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Wise Scholar Module

Reflection: Persistence

Watch the video, then click the button to write 2-3 sentences in response to the reflection question:

Count on your library for research resources

The Scholarly Source

What exactly is a "scholarly source" and why are we supposed to look for them for our research? When it comes to different types of sources, "scholarly" refers to things written by experts for experts, like academic books and peer-reviewed journals. In contrast, popular and professional books, magazines, websites, etc. can come from authors with a variety of background knowledge and intentions for their publications, from mere entertainment to political influence. With research, you want to find the most authoritative sources you can to support your conclusions - in other words, you want to use information that comes from authors that really know what they're talking about and can be trusted not to mislead readers/viewers/listeners.

Ask a Librarian

So how do we find scholarly sources? One easy way is to make use of an academic library, like Hekman. Hekman Library focuses on collecting scholarly books and journals, so a lot of what you can find here comes from authors and publishers with a high degree of expertise. Searching for sources in the library can take a bit of practice, and it helps to take some time before you begin to come up with a search strategy, deciding which search tools you will use, what keywords you will try, what type of information you will need, etc. This is a great point to consult with a research librarian. Get advice on your search terms, walk through complex databases, locate books on the shelf, find full-text for an unavailable article - whatever you need for your research, the Hekman librarians can help!

How do I search *efficiently* for *reliable* sources?

3 STRATEGIES:

To make your search even more efficient and reliable, try:

  • Brainstorming keywords
    • When breaking your research question down into keywords, think about multiple ways your topic might be referred to and include those synonyms and other related words in your search
  • Using database filters
    • Select from the built-in search options in different databases to help limit your search results to the types of sources you need (more recently published, peer-reviewed journals, English language, etc.)
  • Searching citations
    • Find one great source already? Use that to chase down others! Look at the bibliographies at the ends of sources you've already found and search specifically for relevant titles, terms, or author names you see there