Research Skills: Academic Studies English
Research Skills: Academic Studies English
RESEARCH SKILLS
FALL 1998
RESEARCH SKILLS
ACADEMIC ENGLISH
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following persons have contributed to the development of this learning material: Content and Structure: Curriculum Developer(s)
Leslie Childs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English Curriculum Content Expert New Brunswick Community College . . . . . . . . . . Bathurst
Project Supervision/Co-ordination:
This document is available on the World Wide Web thanks to the National Adult Literacy Database. http://www.nald.ca/CLR/search/ The financial support for this learning materials project was provided by the National Literacy Secretariat of Human Resources Development Canada. Fall 1998
This support module may be used with BAU-ENG 4.2, Using References, and IAU-ENG 1.2, Using the Library and Researching.
BAU-ENG 4.2 USING REFERENCES
OBJECTIVE
Upon successful completion of this unit, the learner will be able to 1. research a topic appropriate to grade level.
TEACHING POINTS Using References 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 how to use glossary table of contents index Thesaurus encyclopedia identify parts of the library circulation desk reference area fiction non-fiction make notes from reference sources record author, title, page number Level 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6
Note: Learners should continue to use and develop their research skills throughout this program, including BAU-ENG 4.3, Basic Geography and General Knowledge; 5.3, Speaking Skills; and 6.8, Paragraphs. Note: Learners should also be familiar with all parts of the library.
IAU-ENG 1.2
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this unit, the learner will be able to 1. use all sections of the library easily. 2. use reference materials effectively. 3. use a variety of research sources with ease. 4. create a simple bibliography.
TEACHING POINTS Library 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reference Books 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Call numbers Catalogue methods: cards, computers microfiche Sections: circulation, referenece, periodical, vertical files fiction (youth and adult), non-fiction, audio-visual, other (toys, interest classes, etc.) Dictionaries: general and specific Thesaurus: types - alphabetical categories with index Encyclopedias: general and specific Atlases Almanacs and yearbooks Indexes: periodical newspaper Books in Print, etc. Catalogue systems: Dewey Decimal Library of Congress Level 7/8 7 7 7 7/8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8/9 8/9 8/9
(Continued)
Reference Sources
18 19 20 21 22 23
Primary Sources (e.g. personal interviews) Secondary Sources: public library, corporate/government libraries) personal libraries (friends) pamphlets (government, industry, etc.) bibliographies internet, etc. Title page Publication information Table of Contents and preface/forward Glossary Appendices Index Bibliography: purpose and format Inter-library loans
9 9 9 9 9 9 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Book Parts
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Other
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Note: Researching and using the library should be a regular activity as they also build reading comprehension skills. In addition, learners should also be encouraged to report the results of their research to classmates either formally or informally. Sharing the results of research helps build general knowledge and provides an opportunity for learners to develop and apply listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills. The objectives and teaching points in this module can be combined regularly with many others in the program.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 WHAT ARE RESEARCH SKILLS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 WHEN ARE RESEARCH SKILLS USEFUL? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 WHERE CAN I FIND THE INFORMATION I WANT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1. The Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. Local Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3. Personal Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4. Corporate Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5. Other Community Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6. Government Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7. The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8. The Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 HOW TO USE THE LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1. The Circulation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2. Reference Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A. Dictionaries and Thesauruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 B. Encyclopedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 C. Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 D. Yearbooks and Almanacs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 E. Biographical References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3. The Main Library Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4. The Catalogue Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A. Card Catalogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 B. Microfiche Catalogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 C. On-line Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5. The Periodical Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 6. Vertical Files and File Drawers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 7. The Media Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 8. The Government Document Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 HOW ARE BOOKS ARRANGED IN THE LIBRARY? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1. The Dewey Decimal System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2. The Library of Congress System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN THE REAL WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 HOW TO GATHER INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) HOW TO RECORD INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 HOW TO ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 HOW TO WRITE A REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 A WORD ABOUT PLAGIARISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 HOW TO MAKE A WORKS CITED PAGE OR BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 A. Parenthetical References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 B. Works Cited or Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 SOME MAJOR DIVISIONS IN THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ANSWER KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 BAU-ENG PRE-TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 IAU-ENG PRE-TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 FEEDBACK FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
RESEARCH SKILLS
INTRODUCTION Have you heard the term Information Age recently? This is the name given to the time we are living in today. The worlds history is divided into time periods called Ages. These ages are named after the one thing that most influenced the way people lived their lives in that time. For example, thousands of years ago during the Stone Age, people learned how to makes tools from stone. This made life easier for people, but it also meant that their lives changed too. The Iron Age was a much later era1 when humans learned to use iron to make tools, weapons, and simple machines. The use of iron meant that more food could be produced more easily, but it also meant that weapons were more effective and that people had to adjust to a new way of thinking about their world. The most recent age (1760-1980) was called the Industrial Age. During this 200 year period, complicated machines powered by energy from water, steam, and electricity were invented and assembly line factories appeared in almost every community. People began to move away from the country-side and into the big cities to find work. Once again, humans had to change the way they did things. In each age throughout the worlds history, changes occurred which disrupted peoples way of living and forced them to adapt to new situations. Today, we are living through the changes and disruptions that go along with the beginning of a new age in human history, the Information Age. Knowledge is doubling ever five years, researchers tell us. People all over the world are discovering new ideas and thinking new thoughts more often than ever before. In 1995, there was twice as much information in the world as there was in 1990. Five years from now, there will be at least twice as much as there is today. Computers have made it possible to store more information than ever before and to find it more quickly and easily. We know more today about the world around us than in all the other time periods before us put together. This has made it possible to discover and invent things faster than at any other time in history. As a result, information is one of the most important influences in the late twentieth century, and
period in time
our world is being changed rapidly by it. We are now living in a new age called the Information Age. Information is power. Throughout history, the people who possessed the best information have always been the most powerful. This is especially true today. Knowing where and how to find the knowledge you need is an essential skill for success at home and in the work place. The research techniques outlined in this resource booklet will help you find and use whatever information you may need in the rest of your life. What you learn here should become an essential tool not only for completing this program but also in anything else you may do.
