ENGL 101 - Introduction to Writing
Library Research Tutorial

1. Choosing & Developing a Topic

Choosing an appropriate topic to research is critical to success. Choose one that fits the assignment and that interests you. Do not choose a topic so recent or narrow that little information is available, or so broad that the amount of information available is overwhelming. Consult with your instructor about your topic before you begin your research.

• Browse through various news and current events materials:

  • CQ Researcher: Overviews, background information, statistics, opposing points of view and more on current issues. Browse by Topic if you need research ideas.

  • News Batch: Monthly summaries of news headlines. Detailed summaries of policies and news relating to current events, including charts and maps.

  • McKeldin Library 's Controversial Issues Alcove: Contains books in the Contemporary World Issues, Taking Sides, & Opposing Viewpoints series. (See below for more information.

Developing & Focusing a Topic: Once you have an idea of what interestes you as a topic, you will need to develop it into a manageable research question. If your topic is, broadly, health care -- what do you want to research about health care?

You may not know a lot about the issues and debates that surround a topic. Reading background information will help you to determine what some of those issues are. Sometimes you may start off with a topic that is too narrow. Do some preliminary searching to see if enough information will be available to you.

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2. Finding Background Information

Doing background research on your topic will help you:

• understand the issues surrounding your topic;
• become more familiar with the terminology used to discuss your topic; and
• identify keywords to use when searching for journal articles and other information.

To find background information:

1. Consult specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias:
   
   

   Do an Advanced Search in the Libraries' Catalog Select search for words in... all fields and use dictionary or encyclopedia along with your keywords:
   dictionar* and health care	Dictionary of Health Insurance & Managed Care
   encyclopedia and education	Encyclopedia of Education & Human Development
   Tip: Use a truncation symbol (*) to find variant endings for a word: dictionar* = dictionary; dictionaries
   Tip: You can also use a general dictionary to help you get started. Go to the Libraries' Online Reference Shelf for a list of links.

2. Browse the Controversial Issues Alcove in McKeldin Library for books in the Contemporary World Issues, Opposing Viewpoints, and Taking Sides series. Search the Libraries' Catalog for additional titles:
   
   

   Do an Advanced Search in the Libraries' Catalog. Select search for words in... series and use the series titles contemporary world issues, opposing viewpoints, or taking sides in combination with your keywords:

   Example title: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Health & Society

3. Read the introductory chapter of a book. Find books by searching for your topic in the Libraries' Catalog.

4. Return to News Batch and CQ Researcher and read the reports in more detail than before.

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3. IDENTIFYING RESOURCES TO USE

As you complete your ENGL 101 assignments, you will find that there is not one perfect book, journal article, encyclopedia or Web site that has all the information you need. Research always takes longer than you think, so start early and ask your instructor or a librarian for help!

Need to find...
...books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, government documents, or videos?	Search the Libraries' Catalog for a list of materials owned by the Library.
...scholarly journal, newspaper and magazine articles?	To decide what kind of articles you need, see the guide Identifying Periodical Types. Search for articles in periodical databases, via Research Port.
...help using other resources?	Ask a librarian!
For more detail, use the online guide Identifying & Selecting Research Resources

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4. FINDING ARTICLES ON YOUR TOPIC

To find journal, newspaper & magazine articles on your topic, search a periodical database.

A database may contain citations and summaries of articles, and/or provide electronic access to the full text of an article. A database may contain scholarly journal articles, popular magazines, trade publications, newspaper articles, reviews, dissertations, and more.

UM Libraries subscribe to 300+ databases, which are accessible via Research Port by database name and subject area. From off-campus, log in to Research Port by using the 14-digit barcode number on the back of your student ID card.

• Begin searching in a General/multidisciplinary database that covers a wide range of topics. Academic Search Premier is a very good place to start.

