2.

Access - Access needed information effectively and efficiently

2.1 Recognize the availability of a variety of sources and of assistance with using them.
TITLE:
SOURCES: CHOOSING THE RIGHT ONES

SUMMARY:
Before now, we have looked at using expository essay forms as ways to construct
essays. In this chapter, we will begin to l0ok at being more critical: not only with the
sources we choose but also in how we compose our ideas. Also, this chapter will help
you finalize the selection of your article for your critique. In the next chapter, you
will have the opportunity to expand on the examples given and apply your own
information and ideas to develop your critical essay. Before we begin that, we need
to further examine how important it is to choose correct sources as supporting
evidence for ideas. You will also explore different resources available to you where
you can search to find supporting evidence because you cannot always rely on basic
Internet searches to help you find the best support available. You have already
explored different topics you find interesting when coming up with a topic for your
expository essay, and while the content of this chapter is relevant to conducting any
type of research, consider the connection to finding a suitable academic article for
your critique. You may have already come across an academic journal article you
would like to be the basis for your critique. If you have, you still should apply the
material in this chapter as you may discover an article you would prefer to use. Also,
you will need to apply the information in section 7.1: Choosing a Source to confirm
whether the source you have chosen is appropriate. If you have not found an article
yet or discover the one you chose does not fit the parameters, the content below will
help you find one that is both interesting and fits the parameters for your next essay.
REFERENCE( RESEARCH ARTICLE)
https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-7-sources-choosing-the-
right-ones/

TERMS:
1. Expository Research
-is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence,
expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and
concise manner.

REFERENCE
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/expository_
essays.html

2. Electronic resources
-are materials in digital format accessible electronically. Examples of e-resources are electronic
journals (e-journal), electronic books (e-book) online databases in varied digital formats, Adobe
Acrobat documents (.pdf), WebPages (.htm, .html, .asp etc) and more.

REFERENCE
https://libfaq.smu.edu.sg/faq/134702

3. Preliminary Research

-is research on a topic that helps you get a better understanding on what types of sources

are available and what is being said about a topic. This type of research helps solidify a
topic by broadening or narrowing it down. This research can also help you when
choosing Search Terms.

REFERENCE

https://libguides.valenciacollege.edu/c.php?g=1031741&p=7478012
4. Periodical index

-is a subject, author and keyword index to a selected list of periodicals; it's the key to
finding articles on a particular topic. If the index also summarizes the contents of an
article, it is called an abstract.

REFERENCE

https://www.lib.sfu.ca/find/journals-articles/what-periodical-index

5. Online periodical database

-Databases include the citations of articles in magazines, journals and newspapers.

Some periodical databases contain abstracts or brief summaries of the articles. Many
contain the full text (entire content) of articles as they originally appeared in the
periodical.\

REFERENCE

http://lib.hamptonu.edu/empower/module1/periodicalDatabasesPopup.htm

6. CD-ROMS

-a compact disc used as a read-only optical memory device for a computer system.

REFERENCE

https://www.britannica.com/technology/CD-ROM

7. Skimming Article

- is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material.

REFERENCE
 http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/readingstrategies/skimming_scanning.ht
ml

8. High-Quality Sources

-Information may be considered “high quality” if it meets all or most of the following
criteria: • relevance • accuracy/credibility of the content • author credibility • source
credibility • references/documentation • objectivity or bias • currency

REFERENCE

https://library.weber.edu/sites/default/files/PDFs/researchandteaching/libs1704/textbook
/source_evaluation.pdf

9. Varied-Quality Sources

-These sources are often useful. However, they do not cover subjects in as much depth as
high-quality sources, and they are not always rigorously researched and reviewed.
Some, such as popular magazine articles or company brochures, may be written to
market a product or a cause.

REFERENCE

https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-7-sources-choosing-the-right-
ones/

2.2 Identify types of information resources in a variety of formats (e.g., primary or

secondary, journals, policies and procedures, electronic references) and understand their
characteristics.