Exercise 1 1. Think of five things that have changed in the world of work since the 1960s. 2. How many of these are related to the Information Age? How? 3. What do you think New Brunswickers can do to equip themselves to live successfully under these new conditions?
WHAT ARE RESEARCH SKILLS? Research skills are the techniques that allow you to find whatever information your need to help you learn something new, solve a problem, form an opinion, or make a decision. They start with the ability to ask questions and find the answers in sources containing reliable information (sometimes called references). The researcher must be also able to read, listen and view effectively so that he or she can get the best and most accurate information available. No one on earth knows everything, but every one of us knows some things well. Everyone, including you, is an expert on some topic. Perhaps you are an expert at salmon fishing; maybe you grow the best vegetables around. When you share a terrific recipe, help a friend fix a car, or make suggestions about raising
children, you are sharing information and expertise2. Over the years, you have gathered a lot of information that really works and learned many things from experience. When people ask you to share what you know, they are using research skills to get the information they need from you. You become a reference, a source of information. When you want to know something, you first identify people or places that might have the answers you are looking for. Second, you gather information from these sources by reading, asking questions, or even viewing an activity or a presentation. Third, you arrange what you have learned so that it makes sense and discard anything that isnt useful. Lastly, you prepare the information in such a way that it is useful to you and/or anyone else you decide to share it with. Developing good research skills is the foundation for success in any academic program or job. . Reference skills include knowing 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. when you need more information where to find that information how to locate the information you need what kind of information is appropriate who will be using this information why you are gathering this information how to arrange the information in a useful and appealing way how to present the information effectively
WHEN ARE RESEARCH SKILLS USEFUL? The obvious answer for many learners might be, When the teacher assigns a project. Research projects and essays assigned in the classroom are, however, only a chance to practice, with the teachers help, finding and organizing information. A better answer to the question is that research skills are really most useful in the real world, at home, at work and in the community. For example, you may be planning a garage sale and wonder what price to put on that ugly pink pitcher from your grandmothers garage. Should it be priced at 50 or $1.00? Some research might help. At the library, you discover that it is a
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piece of Depression Glass made between 1920 and 1940, and it is worth $150.00! Your investigation put money in your pocket, and its better there than in the pocket of some Saturday morning bargain hunter. Perhaps someone suggested that your really busy seven year old should take the drug Ritalin. You realize that it is your responsibility as a parent to make an informed decision about your childs health so you read some articles and talk to other parents. As you gather information, you hear that some children have experienced serious side effects. Obviously, you need to know more before you make a decision. Maybe your boss is thinking of buying computers for the office and has asked you to find out what kind to buy and how much they will cost. In all of these cases and many more you will encounter every day, research is essential to making good choices. Research is a good idea any time you want to know something.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE INFORMATION I WANT? Information is all around you and easy to find when you know how. Most people think of the public library when they think about finding information. It is an excellent place to look, but there are many other sources of information in your community that you can explore first. 1. The Dictionary The first, and often easiest, place to start researching is in a good dictionary. If you have already completed the module, Dictionary Skills, you know just how much information you can find there. In addition, you will probably save time by checking the definitions of the important words in your question or research project. For example, knowing, before you start researching, that tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family of plants and are really a fruit and not a vegetable might help find the information more quickly. Perhaps you want to research the drug Ritalin. Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth Edition) states that Ritalin is a trade name for methylphenidate. When you look up methylphenidate, you learn that the word was first used in 1958 and that the drug is a mild stimulant (C14H19 NO2) of the central nervous system used in the
form of its hyperchloride to treat narcolepsy3 and hyperactive behaviour disorders in children. With this basic information, you now have more ways to search for answers to your questions. Exercise 2 1. List at least five different things you would like to know more about. 2. Use a good dictionary to find basic information about each one. 3. Record what you learned in your notebook. 2. Local Experts Some people in your community may have information that will also help you continue with your research. Perhaps you already know someone who can help. For information on tomatoes, you might ask a local gardener or farmer. In the case, of the drug Ritalin, some parents and teachers may have valuable information or first hand observations about the drug and its effects on hyperactivity. Some may report that it helped their child to be calm throughout the morning when most of the teaching takes place; others may say the drug seemed to do little; still others may tell you that their child became virtually addicted to the drug. A doctor, pharmacist, or the public health nurse will certainly have information for you.
Exercise 3 1. For each topic you looked up in the dictionary, think of one or more people in your community who might have some information you could use. 2. Find out how to contact each of these people. Use a telephone book if needed. 3. Record the names and contact information for each of your possible sources in your notebook.
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3. Personal Libraries Often the same people who have first hand knowledge on a subject may also have gathered books, pamphlets or newspaper clippings useful in your research. If they have a computer, they probably know appropriate web sites on the Internet (see section 6 below for more information on the Internet). In most cases, people who have done their own research will gladly share what they have with you. The biggest job is to locate these people. Ask everyone you meet if he or she knows a good person to talk to on your subject. Read the newspapers and look in the phone book for interest groups that might have some knowledge you can use. The local gardening club may help you find out more about tomatoes. In the case of Ritalin, a friend of your next door neighbour may have already contacted Health Canada for the information available to the public. 4. Corporate Sources Businesses, large and small, cannot operate without information. Many have collections of materials in their offices. With the proper permission, you may be able to use some of these. A plant nursery may have information sheets on various fruits and vegetables while local pharmacists can provide a typed page of instructions and warnings about Ritalin like the one they give out with each new prescription. Usually they are glad to supply you with one, or else they will look up the information in their special reference book, Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties4. You can even ask them to contact the drugs manufacturer for you. Often the drug company will fax additional information directly to your local drug store where you can pick it up. Dont overlook any source in your community, and dont be afraid to ask for information. Most people are really pleased to share, particularly if they have a lively interest in the subject.
Exercise 4 1. Find and record contact information for businesses in your community that might have information on the five topics you identified in Exercise 2.
a special book used by pharmacists that tells them all about each drug they dispense
5. Other Community Libraries Do not overlook libraries in post-secondary institutions, high schools, and even elementary schools. These can usually be used with special permission.
