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Topics will include:
I. Thesis statement
A. Importance - orients paper
B. Form - e.g. if/then; cause and effect, etc.
C. Structures, ideas, and argument
II. Search methods and search strategies appropriate to a variety of
specific tools
A. Thesis statement as basis for locating information within the
library's various databases
B. Search features and options
1. Truncation/wildcards
2. Boolean operators
3. Controlled vocabulary and keywords
4. Search limits and advance features
C. Evaluating search success and modifying search (broaden, narrow,
etc.)
D. Retrieving books, articles and other materials in the library in a
variety of formats
E. Options for getting materials not available in the local library.
III. Purpose and use of resources
A. Reference resources for background information
1. Biography and directory information
2. Data and statistics
3. Dictionaries and handbooks
4. Bibliographies and indexes
B. Online catalog (SRJC and remote) access to book records and
bibliographic elements describing a book
C. Periodical access through print and online indexes and
bibliographic (citation) elements for periodicals
D. World Wide Web (WWW)
1. Web pages and sites
2. Subject directories and search engines
3. Links and bookmarks
IV. Concept Formation
A. Working from general to specific
B. Translating ideas into the terminology found in catalogs, indexes,
and readings
C. Pursuing bibliographic references and WWW links
V. Resources and effective note taking
A. Citations for books, periodicals and internet sources
B. Descriptive, evaluative annotations
C. Responsible use of copyrighted material
VI. Critically evaluating resources found based on:
A. Authority of the author
B. Date, edition, publisher/journal
C. Evidence about intended audience
D. Evidence of objective reasoning
E. Coverage (primary; secondary; scholarly vs. popular;
extensive vs. marginal; foundation vs. update)
F. Writing style; references; URLs
G. Published reviews of the resource
VII. Mechanics of writing a paper
A. Outline
B. References, documentation formats, and styles
C. Annotated bibliography
D. Permissible uses of intellectual property
1. Differentiating between "fair use" and plagiarism
2. Identifying copyrighted information
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1. Written assignments demonstrating topic and thesis development.
2. Case studies of evaluation of sources based on criteria of bias,
relevancy, content and authority.
3. Library tour and resource locator worksheets.
4. Group or individual written/oral presentations.
5. Written worksheets and/or project with an annotated bibliography
following APA or MLA guidelines incorporating several types of
resources and topic development.
6. Written worksheets demonstrating access and selection of appropriate
sources for the topic using library online catalog, databases and the
Web.
7. Quizzes, final exam and/or midterm.
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Instructor prepared materials. Check the bookstore.
Supplemental Texts:
WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS & CITING CYBERSPACE by Lester, James. D. 2004, Add
ison Wesley Publishers, 9th Edition
ONLINE! INTERNET GUIDE FOR STUDENTS & WRITERS by Harnack, Andrew; Klepping
er, Gene. 2003, Macmillan Publishers
MLA HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS OF RESEARCH PAPERS, by Joseph
Gibaldi, Sixth Edition, Modern Language Association Publishers, 6th 2003
WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS: A COMPLETE GUIDE, by James Lester, 11th Edition,
Longman Publishers, 2004