InforMedia Services (IMS)

Summer 2020 course for high school teachers

Tuesday, June 22020, Dr. Bruce Jacobson

1. 1. How (where from) do you receive your news? Do you think you are able to distinguish real news from fake news?
      1. Last year, researchers at Oxford Universityfound that 70 countries had political disinformation campaigns over two years.
         https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/20/bots-and-disinformation/
      2. according to Pew Research Center, 68 percent of American adults get their news from social media—platforms where opinion is often presented as fact.
         results of the international test revealed that only 14 percent of U.S. students were able to reliably distinguish between fact and opinion.

   https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/16/fake-news-prevention/

   News and Media Literacy (and the lack of) is not very different from Information Literacy

An “information literate” student is able to “locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from diverse sources.” See more About Information Literacy

1. 1. Developing Your Research Topic/Question

   Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:

   • Is my question one that is likely to have been researched and for which data have been published? Believe it or not, not every topic has been researched and/or published in the literature.
   • Be flexible. Consider broadening or narrowing the topic if you are getting a limited number or an overwhelming number of results when you search. In nursing it can be helpful to narrow by thinking about a specific population (gender, age, disease or condition, etc.), intervention, or outcome.
   • Discuss your topic with your professor and be willing to alter your topic according to the guidance you receive.

https://youtu.be/ea4eF3WNN2M

1. 1. Getting Ready for Research
      Library Resources vs. the Internet
      How (where from) do you receive information about your professional interests?
      Advantages/disadvantages of using Web Resources

   Evaluating Web Resources

   1. Google or similar; Yahoo, Bing
   2. Google Scholar
   3. Reddit, Digg, Quora
   4. Wikipedia
   5. Become a member of professional organizations and use their online information
   6. Use the SCSU library page to online databases

1. 1. Building Your List of Keywords
      1. Why Keyword Searching?
         Why not just type in a phrase or sentence like you do in Google or Yahoo!?
         1. Because most electronic databases store and retrieve information differently than Internet search engines.
         2. A databases searches fields within a collection of records. These fields include the information commonly found in a citation plus an abstract (if available) and subject headings. Search engines search web content which is typically the full text of sources.
   1. 1. The bottom line: you get better results in a database by using effective keyword search strategies.
      2. To develop an effective search strategy, you need to:
   1. determine the key concepts in your topic and
   2. develop a good list of keyword synonyms.
   1. 1. Why use synonyms?
         Because there is more than one way to express a concept or idea. You don’t know if the article you’re looking for uses the same expression for a key concept that you are using.
      2. Consider: Will an author use:
   1. Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
   2. Teach or Instruct?
   • Therapy or Treatment?

   Don’t get “keyword lock!” Be willing to try a different term as a keyword. If you are having trouble thinking of synonyms, check a thesaurus, dictionary, or reference book for ideas.

   Keyword worksheet

2. Library Resources
   How to find the SCSU Library Website
   SCSU online databases
   1. SCSU Library Web page

+++++!!!!!++++++++++

Test your knowledge:

******* !! *************

1. Basic Research Skills

1. Identifying a Scholarly Source

1. Boolean Operators

1. Databases

1. How do you evaluate a source of information to determine if it is appropriate for academic/scholarly use. There is no set “checklist” to complete but below are some criteria to consider when you are evaluating a source.

1. 1. ACCURACY
      1. Does the author cite reliable sources?
      2. How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
      3. Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
      4. Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?

1. 1. AUDIENCE
      1. Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
      2. Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
      3. What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
      4. Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?

1. 1. AUTHORITY
      1. Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
      2. What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
      3. Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
      4. What does that affiliation suggest about the author?

1. 1. CURRENCY
      1. Is the content current?
      2. Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?

1. 1. OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
      1. What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
      2. Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
      3. Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
      4. If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
      5. Is the information one-sided?
      6. Are alternate views represented?
      7. Does the point of view affect how you view the information?

1. 1. PURPOSE
      1. What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
      2. Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?

1. Exporting bibliography records

Zotero. Zotero AddOn for Chrome and Firefox. Zotero for Microsoft Word. Zotero AddOn for Edublog.
Collecting references

• through the Zotero AddOn for browsers
• through “export RIS” file

1. InterLibrary Loan

1. Copyright and Fair Use
   Author Rights and Publishing & Finding Author Instructions for Publishing in Scholarly Journals
   1. Plagiarism, academic honesty
2. Writing Tips
3. Dissemination of Research

Plamen Miltenoff, Ph.D., MLIS, Professor
320-308-3072
pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu
schedule a meeting: https://doodle.com/digitalliteracy
find my office: https://youtu.be/QAng6b_FJqs
http://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/