Exercise 5 1. Make enquiries about how to get permission to use other libraries in your community. 2. Record the information in your notebook. 6. Government Sources Governments today offer a wide variety of information to the public. This is one of the good things that your tax dollars pay for, so use it. You can usually locate the material you need by calling 1-800-667-3355. An information officer will direct your call to the right department. They will mail, fax, or email you government pamphlets on anything from copyright laws to the ingredients in health foods. Give it a try and youll be surprised how easy it is to find what you want.
Exercise 6 1. Choose one of the five topics you have been using in these exercises. 2. Think of a good question you would like answered on this topic. 3. Try the 1-880 government telephone number. Ask them to send you the appropriate material. 7. The Internet The Internet is really a huge electronic library that you can use through a computer. Information is stored in computer files all over the world, and the computer you are using can look at any
one of these through the phone (and now cable) lines. By typing key words into a search engine5, your computer instantly find and connect to web sites6 published by governments, corporations, and just ordinary people. Once you have browsed through the most suitable titles, you can download7 pages of information on any topic you can imagine. If you dont have Internet access yourself or know someone who does, most communities in New Brunswick have Community Access Sites where for free or for a small hourly charge you can search the Net. Computers are not hard to learn how to use. Once you have tried it a couple of times, you will be surfing8 like a pro. Exercise 7 1. Find at least three different places in your community where you can connect to the Internet. 2. Make arrangements to visit a community access site. Make sure that you have someone with you who can show you how to use the World Wide Web. 3. Look up at least one of your topics on the Web. When you find some useful information, download it on a printer. Save the information you found in your notebook. Perhaps it might be useful later. Warning: When you download information from the Web, be aware that it is largely unedited. Unlike books and other sources which must publish verifiable true facts, no one checks on the reliability of information published on the Web. There are no guarantees about the accuracy of its information. Your best protection is to only take things from reliable sources, like major corporations, which are conscientious about what they publish or who know they cannot afford to make mistakes.
a special place on the Internet that will search for information by matching the word(s) you type in to the same words typed in by someone else anywhere in the world
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places all over the world that store information electronically tell your computer to bring you specific information a computer term that means travelling electronically from one site to another on the net
8. The Public Library Most communities have good public libraries, filled with resource materials on a wide variety of topics.. Even if you live in a rural area, you may be able to get to a library or have access to a bookmobile. In addition to their own materials, libraries can borrow materials from other libraries within your city, province, or even from outside the province or the country by means of inter-library loans. The librarian will arrange to have material brought to your library from another location, but you usually need to know the title of the book you want. Sometimes this can take several days or even weeks, depending on how far the material has to travel. For this reason, it is always a good idea to start your research projects early, so that you have the time to take advantage of this service. HOW TO USE THE LIBRARY When you enter any library for the first time, look for a map or diagram that shows the various areas in the library. It should be located near the entrance. If you cant find one, ask the librarian to explain the layout of your library. Take time to wander around and get acquainted with the location of the various sections. The next time you come you wont feel like a stranger, and youll be more likely to use the library effectively. As a learner and researcher, you need to be familiar with libraries: how they are arranged and how they organize their collection of books.
1. The Circulation Area All libraries have a circulation area. This is where you register for a library card, borrow and return books, or consult the librarian. It is usually located near the front doors of the library. Once you are familiar with your local library, you should try to find materials for yourself, but until you feel comfortable or when you get stuck, ask the librarian. Librarians love books, know the materials on their shelves well, and often have ideas for additional sources of material. Get to know the librarians; they are trained to help you and make your search for information as easy as possible. Feel comfortable asking for help. One of their goals is to encourage more people to use the library regularly.
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2. Reference Area The reference area, usually located near the front of the library, often has large tables and comfortable chairs available. Library users are expected to use the reference materials right in this area as these books do not circulate9; that means you cannot borrow them and take them home. You are more than welcome to find a comfortable spot to read and make notes from the reference material which include
Dictionaries and Thesauruses Encyclopedias Indexes Yearbooks and Almanacs Biographical Indexes
A. Dictionaries and Thesauruses The reference section usually contains a variety of general and specific dictionaries as well as a selection of Thesauruses, all of which you learned to use in Module 1. B. Encyclopedia Encyclopedia are also stored in the reference section. There are two types of encyclopedia: general and specific. General encyclopedias usually have about 20 volumes filled with articles written by recognized experts. The entries are arranged alphabetically by topic. The last volume of a set of encyclopedia is often an index where you can search for the topic you want. Each entry in the index is followed by a volume number and page number (e.g.Bears, polar: Volume II p 349), showing exactly where to find the information you want. These indexes may also use abbreviations to indicate photographs, related articles, etc. Look for the part of the index that explains how to use it. You can also find information in an encyclopedia by using the Guide Letters on the spine of each volume. If the guide letters look like this Bat-Bur, this means
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cannot be borrowed because they must be available to library users all the time
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that the volume contains topics, like Batavia, bears, binoculars, bubbles, that naturally come alphabetically between these letters. There are many different sets of encyclopedia. Here are five common ones. ! ! ! ! ! World Book Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Americana Comptons Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Britannica Grolier Encyclopedia
The second type, specific encyclopedias, focus on one topic. Here are some examples of the wide variety of encyclopedias you may find in your library. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Better Homes and Gardens Encyclopedia of Cooking Childcraft (15 volumes) Encyclopedia of World Art (15 volumes) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Coins The Illustrated Family Health Encyclopedia (24 volumes) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aviation and Space Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau The Baseball Encyclopedia Quick Canadian Facts The Oxford Companion to Film The Trivia Encyclopedia Comptons Precyclopedia (for very young children, 16 volumes])
C. Indexes Many of the indexes available in the reference area are used to locate additional resource material. For example, periodical indexes list magazine and journal articles by title, author, and subject that go back many years. All entries are arranged alphabetically and are followed by the names of magazines that carried the article, by the month, year and page on which it can be found. When you find a listing for an article you would like to read, the librarian will help you find it, either at the library itself or through an inter-library loan. The titles below are just some of
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Canadian Periodical Index............................Canadian magazine articles Readers Guide to Periodical Literature .......magazine articles Facts on File.................................................Canadian newspaper articles The New York Times Index..........................American newspaper articles National Geographic Index............................articles from the magazine Industrial Arts Index......................................trade and industrial journals Social Sciences and Humanities Index...........articles from professional journals (i.e. psychology, sociology, literary) Art Index Agricultural Index Applied Science and Technology Index
D. Yearbooks and Almanacs A yearbook is a yearly updating volume written by the encyclopedias publishers to present the most accurate information available. It can also be a book of facts, statistics and current events. An almanac is an example of a book that is published every year and contains a variety of information.
