Student Guide to Research in the Digital Age: How to Locate and Evaluate Information Sources

(Paperback)

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Description

One of the most perplexing aspects of research today is what to do when there's too much information on a topic. What then of the librarian, charged with teaching new generations to appreciate the search for intellectual wheat, especially when the chaff has greater appeal The key, suggests Leslie Stebbins, is to impress upon students the importance of good filtering instincts and careful management of search results. At the same time, it is equally essential to impress upon them the particular challenges and controversies that accompany research in a digital environment. Chapter one provides a step-by-step introduction to both research and critical evaluation that can be followed for any assignment. Chapters two through seven focus on specific types of information resources: when to use them, where to find them, and how to evaluate them. Chapter eight offers guidance on how to develop a note-taking system, cite sources, avoid plagiarism, and organize references. Students and librarians alike will benefit from Stebbin's suggestions, strategies and straightforward examples.

Reviews

This research guide seeks to clarify and simplify the overload of research options that exist, and to provide a best practices approach to discovering, evaluating, and using the best information sources, Web or print, to obtain the most appropriate information for research needs. Stebbins provides a practical step-by-step introduction to the research process and the critical role that evaluation plays.[a] highly functional, comprehensive, and straightforward research guide for today's students. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; professionals/practitioners. * Choice *
Each year one encounters new research guides. However, the Student Guide by Stebbins is worth serious attention. Living up to its intention of being essential reading (xi), it does a masterful job of integrating critical thinking skills, information sources, and database searching techniques, all in one concise paperback.[t]he Student Guide by Stebbins is the best literature guide for undergraduates that has crossed this reviewer's desk. Highly recommended for high school, college, and public libraries. * Reference & User Services Quarterly *
[C]omprehensive. * Reference & Research Book News *
For the teacher-librarian, this book provides clear examples of how to prepare a just-in-time lesson on finding and evaluating information when learners are faced with a particular genre. Consideration should also be given to purchasing several copies if the teacher-librarian believes that students will profit from having a full guide.This book is worth serious consideration for those teaching advanced searching and evaluation skills at the secondary level. * Teacher Librarian *

Author Bio

Leslie F. Stebbins coordinates the Library Intensive Program at Brandeis University Libraries. She also serves as a liaison to the Brandeis University Sociology Department, Politics Department, Women's Studies Program, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Her previous works include Work and Family in America: A Reference Handbook and Women and Equality in the Workplace (co-authored with Dr. Janet Giele).