Begin Your Research

Subject headings describe the content of each item in a database. Use these headings to find relevant items on the same topic.  Searching by subject headings (a.k.a. descriptors) is the most precise way to search article databases.

It is not easy to guess which subject headings are used in a given database. For example, the phone book's Yellow Pages use subject headings. If you look for "Movie Theatres" you will find nothing, as they are listed under the subject heading "Theatres - Movies."

Keyword searching is how you typically search web search engines.  Think of important words or phrases and type them in to get results.

Here are some key points about each type of search:

Definition: Rewriting in your own words.

Guidelines:

• Rewrite from memory (Don't look at the original when you are writing your paper)
• Use quotation marks if you need to use a direct quote
• A paraphrased thought still needs to be cited.

The following is an excerpt from Information Literacy Instruction: Theory and Practice:

The Copyright Act of 1976 includes an exception to copyright holders’ exclusive rights, called, “fair use”, and lists four ways to tell whether or not your use of a copyrighted item without permission is legally acceptable (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). For ILI, the first factor, determination of educational as opposed to commercial use, is the most important part of the “test”. The other three test elements involve the type of copyrighted item, how much of the entire item you are using, and whether the copyright holder will lose income as a result of your use of his/her work (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001, p. 212).

This would be plagiarism:

The Copyright Act of 1976 included an exception to copyright holders’ rights. It is called fair use. There are four ways to tell whether or not your use of a copyrighted item is legally acceptable. The first is determination of educational as opposed to commercial use. The other elements involve the type of copyrighted item, how much of it you are using, and whether the copyright holder will lose money as a result of using his/her work.

This would be paraphrasing with citation:

Fair use, an exception to The Copyright Act of 1976, was created to outline ways it is legally permissible to use copyrighted materials without permission. Four components were established to determine fair use. The first component is that the material is being used for an educational purpose and is not being used commercially. The second component considers information about the nature of the copyrighted material. the quantity of the material used, and whether or not the originator will lose money if you use his/her material (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001, p. 212)

Just the basics

Search below to find basic information about your topic-- definitions, history, etc. This is an excellent review before you look for scholarly articles.

You may have heard the term "database" before, but what does that mean? Watch this short video from NEIU Ronald Williams Library to have a better understanding of databases.

                                 Reasons for Using Library Databases

(Palmer, E., 2015, p. 22)                                            © 2015 by ASCD. Reproduced with permission

Palmer, E. (2015). Researching In A Digital World. Danvers, MA: ASCD.

Research 101: Building Keywords

Watch this video from Northwestern University before you begin using databases and you'll be better prepared. For more research videos from NU click here.

                                                             Boolean Search Terms

***Note: Some web browsers have their own search terms.

                                              Search Shortcuts

(Palmer, 2015, pp. 28-29)

                                       Truncation and Wildcards

How do you know if a resource is credible and reliable? Watch this video from Western University to pick up some ideas for evaluating websites and printed materials. For help with your research:

• Request a one-on-one appointment with a librarian for in-depth research or technology assistance at https://www.roosevelt.edu/Library/Forms/ResearchHelp.aspx
• Chat: rulibrary
• Twitter.com/rulibrary
• Text: 312-614-0733
• Email: refdt@roosevelt.edu
• Telephone: 312-341-3643

                                                  Evaluating Resources

(Palmer, 2015, pp. 28-34; University of Ontario, 2012)

Evaluating Resources [Video file]. (2012, January 13). In YouTube. Retrieved August 19, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds  

Palmer, E. (2015). Researching In A Digital World. Danvers, MA: ASCD.

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