Find the Information You Need
To write a paper or create a presentation, you need to track down information. Where should you start? Try the library. Although the Internet may make libraries seem outdated, they’re hugely valuable: Not only do they contain countless resources, including many electronic ones, but they also have staff who can answer questions and help you find what you need. If you haven’t gone to the campus library yet, add a visit to your to-do list this term.
ACTIVITY: Many college libraries provide tours both in person and virtually. As a homework assignment, ask students to take one of these tours and write a one-page paper about what they’ve learned, including how they can use the library this term. As an alternative, tour the library together as a class.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to be in the library to take advantage of its resources. Whether you’re sitting in the library itself, at your desk, or at your kitchen table, you can access the library’s Web site. From there, you can explore a wealth of physical and electronic resources you’ll need to write papers and complete assignments, including the following:
ACTIVITY: Divide the class into groups and assign a specific topic to each group. Have each student locate a journal article related to the group’s assigned topic. When the class meets next, select two students from each group at random and have each of them share a one-minute synopsis of their respective articles.
Cite: To give another author credit when you include his or her ideas in your paper or project.
Books. Books provide more depth and detail than many other information sources. Prominent book authors are usually experts in their subject matter, and they add credibility to your writing when you acknowledge, or cite, their ideas in a paper. Use the library Web site’s search tool to look for books by topic, title, or author. If the library doesn’t have a book you need, check whether an electronic version is available or whether you can borrow the book from another library.
Journal articles. Instructors and other experts often publish research findings, theories, and literature reviews in professional journals. Journal articles are typically peer-reviewed, meaning that other experts review, comment on, and approve the articles before they’re published. Peer review is part of the scientific process, and it helps to ensure that the journal’s information is useful and trustworthy. Journals are a good source for facts and other information you need. However, you might find it more difficult to read articles than books because articles are generally written for other professionals in the field.
Newspapers and magazines. Information in newspapers and magazines is often timely because these periodicals are published more frequently than books or journals. Look to newspapers and magazines for descriptions of recent events or in-depth reporting. These articles have less technical detail than what you’ll find in journal articles, but they’re easier to read.
Encyclopedias, archives, and historical documents. Encyclopedias provide broad overviews of many topics and are a good starting place for gathering basic information. Archives and historical documents can also be valuable sources of information. For instance, to write her paper on dictatorships, Destiny might have quoted from or described part of the Declaration of Independence.
Databases. Using databases on your library’s Web site, you can find collections of journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, videos, government reports, and images on specific topics. If Destiny had started with databases rather than with Google, she could have found articles about dictatorships from highly respected sources such as the Journal of International Affairs and the Economist. Many libraries organize their databases by field, so you can search by specific topics of interest.
Course reserves. Some instructors create a set of physical or electronic readings for a course that students can access through the library’s Web site. When your instructor puts extra time into making these materials available, you know that he or she considers the information important, so be sure to take advantage of them.
CONNECT
TO MY CAREER
To learn more about a career that interests you, find and read one article in a peer-reviewed journal or professional magazine related to this career. (For example, a geology major might read the Journal of Geophysical Research.) What was most intriguing about the article you chose?
