A Quick Guide to Research

Did you know? The Eastvale public library has free eResources! With your public library card, you have access to databases, homework help, and more. Go to the Eastvale Public Library website, then click on "eResources" to check it out.

http://rivlib.info/website/branch-page-829/location/Eastvale

Don't have a public library card? Stop by the library to pick up an application, and turn it back in during public library hours. Applications must have a parent or guardian CA driver's licence or I.D. # and their signature.

One eSource you should find valuable is the Gale General Reference Center Gold

Online database. You can access this database for free with your public library card.

Gale is an electronic database of scholarly articles from periodicals and journals. These articles are written by researchers and scholars who are considered experts in their fields. The articles have been peer reviewed (read, and double checked by other experts). This vetting process tells you these sources are reliable.

When researching, have you ever just typed in a word in a search engine and hoped for the best? You can use a trick called Boolean searching for better results. Boolean searching (named after the man who invented it) simply uses the terms AND, OR, and NOT to narrow down or broaden search results. For example:

rugby AND football

ponies OR donkeys

baseball fields NOT United States

Go here for more information on how Boolean logic works:

https://library.uaf.edu/ls101-boolean

This is a great resource by super librarian Kristi Ortiz, teacher librarian at Carl Junction High School Media Center. These hacks are also helpful for database searches.

https://goo.gl/pr9PFW

I am a BIG BELIEVER in learning how to properly cite your sources the old fashion way learning the correct citation style of your field, and typing it out yourself. Why? Because believe it or not, there is a logic behind the structure of academic research papers.

Learning citations allows you to understand the reasoning of how the particular citations works, and how it fits into your overall paper. So, before you EasyBib, here are style guides and help from Purdue OWL, the one stop shop for properly citing your sources.

MLA

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

APA

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Chicago

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/

Both the ERHS library and the Eastvale public library have a vast collection of non-fiction resources. The collections are arranged using the Dewey Decimal system. Here is an infographic on how the system works.

Hi! I am a former history teacher, now teacher librarian at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. I am committed to creating a library learning commons that is tech driven, student friendly, and book loving!

Email: nloza@cnusd.k12.ca.us
Website: erhsmustanglibrary.weebly.com/
Twitter: @erhs_library