Academic Foundations USF Module 8

finding sources

1. selecting a topic - "choosing a manageable topic" - Choose a topic that you are interested in! The research process is more relevant if you care about your topic. - Narrow your topic to something manageable. If your topic is too broad, you will find too much information and not be able to focus your paper. You can limit a topic by focusing on a single event, a geographical area, a culture, a time frame, a discipline, one cause and effect, one viewpoints, or a population group. - Research and read more about your topic. Background reading can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. This process can also help you determine if there is material available on your topic. If your topic is too small or narrow, it might be hard to find information and sources. - Make a list of key words related to your topic. Brainstorm search terms that best describe your topic. Find broader and narrower terms, synonyms, key concepts and key words to widen your search capabilities. - Perform your search. - Browse and narrow your search results. - Define your topic as a focused research question. 2. Performing your search - "generating search terms" 1. define topic 2. brainstorm search terms 3. perform search 4. browse results-record new search items

research assistance

6 Ways to Get Help Fast! Come to the Library Service Desk in-person, call, email, chat, text, or schedule an appointment with a research librarian. We're happy to help with any stage of your research process! Find Your Librarian Whatever your topic or major is, there's a subject librarian who knows where to find the research information, datasets, and citation guides you need to be successful at USF. Who's your librarian? Find out and schedule a free one-on-one appointment at usf.edu/academic-services/ Library Research Assistants Get help finding research information from a fellow student by talking to a Library Research Assistant (LRA) at the main floor Service Desk. These fellow Bulls can help you to navigate the library webpage, locate physical items in the library, and get started searching our online databases, catalog, and Find It! @USF discovery tool. Whether you have a group projects, or need one-on-one assistance with a student who knows how to help, working with an LRA will boost your project from start to finish. Get the best information available, and help citing the sources you need, by scheduling a research appointment this semester. It's best to schedule your research help before you start your project, so that you get started with the best resources that the library has to offer. We recommend spending at least two hours of search and evaluation time for every short research paper, and four or more for projects that are more in-depth. An appointment with an LRA can help you find what you need fast and save time!

abstracts

An abstract is a short statement that describes the larger work. The abstract is a concise summary of a research paper or entire thesis. The abstract will tell you the purpose or problem, the central points and main themes, the methodology, and results. An article abstract is valuable because it can help you quickly decide if the article contains what you are looking for. If it is an article of value to your research, you can see if the full text of the article is available either in a database or in a print journal. If the library does not have the full-text of the article available but need this article, you can request it through interlibrary loan.

boolean operators

Boolean Operators are used to connect and define the relationship between your search terms. When searching electronic databases, you can use Boolean operators to either narrow or broaden your record sets. The three Boolean operators are AND, OR and NOT. Use AND to narrow your search: all of your search terms will present in the retrieved records. The results for this search will be a combination of these two search terms. Example: Online courses AND academic performance Use OR to broaden your search by connecting two or more synonyms. The database retrieves all the unique records containing one term, the other, or both. Example: online courses OR Web-based instruction OR distance education Use NOT to exclude term(s) from your search results. Example: higher education NOT community colleges

citing your sources

Citing a source means that you show, within the body of your text, that you took words, ideas, figures, images, etc. from another place. It's important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons: - To show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information - To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas - To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors - To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list Citations consist of standard elements, and contain all the information necessary to identify and track down publications, including: - author name(s) - titles of books, articles, and journals - date of publication - page numbers - volume and issue numbers (for articles)