• Use keywords, connected by the Boolean operators AND and OR, to search for articles:
  
  

  AND	Narrows your search. Using and requires that an article record must contain all of the keywords used in your search. Use and to connect different concepts or ideas: e.g., health care and employers
  OR	Broadens your search. Using or only requires that an article record contains at least one of the keywords used in your search. Use or to combine synonyms and related ideas: e.g., costs or fees
  Use parentheses when you use and & or together in a search: e.g., (costs or fees) and health care

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5. Using "Find It"

• When you search the Libraries� catalog and databases, you will see a yellow find it button:

• find it provides various options for accessing library materials. (See: Find It guide)

  • find it links to the full text of an article or book when available (sometimes in a different database than the one you searched). You may need to re-enter citation information to access the article.

  • If no online full text is available, find it may link to the Libraries' Catalog record. Be sure to check the Availability of the item that you need.

  • If full text is unavailable, you may be able to make an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request.

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6. Finding Editorials & News Transcripts

Newspaper editorials & news transcripts are excellent sources of varying opinions and views. Search Lexis Nexis Academic:

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• You will not find everything in one place! Remember to search a variety of databases and to use different types of sources.

• To find additional keywords, look at article titles, abstracts, and the subject terms provided in the article record:

  My keywords: health insurance and employers and cost
  Subject terms from article records:
  employee fringe benefits	employer-sponsored health insurance
  Write down these phrases and use them in a later variation of your search.

• Search subject-specific databases for discipline-specific and scholarly information. Use Research Port to find databases by Subject Category. (See Identifying & Selecting Research Resources: Choosing Databases to Search) For example:
  

  General/multidisciplinary databases	Subject-specific databases (Category)
  Academic Search Premier	America: History and Life (History)
  Lexis Nexis Academic	Biology Digest (Science)
  	Criminal Justice Abstracts (Criminal Justice)
  	Medline (Health & Medicine)

• Use truncation to retrieve variants of a word. Different databases may use different truncation symbols:

  • cost* = cost, costs, costing (in Academic Search Premier)
  • employ! = employer, employers, employees, employment, etc. (in LexisNexis Academic)

• Consider using different kinds of resources, for example:

  • Search the Libraries' Catalog for books and videos.

  • United States Federal Government information: Government Documents & Maps

  • Primary Source material: The Libraries own many special collections of letters, private records, and more. See Research Using Primary Sources for help.

  • Statistics & Business information: Use the Libraries' Guides to Information Resources

  • Publications from think tanks and independent research organizations (e.g., The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, Public Agenda Online, etc.). Be aware that some think tanks and research organizations may be partisan or strongly biased.

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Evaluate the information you choose to support your arguments, to determine if the information is relevant and credible. What is the bias of the article's author or publisher? How current is the information used in the article? Does the article relate directly to your topic?

For more information, consult:

• Evaluating Books and Periodicals

• Evaluating Web Sites.

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At the University of Maryland, Academic Dishonesty is taken very seriously. The Student Honor Council identifies four areas of Academic Dishonesty: Cheating, Fabrication, Facilitation, and Plagiarism. Although all areas of academic dishonesty are important, plagiarism is one of the main academic dishonesty issues that concern writing courses.

The Student Honor Council defines plagiarism as "Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or areas of another as one's own in academic exercise." (For more detail, see What is Academic Dishonesty?)

To avoid plagiarism:

• Take complete, accurate notes about where you find ideas, paragraphs, phrases, etc. Write down the full citation for each source -- including the name of the database (for journal articles).

• Try using RefWorks to keep track of the resources you use in your paper.

• Use quotation marks when using an author's exact words and cite the source of the quote. Even if you paraphrase an author, you still need to give proper acknowledgement.

• Use proper MLA citation in the text of papers and in bibliographies:

  • Citing Sources Using the MLA Handbook

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
    Location: UMCP McKeldin Library Quick Reference area
    Call Number: LB2369.G53 1999.

• See the UM Libraries' web site on Academic Integrity & Plagiarism

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• Ask your instructor about specific assignment requirements.

• See the Research & Library Skills exercises.

• Ask a librarian for help with finding information or using the Libraries.

  • Library FAQs: Lost in the Libraries?

• Writing Center tutors can help you with the mechanics of writing your paper:

  • Tutors are available at the McKeldin Library Information Desk: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2-4pm and 5-8pm

  • Make an appointment at the Writing Center (0125 Taliaferro Hall): 301-405-3787.

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