COMP 100 - Ortiz: Home

Please view the video below. 

Conducting research can be difficult when you are unfamiliar with the terms being used to describe certain types of items. If your instructor asks you to use a periodical, would you know what they meant? If you had to locate the call number in an item’s record, could you? It is important to familiarize yourself with what particular library words mean. 

Refer to the handout below called "Definitions Sheet". Please review the sheet and make note of the words that are unfamiliar to you. We will be reviewing many of them through the videos today. 

Please complete "Step 2 Question" on the assignment sheet. 

When you begin a research project, it is a good idea to take a moment to reflect on your prior knowledge of the topic area. How much do you already know about this topic? How confident are you in moving forward with this topic? In most cases, you will need to do a bit of research to get some general information on your topic. 

A great way to gather background information is through searching reference materials. Reference materials such as Encyclopedias and Dictionaries are arranged alphabetically and contain a general overview of a term or subject matter. The library has access to encyclopedias and dictionaries in print and online through particular databases. 

Please view the video below.

Conduct your own search in the Gale Virtual Reference Database. Find the an article related to your paper topic and read it. Make note of the key words or phrases that you think are important to know. Consider researching topics such as technology, internet, or news media. You are not limited to those terms, but they may help you get started. 

Please complete "Step 4 Question" on the assignment sheet. 

Once you have a better understanding of your topic, you can begin to look for materials to help you with your research paper. In this step we will be exploring how to find a book in the library catalog. Please view the video "How to Find a Book in the Library Catalog". 

Please complete "Step 5 Question" on the assignment sheet.

In the following steps we will be learning how to find articles through Milne Library's online resources. Before we begin to find an article, we need to better understand the different types. Your professors may use the term "periodicals" when reference articles and journals. This term is located on your Definitions sheet and will be an important one to remember. 

View the file located below titled "Types of Periodicals". 

In the following three steps, you will be viewing three different videos that explain three different ways to find articles through Milne Library's online resources. These three videos do not represent an exhaustive list of resources for you to use, but they provide a good place to start. Located on the right hand side of this guide will be a box that contains a list of other database that may prove useful to use when conducting research for your assignment. 

For this step, please view the video "Finding an Article - Search Everything". 

Please complete "Step 7 Question" on the assignment sheet. 

For this step, please view the video below. 

Please complete "Step 8 Question" on the assignment sheet. 

For this step, please view the video below. 

Please complete "Step 9 Question" on the assignment sheet. 

Complete the reflective question for Step 10. Once you have finished watching all the videos and completed all the questions, please email me at sarah.rhodes@oneonta.edu with your completed questions. You can copy and paste into the body of the email or just send me the filled out word doc. 

If you are stuck trying to decide on a topic for your paper, there are a few ways to generate ideas. 

1. Scan newspaper headlines 
2. Browse chapter titles in your textbook
3. Check out what's trending 
4. Use the "Browse Issues" section in the Opposing Viewpoints Database

What does peer-reviewed mean in context to journal articles? Peer-review is a process that many scholarly journals undertake to evaluate the quality of the material being submitted. When an article is submitted to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, several impartial reviewers (who are experts in the subject matter) assess for accuracy, and the validity of the research methodology and procedure. 

Search & Discover provides sweeping access to books, ebooks, articles, movies, music, and more through a user-driven platform supporting your research interests. You can use Search & Discover without signing in. However, to access e-books, you will need to sign in when prompted.

There are two main ways to use Search & Discover.

Everything allows you to search simultaneously for books, ebooks, articles, movies, music, and more. You may use keywords, titles, authors, or phrases. Refine your results using the choices on the left. For example, if you want to discover the newest results then select Sort by. Explore Resource Type, also on the left, to get a sense of the various materials available to you.

Library Catalog is commonly used to search the physical collections of the James M. Milne Library, including ebooks, by an author’s name or a book’s title. You may also use keywords to search the library catalog, which contains the table of contents for many records. Subject headings are included in keyword searching and are assigned to all library catalog holdings.

While Everything and Library Catalog are two of the main searching functions in Search & Discover, there are others available for use. Child Collection, Course Reserves, EMC Media, NY State Collection, Reference, Special Collections (SCC), SUNY Catalog, and Young Adult (YA) are all options to choose from. These collections can be searched exclusively by selecting them in the top menu. For example, selecting Child Collection will include results only from that collection. 

It is important to include appropriate citation in your paper. The library has a guide that can help you accurately cite your resources. You can locate it on the library homepage by clicking the "Citing Sources" link, or you can click on the link below.