SITE MAP

COURSE DESCRIPTION

UNIT 1: DOING RESEARCH

Unit Description

Choosing a Topic

• Topic Pyramids
• Research Assignment Parameters
• Identifying Interests
• How to Brainstorm
• Controversy
• Availability of Sources

Preliminary Research

• Invisible Work
• Table of Resources

Developing Your Question

• Narrowing Your Topic
• Broadening Your Topic
• The Question

Avoiding Plagarism

• What is Plagiarism?
• Planning Ahead
• Staying Organized

Understanding Citation

• Works Cited
• In-text Citations
• Direct Quotes
• Paraphrasing
• Summarizing
• Using Other People's Terms or Ideas

Reference List

• Further Recommended Reading
• Sources Used in Developing This Unit

UNIT 2: FINDING SOURCES

Unit Description

Selecting Your Sources

• Questions About Your Sources
• Sources: When to Use Them and How to Find Them
• Review Quiz

What are Databases?

• Content
• Fields
• Field Searching
• Authority Control
• Review Quiz

Advanced Keyword Searching

• Developing Keywords
• Phrase Searching
• Truncation
• Wildcards
• Boolean Operators
• Nesting
• Proximity Operators
• Review Quiz

Refining Your Keyword Search

• How to Broaden and Narrow Your Search

Natural Language Searching

• Natural Language Searching

Search Limits

• Searching by Subject Heading
• Browsing the Catalogue

Evaluating Your Sources

• Criteria for Evaluating a Source
• Feedback

Reference List

• Further Recommended Reading
• Sources Used in Developing This Unit

UNIT 3: ARTICLE INDEXES

Unit Description

Periodicals

• What are Periodicals?
• Comparing Periodicals
• Refereed Journals
• Why Would you use Periodicals?
• Review Quiz

Locating Articles

• What is an Article Index?
• Vendors
• Using Article Indexes
• Full-Text Articles
• Help
• Review Quiz 1
• Understanding Citations
• Review Quiz 2
• Periodical Records
• Review Quiz 3
• Document Delivery for Articles
• Review Quiz 4

ATLA Religion Database

• Elements of the ATLA Religion Database
• ATLA Database Tutorial 1
• Review Quiz
• Evaluating Records
• Selecting Records
• Combining Searches
• Using Your Folder
• ATLA Database Tutorial 2
• Feedback

Reference List

• Sources Used in Developing This Unit

UNIT 4: SEARCHING THE INTERNET

Unit Description

What is the Web?

• Private vs. Private Web
• Public Academic Web Resources

Search Engines

• How Search Engines Work
• Presentation of Results
• Common Search Capabilities
• Meta-Search Engines

Directories

• Caracteristics of a Directory
• General Academic Directories
• Subject-Specific Directories
• Finding Directories

The Invisible Web

• Why are Parts of the Web Invisible?
• Finding Information on the Invisible Web

Choosing a Tool

• When to use an Internet Tool
• Review Quiz

Evaluating Web Sources

• Criteria for Evaluting Web Resources
• Understanding a URL
• Feedback

Reference List

• Further Recommended Reading
• Sources Used in Developing This Unit