Finding Information at the
Ohlone College Library
Newark Center
For Health Sciences & Technology
http://www2.ohlone.edu/org/library/
How to Begin?
Think Strategically!
What kind of information?
 Brief background?
 Reference sources
 In-depth?
 Books
 Most current info? Statistics?
 Periodicals: Scholarly Journals vs. Magazines vs. Newspapers
 Web sites: Evaluate for credibility
How much information?
 Determine scope of assignment
Academic discipline?
 Topic determines best place to find information
Web Sources on the WWW
Use them, but keep in mind:
 No standards or guidelines exist for inclusion on the
“free” Internet!
 Evaluate for Quality & Credibility: authority,
purpose, objectivity, currency!
 Hint: Don’t cite Wikipedia in an academic paper!
Just don’t!
Web Evaluation Resources
 Watch & Learn: Website Evaluation Tutorial
 Read & Learn: Criteria for Evaluating Web
Resources
 Who’s Behind the Page? What Can a URL Tell You?
 In Depth Tutorial: UC Berkeley’s Finding
Information on the Internet
To Google or Not to Google?
Buyer Beware!
You Decide
 Evaluate for Authority: Ban DHMO!
 Evaluate for Objectivity: The “truth” about Martin
Luther King
Got Doubt?
 Rumors circulating the Internet? Snopes.com
 Politicians stretching the truth? Fact Check
Excellent Web Resources:
Shop Here First!
 Ipl2: Internet Public Library: Directory of websites
evaluated by librarians & information professionals.
 Pew Research Center : A nonpartisan "fact tank" that
provides information on the issues, attitudes and
trends shaping the United States and the world.
 Search.Gov: Search for government documents.
 DocuTicker: Selected resources, reports and
publications from government agencies, NGOs, think
tanks and other public interest organizations. Article
Categories
Reference Sources
Advantages:
 Basic background information
 Focus & narrow topic
 Basic concepts, essential questions & topic sub-categories
 Collect keywords & subject-specific vocabulary
Subject Encyclopedias & Dictionaries:
 Search HANS or Search for Articles directory:
 Gale Virtual Reference Library
 ABC-Clio
Books
Ohlone College Library
Advantages:
 Thorough, detailed, in-depth treatment of topics
 Organized and authoritative
Search the Online Catalog: HANS
 Print & electronic books
 Refine search with limits
Electronic Books
Advantages:
 Cover-to-cover content
 All academic disciplines
 Full text search capability
 eBook Collection (EBSCOhost): Over 20,000
eBooks in every discipline!
 How to find eBooks through HANS.
Periodicals:
Newspapers, Magazines, Journals
Advantages:
 Up-to-date information
 Broad coverage
 Peer-reviewed journals provide primary source
reporting of scholarly research
Online Periodical Databases:
 Start at the Databases page
 Search for Articles on library homepage
SIRS Knowledge Source (SIRS Researcher)
Excellent source for substantive news and information
on current issues.
 Pro vs Con: The Essential Questions
 Topic Overview, Timeline, Global Impact, Statistics
Explore Opposing Viewpoints or CQ Researcher or
LexisNexis for full-text news & magazine publications.
Academic Search Complete
Excellent source for scholarly, peer-reviewed journal
articles.
 Subject-specific databases—search all for general results;
search individually for more specific results
 Refine search using limits: full-text, peer-review, date, etc.
 Citation generator (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
 Create a free personal account to save results!
Explore Gender Watch & JSTOR for more scholarly
sources.
Citing Your Sources: APA, 6th ed.
Why?
 Avoid
Plagiarism
 Allows reader to access sources & verify
research claims.
Hot Tip:
 Keep records while you are researching!
 Ohlone Library’s Sample Works Cited Entries
 Purdue University’s OWL APA Formatting &
Style Guide
Additional Research Resources
 YouTube Videos
 MLA: A Basic Strategy
 Scholarly vs Popular Sources
 Website Evaluation
 Locating Primary Sources
 Ask a Librarian
 Email a librarian with a research question!