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Here are some examples. The Canada Yearbook (official facts about Canada) Annual Register: A Review of Events at Home and Abroad The Canadian Almanac Whitakers Almanac (Great Britain) United Nations Yearbook International Yearbook and Statesmans Whos Who World Almanac and Book of Facts Canadian Almanac and Book of Facts Statemans Almanac (commercial and political facts) E. Biographical References Biographical references and books about authors are also shelved in the reference area. Here is a sample of what you might find in your library. Whos Who (British subjects) Whos Who in America Whos Who in Canada Whos Who in the East The International Whos Who Twentieth Century Authors American Men and Women of Science Contemporary Authors Dictionary of Canadian Biography Something About the Author Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press) Dictionary of Literary Biography 3. The Main Library Area In this area, you find books of all kinds on every subject you can imagine. Fiction books are located in their own separate section of the library and filed on
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the shelves by authors name in alphabetical order. Fiction for children and youth is usually found in a special area and each book is marked with J for juvenile. Non-fiction books are filed according to one of two systems: Dewey Decimal System (smaller Canadian libraries) Library of Congress System Non-fiction books are filed by subject area and then within a subject area by author. Based on the system your library uses, the main library area is divided into sections. Often the end of each row of shelves has numbers printed on it (e.g. 700800). This indicates that the books on this set of shelves have numbers on their spines which fall between these numbers. In other words, all the books on physics are placed in one section; all the cookbooks are shelved together, as are all books on golf. 4. The Catalogue Area The next area of the library to explore is the catalogue area. This is usually located near the entrance and the circulation area. The catalogue area provides information about every one of the books (and other materials) the library owns in one of three ways: either in card catalogues, on micro-fiche files, or through on-line computer files. Once you know how to read the catalogues, you will be able to go directly to whatever book or piece of material you are looking for. A. Card Catalogues Card catalogues are the oldest method of keeping track of a librarys collection of materials. They are located in a series of large cabinets divided into three sections. Each of the three sections contains drawers full of small file cards, arranged in alphabetical order. The cards in the first section lists each book by its title; the second section lists them by author; the third by subject. Each book, therefore, has three separate cards, one for each of the three different ways the item is catalogued: by title, by author, by subject. Even if you dont know the title, you can still find the book by looking it up by its author or by its subject.
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Here is an example of a subject card. Notice that the subject Atlases appears on the first line.
Atlases Educ Book Society international atlas. 912 Agincourt, On. : Book Society, [1970] B724 vii 192 p. : ill. (col); 32 cm. ISBN: 0-7725-1060-1
Each card in the catalogue carries a number (call number) at the top left corner. This number is the same as the one printed on the spine10 of each book in the library. The numbers come from either the Dewey Decimal System or the Library of Congress System of cataloguing books. These systems both organize books by their subjects. This means that all books on music are shelved together, as are those on dogs, or health, or history. What is the call number on the card above? Can you find the title of the book listed on this card, the place of publication, the publishing company, and the year of publication? The line that appears under the publishing information tells you that the book has 192 pages, colour illustrations and its size (32 cm.). In addition, you can find the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) on the card, important information if you want to order the book from a bookstore. The numbered notations at the bottom of the card show other cards for this book. In this case, you will also find this book listed in the subject catalogue under Atlases, Canadian. The author card looks almost the same as the subject card. The first line of an author card carries the authors name. In this case, the author is considered to be
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the back of the book, the part that shows when it is placed on a shelf
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Book Society of Canada, Ltd. The title cards first line carries the title, Book Society World Atlas on its first line. Until recently, card catalogues were the only way to look for a book, but today only small libraries still use this system. B. Microfiche Catalogues The microfiche catalogue is a newer method of cataloguing books. It is really just the information from a card catalogue, recorded on small sheets of transparent11 plastic, called microfilm. Each sheet contains miniature pictures of pages of listings of information about the librarys books. One set of microfiche list books by title; another by author; a third by subject. Each listing includes a Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress number, which helps locate the book within the library. Because the pictures on the microfiche are so small, a special machine, called a microfiche reader12, is required to read them. A single sheet of microfiche may contain information on 4,200 to 8,000 cards. Libraries use them because they can now shelve more books in the space the card catalogues used to take up. C. On-line Computers The on-line computer catalogue is the newest system of cataloguing books. It is generally used in large libraries at universities or in national libraries. It allows the user to scan and search the materials kept in several libraries or universities at once by looking at a computer. At the University of New Brunswick, for example, the PHOENIX system allows the user to search eight separate databases13 from one computer terminal. The eight databases are listed on the next page. LIBRARY ENLIST CLIO MMI WCL
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books catalogued at the university since 1977 (pre-1977 on cards) Applied Science and Engineering library microfilmed books since 1900 Micmac-Maliseet Institute Ward Chipman Library - at UNB in St. John
something you can see through e.g. glass is transparent a special machine which magnifies the tiny pictures on microfilm catalogues, separate library collections
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Law Library Computing Centre documentation Indexed articles from the Daily Gleaner14 since 1984
5. The Periodical Area This section of the library contains current periodicals (magazines and journals) and newspapers. Old issues may be bound in hard cover or microfilmed and placed in special areas. If you are looking for information on a specific subject you should first go to the reference area and look up the topic in a periodical index, like Books in Print. Periodical indexes list articles by title, subject and author, just like card catalogues do for books. Once you have found the location of the articles you want, you can find the magazine or newspaper and read the articles that relate to your research. Pay attention to the date of the publication to make sure that the information is up-todate. 6. Vertical Files and File Drawers Usually located in or near the Periodical Area, these files contain clippings, pamphlets, brochures, posters and other materials which would be difficult to place on shelves. They are filed by subject. 7. The Media Area Often this area looks more like a large living room with comfortable chairs and a variety of devices which play tapes, CDs, videos, films or slides for library users. The holdings in this area are catalogued separately. This is where you will find films based on books or Shakespeares plays, for example. Many libraries also offer loans ranging from one day to two weeks for these kinds of materials. Libraries in larger areas even provide rentals of the various devices needed to use these materials.
