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Research Skills Toolkit

Use this guide to find videos on how to use the library.

The Research Process

The Research Process

Students will learn the steps of The Research Process, ways in which it is the same and different between personal and academic situations, and begin to think about ways that their own research processes (both personal and academic) are good and bad. 

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to recall the steps of The Research Process.
  2. Students will be able to compare and contrast The Research Process in personal and academic scenarios.
  3. Students will be able to describe their own research processes, both for their own personal research and their academic research.

Assessment Examples:

  • reflective short essay/discussion board (200-300 words) on their personal and/or academic research processes
  • quiz on the research process

Types of Information

Types of Information

Students will learn about the three types of information: scholarly, trade, and popular. They will begin to think about the types of information they use in their personal and academic research and why different situations call for different types of information.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to identify the three types of information.
  2. Students will be able to describe situations in which the three types of information are most appropriate.

Assessment Examples:

  • quiz on the different types of information
  • reflective short essay/discussion board (200-300 words) on the different ways the three types of information could be used appropriately

The Information Timeline

The Information Timeline

Students will learn about how information is created using The Information Timeline, with a special emphasis on what that means for the various assignments they will encounter in a particular class or college in general.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to recall the sections of The Information Timeline.
  2. Students will be able to identify types of information they can expect to use in various information need scenarios.

Assessment Examples:

  • quiz on The Information Timeline
  • discussion board/reflective essay (200-300 words) breaking down an assignment with the information types most appropriate for it

Evaluate Information

Evaluate Information

Students will learn techniques for evaluating the appropriateness of a piece of information for both their personal and academic needs. 

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to identify key criteria for evaluating information.

Assessment Examples:

  • quiz on criteria for evaluating information
  • reflective short essay/discussion board (200-300 words) on their experience with evaluating information according to one or more of the criteria
  • short essay/discussion board (200-300 words) evaluating a piece of information according to one or more of the criteria

Creating a Search Strategy

Creating a Search Strategy

Students will take a topic they were either assigned or selected themselves and use background research to develop good research questions and search terms.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to develop research questions around a specific topic.
  2. Student will be able to develop search terms for a research question.

Assessment Examples:

  • reflective essay/discussion board (200-300 words) describing how their research question(s) and search terms were developed
  • handout/quiz submitting research question(s) and search terms
Subjects: Library Info