GATOR Library: Where to Start Research: Information Literacy

Getting Started with Research

Tutorial: Why Information Literacy Matters Use this tutorial to show students how information literacy is relevant to their day-to-day lives. Students will become familiar with their own information seeking habits, privilege, and skills used in their personal, academic, and professional lives.
Video: Life in the Information Age Technology is changing the way we locate, analyze, and share information. Use this video to introduce students to the evolving information landscape and their roles as responsible information consumers and creators.
Video: The Research Process Part 1 (Pre-Research) and Part 2 (In-Depth Research, Outlining, and Writing Use this video to demonstrate the value of pre-research. Students will learn how to align their initial exploration to their assignment requirements.
Tutorial: Developing a Research Focus In this tutorial, students will be introduced to pre-research techniques to determine the scope and depth of their research focus.
Tutorial: Choosing a Topic Background research is an essential component of the research process. In this tutorial, students will learn how to differentiate between background and in-depth research, and locate and use background research to refine their research focus.
Video: How to Narrow Your Topic Do your students have trouble selecting a topic for a research assignment? This video will outline the process to help students hone in on a compelling research topic with appropriate scope using strategies like strategic searching. Students will also understand the importance of open mindedness and flexibility in the research process.
Tutorial: Background Research Tips Determining a manageable research question can be challenging for students. Use this tutorial to introduce strategies for aligning a research focus with assignment guidelines and research tools such as concept maps.
Video: Beginning Research with Wikipedia/Google Part 1 (Getting Started with Wikipedia/Google) and Part 2 (Transitioning from Google/Wikipedia to Databases) This video will help students understand the process of background research by introducing techniques for gathering background information using Google and Wikipedia.
Video: Thesis Statements Use this video to help students identify the purpose of their research efforts and construct evidence-based statements. Students will learn how to narrow in on a topic, conduct background research, and synthesize the existing body of evidence in order to craft a compelling argument.
Tutorial: Scholarship as Conversation Use this tutorial to encourage students to develop a scholarly mindset. In this tutorial, students will learn how their projects help build the body of work in a given field. Additionally, students will become familiar with the process of attribution and critical evaluation.

Evaluating Information

Video: What is Authority? Use this video to introduce students to the concept of authority, how it relates to research, source selection, evaluation, and attribution.
Video: Introduction to Bias This video introduces the idea of bias and prejudice and the importance of awareness of one’s own bias and the bias of others when evaluating sources and situations, and responding to arguments.
Video: Types of Bias This video builds on the introduction to bias video by discussing specific types of bias such as social bias, confirmation bias, and communal reinforcement.
Video: Evaluating Sources Use this video to encourage students to think critically about the information they encounter in print and online. Students will become familiar with strategies for evaluating sources based on these criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, and objectivity.
Tutorial: Evaluating Information Students will learn how to evaluate a range of resources in order to select the most authoritative sources on their research topic.
Video Tutorial: Identifying Misinformation This video will help students identify the characteristics and purpose of misinformation as well as its effect on their personal and academic lives.
Video: Objectivity in Reporting This tutorial will help students differentiate between news journalism and opinion journalism in order to analyze the purpose, standards, and expectations related to reporting and editorializing.

Sources of Information

Tutorial: Information has value Use this tutorial to introduce students to the ACRL Frame Information Has Value. Students will become aware of their roles as information creators and consumers and learn how issues like copyright and the digital divide affect their academic and personal lives.
Video: Data, Information, and Knowledge This video defines and explains the differences and relationships between data, information, and knowledge, and how each might be used or encountered in research.
Tutorial: Source Types Students will be introduced to a variety of source types that they may encounter during their research. Use this tutorial to help students locate and evaluate relevant sources to meet their research needs.
Video: Primary and Secondary Research This video illustrates the differences between primary (original) research (with a focus on methods used in sciences and social sciences) and secondary research, and the ethical considerations associated with each.
Video: Peer Review This video will provide students with an understanding of what peer review means, how the process works, why it is an indicator of quality, and how to locate peer-reviewed sources during their research process.
Video: Types of Sources This video provides students with a helpful overview of the wide variety of source types they may encounter during research. In addition to defining and describing different source types, it also addresses how to select the appropriate source for their information need, analyzing the capabilities and constraints of different source types, and how to determine source quality.
Video: Primary Sources This video will introduce students to the purpose and characteristics of primary sources in order to help them identify the most appropriate type of source for their research needs.
Video: Secondary Sources This video will introduce students to the purpose and characteristics of secondary sources in order to help them identify the most appropriate type of source for their research needs.
Video: Tertiary Sources This video will introduce students to the purpose and characteristics of tertiary sources in order to help them identify the most appropriate type of source for their research needs.
Tutorial: How to Read Scholarly Materials Do your students feel intimidated by scholarly materials? This tutorial will walk students through the types and components of scholarly materials as well as strategies for strategic reading.
Video: How to Read Scholarly Materials Do your students feel intimidated by scholarly materials? Use this video to help students get familiar with these valuable resources and learn tips for approaching, analyzing, and integrating scholarly materials into their projects.