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8. The Government Document Area One of the largest publishers in the country is the government. In many larger libraries, there is a section completely devoted to government documents. These can be invaluable to someone who needs access to information on programs and statistics. If your library does not have a government document area, you may be able to find what you want in the reference section in books like the Canada Yearbook or in reports from Statistics Canada.
Exercise 8
Arrange to make a trip to the nearest library. Make sure you allow enough time to really explore it. Then make a diagram of your library that includes all the various library areas.
Exercise 9 While you are at the library, find and record the following information. Ask your instructor to check your work. 1. Name and date of publication of two sets of general encyclopedias. (If possible, one should be Canadian.) 2. Name and date of publication of 3 specific encyclopedias. Write a sentence that describes the kind of information each includes. 3. Name three countries in Africa and their capital cities. What is the most recent population figure you can find for each country, each capital city. 4. What are the most recent figures for the population of New Brunswick? Be sure to include the year when the statistics were gathered. 5. Record the call numbers and titles of one book on dogs, one on cooking, and one the includes the symptoms of childhood diseases.
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6. Find the title, author, and call number of a book on New Brunswick history, on Canadian history, and on American history. 7. Find the address for McCain Foods. 8. What kinds of books have the call numbers 821, 642, 946? 9. Ask the librarian how many books your library contains. 10. Make a list of things or activities (other than books) that you can find at your library. HOW ARE BOOKS ARRANGED IN THE LIBRARY? To find the books that contain the information you need, you begin your search in the catalogue area, using whichever catalogue system your library uses: cards, microfiche, or computer. In the case of Ritalin, you should look in the subject catalogue under words like Ritalin, drugs, hyperactivity, behaviour disorders, even under its chemical name, methylphenidate. Remember that you found all of these key words by looking in the dictionary when you first started your research. When you find something that looks interesting in a catalogue, you will also find a call number associated with it. A call numbers look like this:
640 indicates the broad subject area of the book (Domestic Economy) .7 narrows the broad subject area (Home Economics) F593t represents the authors last name (Henrietta Fleck) 1974 is the date the book was published. Every non-fiction book in a library carries a call number on its spine. The books are then shelved in numerical order. If, for example, the call number in the catalogue is 821.32, look first for the section of shelves that has the books in the
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800 range. Then, move along the shelves reading the call numbers until you find the 820s. Now you are getting a lot closer. Look for the 821s and then the book itself, filed numerically as 821.32. Another way to find the books you want is to learn something about the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress System. Sometimes it is more effective to go directly to section you want and look at the titles until you see something interesting.
1. The Dewey Decimal System In this system, general topics are assigned numbers. Here are the ten basic divisions in the Dewey Decimal System. 000 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Generalities Philosophy and Related Disciplines Religion The Social Sciences Language Pure Sciences Technology (Applied Sciences) The Arts Literature (Belles Lettres) General Geography and History
Each of these general categories is subdivided into more specific areas. For example, science books are arranged as follows: 500 510 520 530 540 550 560 570 580 Pure Sciences Mathematics Astronomy and allied sciences Physics Chemistry and allied sciences Sciences of earth and other worlds Paleontology Life sciences Botanical sciences
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590
Zoological sciences
Each of these categories is further subdivided into even more specific areas. For example, you would find books on various aspects of geology arranged as follows: 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 Physical and dynamic geology Rocks (Petrology) Economics of Geology Geology of Europe Geology of Asia Geology of Africa Geology of North America Geology of South American Geology of other areas and worlds
Where would you look for information about the kinds of rocks in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia? Even these categories are subdivided into more specific areas. If you were looking for information on the Black Hawk War, a conflict involving North American native people, you would first go to the 900s where material on geography and history are stored. The general history of North America is found in the 970s. The place and date of the Black Hawk War places it in the 973s. Finally, you find a book that has the information you want. The call number on the spine is 973.5.
Exercise 10 1. What number would you expect to see on the spine of a book dealing with the music of Mozart? About the Islamic religion? About psychology? About growing tomatoes?
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2. The Library of Congress System The Library of Congress System uses an alphanumeric15 system to organize books. Here are some of the categories in this system. A B-BJ BL-BX C D E-F G H J KD KF L M N P-PA PB-PH PG PJ-PM PN, PR, PS, PZ PQ, Part 1 PQ, Part 2 PT, Part 1 PT, Part 2 Q R S T U V Z
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General Works Philosophy, Psychology Religion Auxiliary Sciences of History History: General and Old World (Eastern Hemisphere) History: America (Western Hemisphere) Geography, Anthropology, Recreation Social Sciences Political Science Law of the United Kingdom and Ireland Law of the United States Education Music, Books on Music Fine Arts General Philology and Linguistics Classical Languages and Literatures Modern European Languages Russian Literature Languages and Literatures of Asia, Africa General Literature, English/American French Literature Italian, Spanish and Portuguese Literatures German Literature Dutch and Scandinavian Literature Science Medicine Agriculture Technology Military Science Naval Science Bibliography, Library Science
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Exercise 11 1. What letter would you expect to find on the spine of a book dealing with the drug Ritalin? About tomatoes? About the Black Hawk Wars? About Kubla Khan, a ruler of ancient China?
Exercise 12 Use what you know about the library to find as many of the following as you can. 1. The name of the country where Beethoven died. 2. The names of three books by Ernest Hemingway. 3. A recipe for cooking fennel. 4. A treatment for ear mites in cats. 5. Two uses for spearmint. 6. The title of a book on thermodynamics. 7. The author of a book on Wilfred Laurier. 8. A magazine article on Ritalin. 9. A newspaper clipping on the Olympics in Atlanta. 10. A picture of a painting by Christopher Pratt.