TITLE:

Types of information resources

SUMMARY:

Following a discovery or event, information flows through different publications over

time. This differs between subjects but in general:

-Primary literature is where new research or theories are first revealed, and includes
journals and conferences

-Secondary literature provides a more digested overview of a subject e.g. books

-Tertiary literature records facts and brief descriptions of key information, as in

reference material.

REFERENCE

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/reading/infotypes.aspx

TERMS:

1. Reference material

-can consist of a range of different types of material providing you with

background information. This material can either be general or related to
specific subject areas.

2. Conference proceedings

-consist of a collection of papers reporting on presentations or posters delivered

at conferences, seminars or workshops. They are sources of primary research as
this may be the first place the information has been made public.

3. Reports

-are produced by agencies and departments on specific topics or issues. These

agencies can include Government departments, research establishments,
charitable foundations and more.

4. Manuscripts and Special Collections

 -Manuscripts and archives are unique items which were created or collected by a
person or organisation in the course of their ordinary business, and retained by
them as evidence of their activities, or because of the information they contain.
They may be written by hand, but can also be printed or digital.

5. Patents

-are legal documents which give the owner exclusive rights to profit from an
invention, protecting it from exploitation by others unless they have the prior
agreement of the patent owner.

REFERENCE

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/reading/infotypes.aspx

2.3 Select types of information resources appropriate to a specific information

need.

TITLE:

Selection of information sources: Accessibility of and familiarity with sources,

and types of tasks

SUMMARY:

While many studies have investigated information source selection in different

user groups, few have explored the types of factors and how they influence
resource selection. This study examines the types of information sources users
select as well as the reasons behind their choices of information sources based on
their actual searches. Thirty‐one participants representing the general public
with different demographic characteristics were recruited for the study. Data
collected from diaries and questionnaires were analyzed by applying both
qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings of this study show that
electronic resources are the dominant information sources selected by
participants. Seventeen types of factors including some new factors in relation to
dimensions of tasks, characteristics of users, and attributes of sources were
derived from the data. The results also indicated that multiple factors co‐
determined participants' selection of resources. Descriptive and statistical
analysis of the data demonstrated that accessibility and familiarity of sources
were correlated to information source usages, and the results suggested that
participants utilized more print or human resources in accomplishing scholarly
tasks while they were more dependent on electronic resources in achieving
popular tasks.

REFERENCE

https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/meet.2009.1450460215

TERMS:

1. Pre-test Questionnaire

-is where a questionnaire is tested on a (statistically) small sample of

respondents before a full-scale study, in order to identify any problems
such as unclear wording or the questionnaire taking too long to
administer.

REFERENCE

www.insightsassociation.org › issues-policies › glossary

2. Information Interaction Diary

-study is a research method used to collect qualitative data about user

behaviors, activities, and experiences over time. In a diary study, data is
self-reported by participants longitudinally — that is, over an extended
period of time that can range from a few days to even a month or longer

REFERENCE
 www.nngroup.com › articles › diary-studies

3. Think aloud protocol

-They were invited to come to the Lab to seek information for two
additional work‐related and personal search tasks. They were instructed
to “think aloud” during their information‐seeking process. Their
information‐seeking processes were captured by Morae, a usability
testing software that not only records users' movements but also captures
their “think aloud” during their information retrieval process.

REFERENCE

https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/meet.2009.145046021
5

4. Popular tasks

-The popular task involved everyday common activities that were not
related to work‐related activities, such as entertainment, travel, shopping
and so on.

5. Occupational tasks

- The occupational task arose from work‐related information activities,

such as identifying a list of US law firms that specialize or have
experience working with credit union mergers and acquisitions, finding
SQL injection techniques and remediation, etc.

6. Scholarly tasks

-The scholarly task included the research activities, such as writing a

paper, writing a book, etc.

REFERENCE

https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/meet.2009.145046021
5