Topic outline

  • Overview

    “Research means that you don't know, but are willing to find out”

     Charles F. Kettering, American engineer

     

    Do you want to give your boss the correct answer to their question?  Or the easy answer?  College level research will help you learn skills that are needed in today’s workforce.  In this resource you will find help with critically evaluating information from the open internet, how to use the academic research database ProQuest, and other skills useful in college and the ‘real world.’

    For assistance with electronic library information, please contact  Lori Van Liere   Email: lori.vanliere@sctoday.edu

    Click the blue header to open each section.

  • Voter Information

    URLs: 7

  • Finding Information

    Writing a research paper may not seem like much fun at the time but it can teach you valuable skills that you will use in the future.  Learning how to find, critically evaluate, and properly use all types of information is a core part of being a college student and will help in every aspect of your work and personal life. While you may know how to do an Internet search using Google, Yahoo, or Bing, do you know how to:

      • evaluate a website or other source for credibility and reliability?
      • avoid plagiarism by properly citing your sources in APA style and using them ethically and responsibly?
      • find information in places other than the open Internet (Deep Web)?

     If you are unsure of how or where to start you can set up a meeting with the library staff to get the process rolling.

     Honest Abe quote "If it is on the internet it must be true. Do not question its authenticity."

    Files: 8URLs: 6

  • ProQuest Research Library

     allows you to read journal, magazine, and newspaper articles that you cannot find on the free internet.  Thousands of sources from the comfort of your own home!  Did you read about the Deep Web in the previous section?  ProQuest is part of it because it is a subscription database and not freely accessible through Google.  Journal articles found on ProQuest are not considered an internet source but rather a journal, magazine, or newpaper source.

    To get to ProQuest, click on the link in the elibrary on the Supermoodle homepage.

    Files: 3URL: 1

  • Writing Help

    From emails to discussion posts to research papers, you will write your way through college.  Good writing requires a bit of extra effort but keep in mind that no one writes perfectly on the first draft.  Writing can be messy, at first, as you think through what you want to say and get it down on paper in a logical format. Writing rarely happens in a straight line – you will loop back several times to different parts with new

    thoughts/ideas/ways to say things better.  Be sure to schedule several blocks of time so you are able to review, rewrite, and revise your paper.

    The difference between writing and talking:  The people who read what you write may not know or agree with you.  You must provide solid evidence to support any point you make. Clear, specific details are a basis for the reader to understand what you are trying to say. The reader is not able to ask questions to clarify anything they do not understand.  The reader will not believe what you say just because you wrote it – you must explain what you mean.

    • Written communication is more formal than spoken communication – do not use slang.
    • Writing is a skill that must be learned, just like cooking, driving, or typing.  Practice, practice, practice.
    • Writing is a process and your attitude is crucial.  What you believe comes true. 
    • A good writer does not sit down and write a paper straight through. Writing is rarely linear.  Revise, revise, revise!
    URLs: 4Files: 3

  • Citing Your Sources - APA Style

    The citation style we use is APA (American Psychological Association).  Using a consistent style has the following benefits:

    • takes the guesswork out of how to set up your paper or report.
    • helps you to avoid plagiarism, when you follow the rules, by correctly citing your sources of information.

    This section shows you the basics of APA citation style.  Contact your campus library personnel for more in-depth help.

    URLs: 8Files: 4Folder: 1

  • Study skills, note taking, time management, text anxiety

    Here is a list of online resources that will help you develop your learning skills and study strategies.  

    Study smarter, not harder!     

    URLs: 11

  • Free Tutorials

    URLs: 6

  • Program specific help guides

    Files: 5