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THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN THE REAL WORLD Up until now, you have used one or two textbooks in school which contained all the information you were required to know for any subject you were taking. Your teachers helped you understand the material in the textbooks by presenting summaries of the facts on the blackboard which you could then copy into your notebook and later use to study from. In addition, teachers answered your questions about confusing points, prepared exercises to give you practice using new information and tested you regularly to make sure that you really did know and understand the material in the textbook. As an adult learner, you are now part of a learning system that is designed to create independent learners. As an independent learner, you will eventually be able to find out everything you need to know about a new topic by yourself. In other words, once you become an independent learner, you probably wont always need a teacher to help you learn. You are now working toward that goal and you are expected to go beyond the textbooks and modules provided. As an adult learner, your goal is to develop strong research skills in order to learn independently and effectively for the rest of your life. For example, when you are studying a novel, you should not only read the novel itself but also find other books that comment on the story itself, that provide information on the life of the author, or that tell more about the political situation at the time that the novel was written. Your instructor will not necessarily tell you what books to read or even to read extra material. It is simply taken for granted that adult students will quickly begin to take responsibility for their own learning. This attitude is similar to those you will find in the business world. An employer is not likely to tell you what you need to know or read to complete a given work assignment. It is up you, the employee, to find the information, read it, learn it, and be ready to use it on the job. For example, in the workplace, employees are rarely sent on courses anymore because most businesses feel that it is an unnecessary expense. Instead they expect that employees will be able to find and acquire the information they need on their own. It is not uncommon today for employers to give employees a set of manuals on a new procedure or machine and
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expect them to put into practice on Monday what they have read over the weekend. It is up to the employees to read and learn the material and gather additional resource material. Sometimes weekend seminars may be offered, but not always. Similarly, in business, the supervisor may ask for a report on a new aspect of the industry. In order to do this, research is often required. The subject or topics must be investigated in detail. This means that the employee/learner must first find the information available on the subject (often in a library), and then record and organize it. If a report is required, the information gathered must be turned into a piece of writing which clearly explains the information. HOW TO GATHER INFORMATION Learning to research topics is a valuable skill. Before you begin, you need to know more about the parts of a book and what kinds of information you can find in each. Books obviously have a front and back cover. The part of the book that you see as it sits on the shelf is called the spine. The first printed page is the title page, which presents the books title, the authors name, the publishers name, the cities in which it is published the edition (the larger the number the more recently the book has been updated). Some books have subtitles, like From Sight to Insight: Stages in the Writing Process, a textbook on how to write effectively. The title is not very helpful in deciding what the book is about, but the subtitle, Stages in the Writing Process, shows it clearly. The back of the title page carries the date of publication and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). If you want to order a book from the bookstore, the ISBN will make it easier to identify the book you want. Many books next contain a preface or forward which is a short note or essay written by the author or editor about the subject, purpose, or plan used in the book. The table of contents comes next and lists section and/or chapter titles along with the appropriate page number.
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At the end of the book, you will find several useful sections. Some books contain a glossary, which is a mini-dictionary explaining unfamiliar or difficult words the author has used. A book can also contain one or more appendices16 which list explanations, statistics, diagrams, etc. helpful in understanding the information in the book. The author may also include an index which lists specific topics, names, places, etc. along with the page or pages on which they appear. The last section in a book is often the bibliography or Works Cited page. A bibliography is a list of book titles, authors, and publishing information readers may need if they want to consult a book the author has quoted or referred to. Not all books contain all these sections. Start by using dictionaries, library catalogues and other community resources to locate other information. Then go to the library and look for materials in the card catalogue, on microfiche, or on the computer. As you look at the catalogue, be sure to pay attention to the year of publication. This is important because it tells whether the book contains current information and statistics. For some topics, like famous people or historical events, the year of publication may not be so important. However, when you are looking for information on a drug like Ritalin or on the population of a city, it is essential that you use the most up-to-date information. Catalogues will also tell you whether a book contains pictures and how many pages the book contains. When you have decided that a book probably contains the kind of information you need, find it on the shelves. Check the Table of Contents and/or Index of each book to narrow your search. You do not need to read every book from cover to cover. Simply read the sections that apply to your topic. Locate the sections that look like they may have something relating to your research, then skim or scan them until you identify the sections which will be most useful. Then read those sections best suited to your needs carefully, and make notes on the information you think that you might be able to use. The librarian may also be able to help you by pointing out books and other resources that you might have missed. When you are researching, dont overlook other parts of library such as periodical indexes, encyclopedias, or vertical files. In addition, remember to explore your community for local experts and unofficial libraries. Information you
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get from people with first hand knowledge is called a primary source. Information from books and other sources which provide second hand information are called secondary sources. HOW TO RECORD INFORMATION Once you have identified the best books for your research, you can start taking notes so that you will remember the various facts you have found. Although you can use ordinary sheets of paper, it is sometimes easier to use catalogue cards (like recipe cards) or to cut paper into squares about 3 inches by 2 inches. These are sometimes called reference cards. Record each idea, fact or quotation you find that you think might be useful on a separate card along with the page on which you found it. At the top of each card, write the title, author, call number and publishing information of the book in which you found it.. If you need to find that particular source again, you wont have to go through the whole search process again. Here is a sample reference card prepared by a student working on an essay on perception and its role in creating effective advertisements. Everett, B. Looking Out, Looking In. New York: Grolier 1989 page 76 Attention is also frequently related to contrast or change in stimulation. Put differently, unchanging people or things become less noticeable.
You can also use catalogue cards to jot down your own ideas and questions about the topic. Perhaps there are questions you want answered or ideas you want to explore. As well, you may suddenly create a sentence in your head that really works. Write it on a separate card too so that when you start to write you will be able to remember it.
