Library Research

Introduction to Library Research

• The American Library Association defines information literacy as

the set of skills needed to:

– Recognize the need for information

– Access appropriate resources
– Evaluate information/sources
– Use information effectively
– Understand ethical/legal restrictions
 Define a Topic

– Your first step in beginning

your research is to define
your topic by asking yourself
what it is that you want to
write your paper about.
– You’ve brainstormed and
determined a subject that you’d
like to write about.
 Type of Information

• Now that you understand how to

define a topic, we will examine which
sources of information are best for
finding the following types of
information:
– Current
– Background
– Scholarly
– Opinion-based
– Statistical
Sources BEST for information

• Current refers to only the most recent

developments on the topic, published
within the last year or so.

For current information, the best

sources are:

• Journals
• Magazines
• Newspapers
 Sources BEST for information

• Background refers to general

information, often brief, and with a
historical perspective.

– For background information, the best

sources are:

• Books
 Sources BEST for information

• Scholarly refers to the in-depth study

of a subject or topic, peer-reviewed
and scholarly.

– For scholarly information, the best

sources are:

• Books
• Journals
 Sources BEST for information

• Opinion-based refers to a judgment by a

person who may or may not be an expert
on the topic; the bias of the author is used
to sway the opinion of the reader.

– For opinion-based information, the best

sources are:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• The Web
 Sources BEST for information

• Statistical refers to numerical data that

may be raw or analyzed (interpreted
numbers).

– For statistical information, the best

sources are:

• Sources specializing in statistics

(i.e. the Indian. Census)
• Research studies
• Government documents
The library research process

• Analyze the research subject

• Identify research tools and
collections to use
• Locate and obtain resources
• Read and evaluate
• Keep records
 References

• List of references contains details

only of those works cited in the
text.
• Small research projects will need
only a reference section.
– This includes all the literature to
which you have referred in your
report.
 Evaluation Criteria

• Consider these points when

evaluating books, periodicals,
articles, web pages,
newspapers, etc.
– Accuracy
– Authority
– Objectivity
– Currency or Timeliness
– Coverage or Scope
 Bibliography
• The bibliography should give a clear,
complete description of the sources that
were used while preparing the report.
• It is an alphabetical list as per the
author’s surname.
• For all projects that require literature
review, a bibliography is necessary.
 E.g. of Bibliography

• 1. Book with one author or editor:

• Bell, Stewart. The Martyr's Oath: The
Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist.
        Mississauga, ON: Wiley, 2005.
• Biale, David, ed. Cultures of the Jews: A New
History. New York: Schocken, 2002.
• Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Untold
Story of Asbestos: Why It Is Still Legal
        and Still Killing Us. N.p.: Rodale, 2003.
 Abstracts

• Is a summary of a book or article.

• Summarize the study, including
the following elements in any
abstract
 Contents of Abstract

• Purpose of the study - hypothesis,

overall question, objective
• Model organism or system and brief
description of the experiment
• Results, including specific data - if the
results are quantitative in nature, report
quantitative data; results of any
statistical analysis should be reported
• Important conclusions or questions that
follow from the experiment(s)
 Guidelines to write an abstract

• Single paragraph, and concise

• As a summary of work done, it is always written in
past tense
• An abstract should stand on its own, and not refer to
any other part of the paper such as a figure or table
• Focus on summarizing results - limit background
information to a sentence or two, if absolutely
necessary
• What you report in an abstract must be consistent
with what you reported in the paper
• Correct spelling, clarity of sentences and phrases,
and proper reporting of quantities (proper units,
significant figures) are just as important in an
abstract as they are anywhere else
 Appendices:
• This is a simple section consisting of terms
and definitions.

• If you have constructed a questionnaire or

Interview schedule for your research, it
may be useful to include them in your
report as an appendix.

• Appendices do not count towards your

total number of pages/words.

• It is a useful way of including relevant

material so that the examiner can gain a
deeper understanding of your work by
reading it.