Augustana Campus Library
University of Alberta Library
Library Research Skills for First Year Seminar Students by Augustana Campus Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
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Welcome to Library Research Skills for First Year Seminar Students. This series of modules was designed for students taking AUIDS 101 at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus.
One of the learning objectives of FYS at Augustana is to “analyze, evaluate, and appropriately use information and ideas from multiple perspectives.” These modules are meant to help you learn many of these skills. By the end of these modules, you should be able to:
Module 1: Introduction to the Library
Module 2: Finding Specific Books and Articles
Module 3: Choosing a Research Topic and Key Terms
Module 4: Searching for Information on a Topic
How to Navigate these Modules
Use any of these options:
We’ll start by introducing you to the library.
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My name is Kara Blizzard, and I’m a librarian at Augustana. My colleagues and I are here to help you with your research throughout your time at Augustana. If you have any questions about your research or about library services, you are very welcome to:
Augustana graduate Braeden will take you on a tour of the library.
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Next we will explore how to find specific books and articles.
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You’ll need to find readings for many of your courses at Augustana, including FYS. The search box on the library website is the place to search for books, articles, and other items in our collection. Click through the interactive slides below to learn how it works.
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Next you’ll learn how to find a book within the library building.
To find a book in the library, you’ll need to know how to read its call number. Watch the video below to learn how. You can also use the How to Read a Call Number document, which gives a summary of how call numbers are organized.
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Now we’ll explore how to choose a research topic.
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Note about Module 3 Exercise
At the end of Module 3, you will be asked to complete an exercise involving choosing a research topic and identifying its key terms. If you learn best by doing, you can already download that exercise and work on it as you complete Module 3.
Choosing a topic is a crucial part of the research process. The video below explains some of the things you should consider when deciding on a topic.
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Now you’ll learn how to identify the key terms in your topic.
Once you have a topic in mind, identifying its key terms can help direct your research. The next video explains how to do this.
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The next step is to complete the Module 3 Exercise.
Now that you have learned about choosing a research topic and identifying its key terms, you’re ready to complete the Module 3 Exercise, which asks you to identify your own research topic and its key terms.
When you click on the following Google Doc link, it will prompt you to make a copy. Then you can edit your copy and print it or upload it to eClass to submit to your course instructor (check with your instructor if you are unsure how to submit it).
Module 3 Exercise: Choosing a Research Topic and Key Terms (Google Doc)
Next we’ll explore why it’s important to search for information.
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Note about Module 4 & 5 Exercise
At the end of Module 5, you will be asked to complete an exercise involving finding information on a topic and then citing it. If you learn best by doing, you can already download that exercise and work on it as you complete Modules 4 and 5.
Your university professors will often ask you to find and use information sources when you write about a topic. Why do you need to incorporate other people’s ideas? Click on each of the reasons below to learn about them.
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Later you’ll learn about how to cite the sources you use, but next we’re going to look at how to find them.
Before you start to search for information, it’s a good idea to know some strategies for putting a search together. The next video shows how to combine your key terms.
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There are two more techniques that can come in handy when you’re searching library databases: truncation and phrase searching. Watch the video below to learn how they work.
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Next you’ll learn where and how you can search for information.
Now that you’ve learned how to combine your search terms and use truncation and phrase searching, you’re ready to search for books and articles on your topic. The interactive slides below show how to get started.
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Next we’ll look at different types of information sources.
When you’re doing any kind of research, you are likely to encounter many different types of information sources. Usually, your instructor will ask you to find scholarly or academic sources, which are written by experts with the goal of advancing knowledge in their field.
The following interactive slides list some common information sources and their characteristics. Click on the information icons for tips and examples.
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Your course instructor might ask you to find peer-reviewed or scholarly articles on a topic. But what does peer review actually mean? The next video explains.
When you use the main library search box, you can limit your results to “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals” in the “Refine Results” menu so that you only find peer-reviewed articles.
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In the next module, you’ll learn about citing your sources.
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What is citation, and why is it important? Watch the video below to find out.
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Next we will explore what should be included in a citation.
There are thousands of citation styles, and they all have different guidelines for how to format citations. However, most of them include the same types of information about a source.
An in-text citation goes in your paper at the point where you quote, paraphrase, or summarize an idea from an information source. The elements and formatting will vary depending on the style you are using.
For example, an MLA-style in-text citation includes the author name(s) and the page number of the information:
An APA-style in-text citation includes the author name(s) and the year of publication:
Some other citation styles, such as Chicago’s notes-bibliography system and ACS style, use footnotes or endnotes to indicate citations.
A reference list, or works cited list, includes all of the publication details about each source cited in your paper, so readers can identify and find the sources you have used. The elements included in a reference and how they are formatted will vary depending on the style. Still, a reference in any style answers four questions about an information source. Read through the following interactive slides to learn more.
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Use the screenshot below, or the example journal article (PDF), to answer the questions that follow.
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Example article is licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0.
Now you’ll learn about the citation resources available to you.
The U of A Library’s Citation Guides provide resources for citing information sources in several different styles. The following tutorials and guides can help you get started. If you are unsure which citation style to use, ask your course instructor.
If you have questions, you are welcome to ask us. While library staff cannot check your citations for correctness, we can give you some guidance and show you relevant examples.
Next you’ll complete the Module 4 & 5 exercise on finding information and citing your sources.
Now that you have learned about searching for books and articles and citing them, you’re ready to complete the Module 4 & 5 Exercise, which asks you to find one book and one article relevant to your topic and cite them.
When you click on the link above, it will prompt you to make a copy. Then you can edit your copy and print it or upload it to eClass to submit to your course instructor (check with your instructor if you are unsure how to submit it).
Module 4 & 5 Exercise: Finding and Citing Information on a Topic (Google Doc)
Now it’s time to finish the modules!
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Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of the modules! The skills and concepts you have learned will help you both in your FYS course and throughout your degree program. If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us.
I would appreciate if you complete the short survey below to help me learn what’s working and how the modules can be improved (or access the survey directly here).
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This project is supported by the University of Alberta Library.