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Here are two examples of resource cards that contain ideas the writer wants to include in an essay. In the case of an essay on advertising, this card might then be clipped to a stack of photocopies of old ads that could be part of the final report. History Find examples of advertising from the 1930s, 1940s, etc. to show what consumers expected in ads at those dates
Possible Opening Sentence Advertising is as much a question of fad and fashion as the mini-skirt and platform shoes.
Research Tip It is time consuming to write all the information about each book on the top of every card you use. Here is a method that will save you time. Its called a master list. Write the appropriate information about each book you are using on one piece of paper (or more if you are using lots of books). Give each separate title a number. Now instead of having to write the bibliography information on the top of each separate card, you simply write the number from the master list associated with that book at the top of each card. The master list of sources must include the following information: the authors (or authors) name(s) the title and subtitle edition number (if needed)
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the date of publication the publishers name the place of publication When you are ready to create a Works Cited page or a bibliography at the end of your report, you have all the information you need in one place. Here is an example of a Master List. Master List 1. Jones, H. Academic Essays. New York: Longman, 1995. 2. Brown, J. Prose Symbols. Toronto: McMillan, 1994. 3. Yan, T. Supper for Six . Ottawa: Sunrise Press, 1989. 4. Scott, J.P. and K. Smith. Tower of Tales. London: Oxford Press 5. Everett, B. Looking Out, Looking In. New York: Groler, 1989
HOW TO ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION Once you have gathered all the information, statistics, quotations, and ideas you will need in your report, you can start to use the cards to create the outline or plan you will use when you start to write. Sort the cards into piles of similar information. Try to think of major headings under which you can develop your report and place each card under its appropriate heading. As you proceed through this step, you may find that there are holes in your research that require that you do more reading. At this point in the process, you havent yet started to write the report as you are still in the planning stage. After the first sorting of the research cards, you may find that the report isnt developing too well. Perhaps you need to restructure your ideas. No need to worry. Simply gather up the research cards and rearrange them under a different set of headings. Continue to arrange and re-arrange your resource cards until you are satisfied with the way the report will read. A word of advice. Once you have made a final decision on the order in which the information you have gathered will be presented, number each one of the
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cards sequentially. Then if you should happen to drop them or get them mixed up, you wont have to try to reconstruct the same order again. All you will have to is sort them by number. HOW TO WRITE A REPORT When you are satisfied with the overall organization of the major topics in your report and when you have gathered all the research material you will need, you can begin to write the paper. Experienced writers say that the research and organization stage of the process probably takes about 75-80% of their time. The remaining 25-20% is devoted to writing, revising and proofreading. Sit down with pen and paper (or at a computer) and start to write from your notes. This means going through the cards you have prepared in the order you assigned them in the planning stage and stringing them into sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that follow the outline you have prepared. If possible, write the rough draft in one sitting. You will learn more about writing and using the results of your research in IAU-ENG 2.8, Writing Longer Essays and 2.9, Writing Informal Reports..
A WORD ABOUT PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is using someone elses ideas and/or words in your writing without giving credit to the person who created them. The dictionary defines this as literary theft. To copy a writers words, summarize them, or even reword them (from resource material) in your own work is the equivalent of stealing from a store or someones home. Anything writers create from their own mind, whether it is music, art, or writing, is considered to be their personal intellectual property. In general, no one is allowed to use what someone else has created, without permission, until fifty years after his or her death. Whenever you write or create something, you too own the copyright to your intellectual property and you have the right to say how and when it can be used or photocopied. Plagiarism is considered a major offence and brings severe penalties in both the academic or business community. Plagiarism may result in immediate dismissal from an academic institution.
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Certainly anyone found plagiarizing material will receive a 0" on the assignment, without the opportunity to rewrite. In the business community, plagiarism can bring major law suits and/or fines for copyright infringement. It is never acceptable to steal someone elses work, ideas or words. Be very careful when researching to make accurate notes and record all the bibliographic information from each resource books. This information is then used to give credit to the author on a Works Cited page or bibliography at the end of your paper.
HOW TO MAKE A WORKS CITED PAGE OR BIBLIOGRAPHY A bibliography is an alphabetized list of all the books and other sources you borrowed material from and included in your report. Many people think that the purpose of a bibliography is to prove to the teacher or readers that you spent a lot of time researching. In fact, the purpose of a bibliography is much more important. It directs the readers to the exact place where you found your ideas, facts, or quotations so that readers can check out your facts or perhaps read more about your topic for themselves.. Several styles are acceptable for recording your sources, depending on the school or organization you work for. Basically, all formats are similar but there are some small differences. Be sure to find out which format is acceptable in your particular circumstances. Here are three common formats for recording research information. MLA Modern Language Association (most English reports) APA American Psychological Association (reports in the social sciences) Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago) Information about sources appear twice in your writing. Once, in an abbreviated form, right after you use the material (parenthetical reference) and later in full form on a separate page at the end of your paper (Works Cited or Bibliography). The examples below use the MLA format.
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A. Parenthetical References In the body of your report, you must show where borrowed material came from when you use the authors exact words. Even if you only summarize what you have read or reword a sentence instead of using a quotation (the authors exact words), you must also give the source. There are two ways to present a parenthetical reference. 1. Authors name and page (or pages) in parentheses17 right after the borrowed material. Do not place a comma after the authors name. Give yourself credit for all the good writing you already do (Klauser 14). 2. Authors name in the sentence and page number in parentheses. Bryson states that the number of words in English far exceeds the 615,000 listed in the revised Oxford Dictionary when you consider that words like mousy, mice and mouselike are counted as only one word (139).
Exercise 13 Do some research on the history of your area, the province of New Brunswick, or a famous New Brunswicker. Write a paragraph about this. Be sure to use a quote from your reference material and give credit to your source(s) with at least one parenthetical reference. B. Works Cited or Bibliography At the end of the paper, the Works Cited page includes a list of all the sources that you took material from, listed in alphabetical order by author. Always start a new page for a bibliograpy or Worls Cited page. Pay special attention to the punctuation and spacing as this is an essential part of the format. Examine the excerpt from the Works Cited page below.