offices and resources in the USF library

Digital Media Commons Location: 1st floor http://www.lib.usf.edu/dmc/ The USF Library Digital Media Commons (DMC) has a variety of equipment, instruction, creative space, and assistance to offer you as a student. This office offers workshops on software like the Adobe Creative Suite and presentation tools beyond PowerPoint. You can check out digital cameras for photo or video, sound recording equipment, tripods, among other items, and DMC staff can show you how to operate it. The innovative lab with computer stations loaded with Adobe, Apple, and other software products enables content creators to use studio equipment and software to work on class assignments or personal projects. IT Help Desk Location: 1st floor http://www.usf.edu/it/about-us/helpdesk.aspx The Information Technology Helpdesk offers help services accessible via phone, Internet, email, or in person. Having trouble logging on to the campus WiFi? They can help you troubleshoot this on your device in person at the desk. Running into an issue connecting to Canvas? They help with that too. The Help Desk provides support for MyUSF, student email accounts, connecting from home to the USF libraries, and work orders. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Academic Success Center Location: 2nd floor The Academic Success Center (ASC), a diverse peer-to-peer collective in collaboration with the USF community, provides learning services, fosters intellectual independence, and cultivates professional development in support of student engagement and successful academic persistence. Individual Study Skills tutoring is available from peer tutors on topics like memory strategies, test-taking, reading strategies, time management, and procrastination. The ASC includes the SMART Lab, the Writing Studio, and Tutoring. SMART Lab Location: 2nd floor http://www.lib.usf.edu/smart-lab/ The SMART Lab is a learning environment dedicated to supporting students in introductory math courses. If you are in a SMART Lab course, you may need to spend a certain number of hours per week working in the SMART Lab on homework and solving problems. They have tutors that roam the lab to work with students and there is a separate tutor table in the lab for students needing additional help. Writing Studio Location: 2nd floor http://www.lib.usf.edu/writing/ The Writing Studio at the University of South Florida encourages students to engage in writing as a process and recursive practice through brainstorming and inquiry of their work. You can visit the Writing Studio at any stage of the writing process to talk through your paper, just be sure to bring the assignment prompt and rubric if you have it. The function of the Writing Studio is not to simply help you proofread, but rather to help guide you through the writing process. The Writing Studio offers appointments, workshops, and other online writing resources. Tutoring at the Academic Success Center Location: 2nd floor http://www.lib.usf.edu/tutoring/ Tutoring is not just for when you are struggling or right before a big exam! Tutoring sessions are offered based on certain classes and student demand, so check out what classes offer tutoring and be sure to inquire in person. Tutor must be 2nd year students or higher and hold a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the subject areas in which they tutor. Some tutoring sessions require an appointment, which you can make by visiting the front desk. There is also tutoring available for upper level courses, test prep, and some online tutoring that can be used as well. Office of Undergraduate Research Location: 2nd floor http://www.lib.usf.edu/undergraduate-research/ Research isn't just for science majors; you can be conducting research in any area. Conducting research is a great way to apply what you are learning in your classes, develop a mentor/mentee relationship with a professor, discover new areas of interest and develop concrete skills. At USF, undergraduate research is broadly defined as a project that enables individual students or groups of students to pose or work from a defined research question, apply methods of inquiry to generate findings, and share the findings with others through presentation and publication. OUR offers workshops, research opportunities, funding, and opportunities to present your research. Health Professions Advising Office Location: 2nd floor http://www.cas.usf.edu/healthprofessions/ Health Professions Advising Office provides academic advising, counseling, educational workshops and co-curricular experiences to pre-health students interested in Medical School (M.D. and D.O), Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Dental School, Pharmacy School, Naturopathic Medicine, Chiropractic Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Optometry School, Podiatry School, Athletic Training Programs, and Audiology Programs.

Find it!

Find It! is the USF Libraries new search tool which brings together results containing books, articles and other library resources in one search. Find It! is a product developed by EBSCO, a vendor from which USF Libraries also purchase access to many other databases. Find It! was paid for with funds from Student Technology Fees. Find It! does not replace the library's catalog but is an additional search tool for students looking to access books and articles in one powerful search. Results from Find It! include links to article citations and full-text articles, plus all the materials in the USF Library catalog (ebooks, books, government documents, DVDs, etc.). Results from Find It! pull from many (but not all) of the library's article databases. Find It! results include links to articles from many databases that you may already be used to searching. These databases include: Academic Search Premier Elsevier Science Direct ERIC JSTOR PsycInfo Medline MLA Bibliography Project Muse Web of Science And many others! Find It! does not access all the library's databases and your results may be different from results you get when you search individual databases. Some of the databases not covered by Find It! include ABI/Inform, Criminal Justice Periodicals, and Art Bibliographies Modern to name a few. The databases not included in Find It! are still available through Databases by Subject or Databases by Title. Check with a reference librarian to verify if the database you use is covered by Find It!

learning the library: your center for success

Laptops You can check out a laptop for five hours for use in the library. The laptops are loaded with Microsoft Office Suite and various kinds of software to help you complete all of your class projects. Calculators The library has a collection of both Smart Lab calculators for 3 hour checkout as well as a variety of other types and variations for 24 hour checkout. Digital Media Equipment The Digital Media Commons on the first floor of the library has everything you need to complete multimedia projects. In addition to one-on-one training in Adobe software and other design and development tools, find out more about equipment available for checkout Computer Lab In addition to computers, the USF Library computer lab is equipped with scanners and printers. As a student, you can print a limited number black and white or color pages for free daily. You also can add additional money to your Bull Buck$ account to print even more. Study Rooms Small and large study rooms are available for groups of 2-5 students. To make a reservation, visit the library website and click "VIEW ALL AVAILABLE STUDY ROOMS" - For a specific room, click on a room number to see available times. - Minimum of 2 people required for a small room, 5 people for a large room. - If you cancel your reservation, you will not be charged a fee. - All study room users must be present during the entire reservation time. - After you have made your reservation online, the key is available at the Library Services Desk on the main floor of the Tampa Library - The key must be picked up by the person who made the reservation. Textbooks The Textbook Affordability Program and the library's course reserve project allows you to check out textbooks for free at the Library Services Desk. To study using a library course textbook on reserve, first check the availability of the book you're looking for. Next, come to the first floor of the library with your USF ID. Library textbooks are available for use in the library for 5 hours. How do I find my textbooks? It's easy! All you need to do is enter the title of your textbook in the search box on the Textbook Affordability Program (TAP) program website. The textbooks that are on reserve are usually for large, frequently taught courses- new books are added each semester. If the library doesn't currently have your textbook, check here for other places to rent or buy your course materials. The library catalog includes information about how many copies are available, and real-time tracking of when a book you want to use will be returned if the textbook you need is checked out by another student.