Academic Integrity

Tutorial: Why Citations Matter This tutorial provides an overview of why it is important to cite sources, and an explanation for why different citation formats and citation styles exist.
Video: MLA 7th Edition Citation Style Use this video to provide students with an overview of the MLA 8th edition citation style, including an explanation of the “container” concept and an overview of using the citation style for popular source types such as books, websites, and journal articles.
Video: MLA 8th Edition Citation Style Use this video to provide students with an overview of the MLA 8th edition citation style, including an explanation of the “container” concept and an overview of using the citation style for popular source types such as books, websites, and journal articles.
Tutorial: MLA 8th Edition Citation Style Use this tutorial to provide students with an overview of the MLA 8th Edition citation style, including both in-text citation format and works cited format. Tutorial provides an explanation and examples of different sources using the container concept introduced in MLA 8, and also includes several “check your understanding” questions with drag and drop exercises where students can format citations of different source types properly.
Video: Academic Integrity Use this video to provide students with an introduction to the concept that information has value, and that acting with academic integrity and ethical behavior is essential to success as a student and as a participant in the scholarly conversation.
Video: Plagiarism This video provides examples and explanations of specific types of plagiarism, such as cloning, aggregation, and self-plagiarism, as well as strategies to prevent plagiarizing and a reminder of the possible consequences of academic dishonesty.
Video: Copyright Use this video to aid in instruction on intellectual property and copyright, including exceptions to copyright restrictions such as fair use, and guidance on the ethical use of others’ intellectual property.

Searching for Information

Video: Searching as Exploration Part 1 (Exploration Strategies) and Part 2 (The Searching Mindset) This video digs deeper into exploratory search strategies. Students will learn how to craft a search statement and the importance of neutral language.
Video: Choosing a Database Students can use this video to receive guidance on how to select the best database(s) for their information need and assignment requirements.
Tutorial: Choosing and Using Keywords This tutorial will walk students through the process of selecting, refining, and expanding their collection of search keywords in order to locate the most relevant information to their research topic.
Tutorial: Search Techniques, Part 1 Use this tutorial to familiarize students with strategic searching. Students will learn the purpose and uses of natural language and Boolean operators to broaden and narrow the scope of their search.
Tutorial: Search Techniques, Part 2 Students will learn strategic search approaches to navigate scholarly databases. Use this tutorial to introduce advanced search techniques for broadening and narrowing the scope of a search.
Video: Refining Search Results Use this video to help students navigate the search process. Students will learn techniques to conduct effective background research using multiple keywords in order to narrow in on a research focus.

NTCC Learning Commons Database Tutorials and How To Guides

Don't know where to start? Check out the Learning Common's Database Tutorial and How To Guide.

Database Tutorials and How To's
Use this guide to learn how to navigate specific Learning Commons' databases to find research articles, e-books, and educational videos with a collection of vendor-created tutorials, video demonstrations, product tours, and printable user guides.

Where to Start Research: Information Literacy

Welcome

Use this guide to help walk you through the research process. The content items flow from left to right.

Getting Started with Research

Evaluating Information

Sources of Information

Academic Integrity

Searching for Information

NTCC Learning Commons Database Tutorials and How To Guides

Don't know where to start? Check out the Learning Common's Database Tutorial and How To Guide.