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brackets
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Bryson, Bill. Mother Tongue: The English Language. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada, Ltd., 1990. Carter, Bonnie, and Craig Skates. The Rinehart Handbook for Writers. Montreal: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1988. Childs, Leslie. Ode to the Veranda Readers Digest Apr. 1996: 38-39. Levins, Harry. The Novel. Dictionary of World Literature. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. Rev. ed. Totowa, N.J.: Littlefield, 1968.
Small, Edward. Personal Interview. 8 June 1997. Notice that there are 2 spaces before and after the title, one space before the publishers name, and all lines are double spaced. If an entry takes more than one line, the second and all following lines are indented five spaces. If you would like to learn more about the various styles of formatting Works Cited and parenthetical references, ask your instructor to suggest several sources you can research. Most good handbooks for writing contain specific examples of how to document (list research sources) a wide variety of books, articles, interviews, etc.
Exercise 14 Using at least six sources (books, pamphlets, magazine articles, interviews, etc.), create a bibliography. The sources you choose do not necessarily have to be related.
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CONCLUSION Information is one of the worlds most valued commodities18 today. Even thirty years ago, a country, province, or city/town relied on natural resources like lumber, fish, grain, or minerals to provide jobs and income for its citizens. Today, world markets have changed and there is supplies of these things are running out and there is less demand for them.. As a result, many of the traditional ways of making a living are disappearing, leaving many people and their families on low incomes or without jobs. Learning to live successfully in the Information Age means that everyone has to develop the skills to find and use whatever information he or she needs to make his/her way of life satisfying. As an adult learner, you now have an opportunity to learn where and how to find information efficiently. In todays world, it is impossible to know too much. Good research skills make it easier to learn new things on your own. Continue to use and improve the research skills you have acquired in this module throughout this program and for the rest of your life, and you will see that managing information effectively will have a positive impact on your life.
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Some Major Divisions in the Dewey Decimal System 000 General Works 100 Philosophy 150 Psychology 170 Ethics 200 Religion 290 Mythology 300 Sociology 320 Political Science 330 Economics 340 Law 370 Education 380 Commerce 390 Customs/Folklore 400 Language/Philology 500 Pure Science 510 Mathematics 520 Astronomy 530 Physics 540 Chemistry 550 Geology 570 Biology 580 Botany 590 Zoology 600 Applied Science 610 Medicine 620 Engineering 630 Agriculture 640 Domestic Economy 650 Business 670 Manufacturing 680 Mechanical Trades 690 Building 700 Fine Arts 720 Architecture 730 Sculpture 740 Drawing 750 Painting 780 Music 790 Amusements/sports 800 Literature/General 810 American 820 English 830 German 840 French 860 Spanish 880 Greek 890 Other Languages 900 History 910 Geography/Travel 920 Biography 930 Ancient Historoy 937 Roman 938 Greek 940 European 942 English 944 French 950 Asiatic 960 African 970 North American 978 United States 980 South American 990 Other Areas
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ANSWER KEY Exercise 1 - 9 Answers will vary. Exercise 10 700, 200, 300, 580 Exercise 11 R, S, E-F, D Exercise 12 Answers will vary.
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BAU-ENG PRE-TEST 1. In a paragraph, explain how research skills are useful in everyday life. 2. Why is the dictionary often a good place to start your research. 3. Name and explain four sources of information other than the public library. (5) (2) (8)
4. Draw a rough diagram of your local library and label the following sections: (6) circulation area non-fiction area reference area catalogue area fiction area one other area 5. Explain the kind of information found in any 3 of the library areas above. 6. In which area of the library would you expect to find these materials. Rand McNally World Atlas Saint John Telegraph Journal A Brief History of New Brunswick (a pamphlet) Statistics Canadas Report on Adult Literacy Mel Gibsons movie, Hamlet Birds of Paradise (a novel) Books in Print Nutritious Meals in Minutes 7. Create a Works Cited page from the information given in this paragraph. I spent most July 2, 1998, at the library researching the history of my community. On page 27 of Discovering New Brunswick by Mark Freeman, I found information on the first settlers. This excellent book was published in 1979 in Sackville, NB, by Elgin Press. Later, I found an magazine article on pages 37-41 of Atlantic Progress by Emily Stormont, entitled Living with the New Economy. I knew that the information on the mining industry was reliable because it came from the February 1998 issue of a magazine published locally. I also interviewed John Michaels, a local business man, who knows lots about local businesses and the families which founded them. Total /50 (6) (8)
(15)
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IAU-ENG PRE-TEST 1. In a sentence for each, explain the kinds of information you might find in a) catalogue area b) the media area c) vertical files d) periodical area e) reference area 2. What are the benefits of microfilm over cards? (2) 3. a) Name the two systems a library can use to shelve its collection of books. (2) b) What are the differences between the two systems. Give examples. (4) c) Where would you expect to see each system used? (1) 4. Explain, with examples, primary and secondary sources. (2+6=8) 5. Choose any six of the following terms related to research and explain each. (12). call number spine intellectual property Internet MLA copyright plagiarism bibliography master list 6. Create a Works Cited page from the information given in this paragraph. I spent most July 2, 1998, at the library researching the history of my community. On page 27 of Discovering New Brunswick by Mark Freeman, I found information about the first settlers. This excellent book was published in 1979 in Sackville, NB by Elgin Press. Later, I found a magazine article on pages 37-41 of Atlantic Progress by Emily Stormont, entitled Living with the New Economy. I knew that the information on the mining industry was reliable because it came from the February 1998 issue of a magazine published locally. I also interviewed John Michaels, a local business man who knows lots about local businesses and the families which founded them. Total /50 (15) (10)
39 FEEDBACK PROCESS For feedback, please forward your comments to: New Brunswick Community College - Woodstock 100 Broadway Street Woodstock, NB E7M 5C5 Attention: Kay Curtis Tel.: 506-325-4866 Fax.: 506-328-8426 * In case of errors due to typing, spelling, punctuation or any proofreading errors, please use the enclosed page to make the proposed correction using red ink and send it to us. For feedback regarding the following items, please use the form below: insufficient explanations; insufficient examples; ambiguity or wordiness of text; relevancy of the provided examples; others...
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