Robert E. Eiche Library
Penn State Altoona
Introductions
During this session students will be introduced to the basic features and contents of the University Libraries' website, the portal to our print and electronic collections. The University Libraries' collections serve the needs of a wide variety of users, so resources appropriate for undergraduate students will be highlighted.
Goals
By the end of this session, students will:
Look for inspiration in the world around you, the things you're interested in, subjects discussed in class or among your family and friends. It's easier to research a topic you're interested in... or even passionate about!
Brainstorm related terms, concepts, questions, approaches, etc. that you might explore in your research. This can help you develop your research focus.
Start to develop your thesis statement or research question(s) to help guide your search. What questions do you need to answer with your research? What points will you need to find support for to defend your position?
Any time you look for information on a topic (whether personal or for educational research), you should always evaluate the information.
One way to quickly evaluate the information in front of you is to consider the "3 C's":
Credibility (their expertise makes your paper more authoritative)
Content
Currency
Group Assignment
Step 1: Open the University Libraries homepage in a new browser tab.
Step 2: Use the "Research" menu to navigate to your group's assigned library resource.
Step 3: Search for and select ONE relevant piece of information (book, article, essay, etc.) to evaluate and share with your classmates. Your search terms may include the broad concept presented in class or a more specific aspect of the subject, but remember that brainstorming keywords and revising your search terms are an important part of successful researching.
Step 4: Answer the following questions about the source your group chose. After about 10 minutes of exploring, we'll all share.
Library Resource (as assigned by instructor)
Use the Try These First research guide on the library's home page to get started with your research. Additional subject-specific research guides are available and may best suit your needs, depending on the topic and scope of your research project.
De Jong
Recommended Research Resources
"Try These First" research guide, particularly:
Students are also strongly encouraged to use other recommended resources for the topic they have choosen, as guided by the extensive list of available research guides by subject. For example, consult the general history or military studies research guides if researching war in Europe. The history guide is very extensive; the Historical Abstracts database (on the History research guide) would be recommended as a good place to start research on this topic. The anthropology, sociology, or religious studies research guides would be recommended for researching beliefs about the soul in various cultures, depending on the culture and perspective you find most interesting.
Please contact the librarian if you have trouble locating a guide for your subject. Some research guides are very broad in scope; please contact the librarian if you need additional help choosing appropriate research resources for your topic.
Finding and Citing Images
Image Databases (high resolution art images and news photos available for educational use through PSU Libraries)
Picture and Image Resources (recommended freely available search engines and metasites)
In-text citation of visuals (MLA style) (from Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online)
Work of art in the list of references (MLA style) (from Diana Hacker's site)
Finding Book Reviews
Baille
In adition to the Try These First research guide, students in this class may also wish to consult the following research guides:
