Teaching and Evaluating Research : Rising Junior Student Expectations

From Washington librarians

The library has specialized databases (not just Proquest.)

You might need to locate background material and do some reading to construct a reasonable researchable thesis

Databases use keywords not natural language

Students need to be aware of some basic library services

Remote authentication (linking to databases off campus)

Interlibrary loan

Research assistance (librarians) 

Plagiarism and how to avoid it

2.    Proper citation of sources

Students don’t seem to realize that if you paraphrase an idea you still need to cite it.

Other suggestions from librarians

Mechanics of locating full-text journals from citations suggested by EWU (SFCC links resolver)

Basic Boolean for keyword searching

A study of how students research now.  Strengths and pitfalls are highlighted

Students seem to arrive at community college with little experience searching for academic information so they naturally employ the methods they use for searching for personal information unless instructed otherwise.

Information Literacy Learning Outcomes for Rising Juniors at Washington State Higher Education Institutions

 The student should:

 · Be able to shape a basic research question appropriate to the topic and to the audience; be able to modify or revise research questions to achieve a manageable focus.

 · Demonstrate a basic understanding of the types of information resources available and distinguish which ones are relevant to the task; formulate effective search strategies.

· Begin to explore how researchers formulate questions and use specific research methods to generate evidence and support conclusions.

 · Recognize differences between popular and scholarly information.

 · Recognize differences between primary and secondary sources.

 · Gain a sense of when and what type of web sources are appropriate to a given research project.

  · Understand that there are multiple approaches to research; be flexible, creative, and resourceful in using research strategies.

 · Practice critical assessment of sources (i.e. usefulness, authorship, currency, point of view, bias, use of evidence, etc.)

 · Demonstrate basic skills in summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing information from a wide variety of sources.

 · Incorporate an understanding of their personal values and biases when making inferences and drawing conclusions about sources of information; reflect upon their own assertions.

 · Appreciate that there are ethical issues inherent in research.

 · Communicate results of research (via written, oral, or visual means) meeting standards of organization, evidence, coherence, and correctness.

· Be aware of institutional regulations concerning plagiarism and academic honesty.

 · Know how and when to document sources using an appropriate citation format.

· Understand the role of library professionals and faculty in guiding them towards reliable information resources and effective research methods.

Information literacy expectations agreed to by the Washington State universities.  This document was a collaboration between university library directors and university academic vice presidents in 2007.