-depth articles and information. Additional web links should be relevant to the subject.

Objectivity:
Web site sponsors and purpose should be clearly identified. If an organization’s purpose is advocacy of specific issues (pro animal rights, against death penalty, etc) this may affect the information presented. The web site should present all points of view on an issue. It should not take sides or show bias on issues. The tone and presentation of the site should be professional.
As more informational resources become available on the web, it will become increasingly important to be knowledgeable about the reliability of web site resources. Becoming familiar with the accepted Internet web sites and resources in one’s professional field will become essential.

Other Sites for Evaluating Web Sites for Reliability

Finding out about web sites (who they are, etc.)

Faganfinder.com/ (Includes Easywhois, Wayback Machine, and other tools)
Alltheweb Site Investigator

Starting Research
Define Terms

Select Tools

Books/Ebooks

Research Articles

E-Journals

Web Sites/Engines

Research Guides

Web Site Evaluation

Citing | Examples
Citing Resources.
There is a standardized method of referring to research resources in your papers or presentations.

APA

APA Examples

MLA (For Cyberlaw course only)