evaluating and using sources

Once you have search results from FindIt!, you can narrow your results with the Advanced Search or with the Refine Results on the left hand bar of the search results page. If you need to find academic or scholarly articles, you can use the Advanced Search or with the Refine Results tools to filter your search results to find peer-reviewed articles. Essentially, peer review is an academic term for quality control. Each article published in a peer-reviewed journal was closely examined by a panel of reviewers who are experts on the article's topi Papers published in peer-reviewed academic journals are expert-approved and the most authoritative sources of information for college-level research papers. Articles from popular publications, on the other hand (like magazines, newspapers or many sites on the Internet), are published with minimal editing (for spelling and grammar, perhaps; but, typically not for factual accuracy or intellectual integrity). While interesting to read, these articles aren't sufficient to support research at an academic level. When you are determining whether or not the article you found is a peer-reviewed article, you should consider the following questions: Is the journal in which you found the article published or sponsored by a professional scholarly society, professional association, or university academic department? Does it describe itself as a peer-reviewed publication? (To know that, check the journal's website). Did you find a citation for it in one of the databases that includes scholarly publications? (Criminal Justice Abstracts, EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, etc.)? Read the database description to see if it includes scholarly publications. Did you limit your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed publications? Is there an abstract (summary) at the beginning of the article? Is the tone of the article thoughtful, restrained and serious? Does the article have footnotes or citations of other sources? Does the article have a bibliography or list of references at the end? Are the author's credentials listed? Is the topic of the article narrowly focused and explored in depth? Is the article based on either original research or authorities in the field (as opposed to personal opinion)? Is the article written for readers with some prior knowledge of the subject? The easiest and fastest way to find peer-reviewed articles is to search the online library databases, many of which include peer-reviewed (also called "scholarly" or "academic") journals.

ethics case

The Ethics Case assignments will expose students to a thought provoking business case that you could face in your professional careers. The experience promises to challenge your critical thinking skills, help you practice your collaboration and teamwork skills, and improve your awareness of the importance of corporate social responsibility. The Ethics Case is a case study which includes ethical issues for the characters involved. You'll be asked to analyze and evaluate the ethical dilemma, and propose a course of action for the character(s) in the case. Preparing your Persuasive Essay In your essay, you'll be discussing the nature of the dilemma and the course of action you would take. If you do want to include additional material such as the peer-reviewed sources you found, you should ensure that these are clearly referenced in your paper so that your views are easily distinguished from those of others. Before you submit the final paper, you will be asked to submit your thesis and an outline. In your final essay, make sure: - You have identified the relevant ethical dilemmas. - You have considered the impact of each action or inaction on a variety of stakeholders. - You have made a recommendation of the action that you would take and can justify your answer to a point where you are happy that the dilemma has been resolved. Preparing your Annotated Bibliography An annotated bibliography combines the citations found in the References list at the end of documents in APA format (or the Works Cited page in MLA format) with annotations (summaries) about each of the sources. For this assignment, you will construct an annotated bibliography based upon the ethics case issue or problem. Your annotated bibliography will consist of three peer-reviewed sources that you have deemed relevant to the ethics case issue or problem. While you may encounter sources that are not relevant, for the purposes of this assignment, you will only include the ones that you find useful and relevant. 1. Cite the source in proper APA format or MLA format. The citations should be organized in alphabetical order by author just as in an APA References page or MLA Works Cited page. 2. Follow with a brief annotation that summarizes the source (approx. 50-75 words or 3-5 sentences). You may quote from the source, but do not copy and paste the abstract. Ideally, all of the annotation should be in your own words. 3. In 1 or 2 sentences, explain the source's relevance to the ethics case and what it adds to your knowledge about the issues in the case. Remember to only use peer-reviewed sources for your annotated bibliography. Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Resources are articles written by experts in the field who have conducted extensive research. If the piece is peer-reviewed, that means a team of experts has evaluated the quality of the work and concluded that the research and methodology is sound. In other words, these resources have been vetted and have a stamp of authority.