Research Skills Assessment Instrument Lehigh University Library and Technology Services will be working with our faculty to develop an information literacy program for our students. This assessment of the research skills of our incoming students will help us identify those skills that are most important to this training program. Completing this assessment will make you eligible to win one of ten, $50.00 gift certificates to the Lehigh University Bookstore.Your score on this assessment will not be associated with your personal record. It will be used solely to help with the planning and design of the Information Literacy program. 1. During the past 2 years, I have used a library online catalog... Never Occasionally Often Not sure 2. During the past 2 years, I have written a paper that required a bibliography or list of works cited... Never Occasionally Often Not sure 3. In an online database or an online catalog, which search below would result in the greatest number of hits? Choose one: MTV and music television MTV or music television MTV not music television I do not know 4. You are writing a paper comparing current events in Afghanistan and Iraq. In searching an online library catalog or research database, which search would retrieve only items discussing both Afghanistan and Iraq? Choose one: Afghanistan and Iraq Afghanistan or Iraq Afghanistan Iraq All three strategies will produce the same results I do not know 5.You need to find examples of what average Americans were reading in the 1950's about the threat of communism. What would be the best source of information? Hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities Articles in magazines like Newsweek or Time A biography of Senator Joseph McCarthy Articles from the American Political Science Review Articles from Political Quarterly 6. The online Expanded Academic Index provides indexing for more than 1800 scholarly and general interest journals in many fields. Many article listings have links to full text. Which of the following terms would describe the Expanded Academic Index? Choose one: A library catalog A periodical database A search engine An electronic encyclopedia I do not know 7. You have just done a search on “teen smoking” in the library catalog. The search retrieved one book. Here is the catalog listing: **************************************************** Title: Combating teen smoking : research and policy strategies / Peter D. Jacobson ... [et al.]. Publication info: Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c2001. Physical description: viii, 299 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. Bibliography note: Includes bibliographical references (p. 261-291) and index. Subject: Teenagers--Tobacco use--United States--Prevention. Subject: Youth--Tobacco use--United States--Prevention. Subject: Smoking--United States--Prevention. Subject: Smoking-prevention & control--Adolescence—United States Subject: Health Policy--United States. Personal author: Jacobson, Peter D. LEHIGH CALL NUMBER COPY MATERIAL LOCATION 1) 362.2967 C729 1 BOOK FM-3-NORTH What step(s) could you take to efficiently find additional books? None, there is only one book on teen smoking in the library Find book on shelf, look for others on teen smoking nearby Click a subject heading: Youth-Tobacco use-US- Prevention Search term “smoking," scan list for books on teen smoking I do not know 8. What key concepts below would be most useful in developing a search strategy for the following topic: "Does attending an all-girls school have a positive impact on girls’ academic success?" Choose one: Private schools, academic achievement Single sex education, academic achievement Male students, female students, academic achievement Gender discrimination, academic achievement I do not know 9. Which of the following is the best way to start if you want to locate good journal articles on a specific topic? Choose one : Page through journals Use a research database Use a web search engine Use the library catalog I do not know 10. You have been assigned to find a primary source on the lives of slaves. Which two of the following would qualify? Garrett, Patricia. Analyzing slavery and the slave narrative. Rural Sociology 2001 66(2): 294-300. North American slave narratives [electronic resource]. Publication info: [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, c1998-http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/neh.html [1] Earley, Samantha Manchester. Dismantling master thought: discourse and race in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative. Atenea [Puerto Rico] 2001 21(1-2): 179-192. Douglass, Frederick, 1817?-1895. Title: Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave / written by himself. Publication info: Boston : Pub. at the Anti-slavery office, 1845. I do not know 11-14. The following citation is from a periodical research database. The real challenge of multiculturalism. W.M.Chace. The Education Digest 56: 34-36 May '91 . 11: What is the article title? The real challenge of multiculturalism 12: What is the journal title? The Education Digest 13: What is the volume number? 56 14: What is the first page of the article? 34 15. To what does the following citation refer (choose one answer)? Borzutsky, Sylvia. (1998). “Chilean democracy before and after Pinochet.” In von Mettenheim, Kurt and Malloy, James, (Eds), Deepening Democracy in Latin America . University of Pittsburgh Press: Pittsburgh, PA. Pages 89-107. Book Chapter within a book Encyclopedia article Newspaper article Periodical article 16. To what does the following citation refer (choose one answer)? Wilson, Bruce M. Costa Rica: Politics, Economics and Democracy . Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1998. Book Chapter within a book Encyclopedia article Newspaper article Periodical article 17. To what does the following citation refer (choose one answer)? Branch, David. Tycho's Mystery Companion. Nature . 431:1044-1046. (28 October 2004) Book Chapter within a book Encyclopedia article Newspaper article Periodical article 18. Which of the following are considered primary sources? Choose all that apply: Letters Personal diaries Biographies Bibliographies Encyclopedia articles 19. The Art Bulletin is published quarterly by the College Art Association. It contains articles on all aspects of art history. It publishes, after “rigorous peer review, articles and critical reviews of the highest quality in all areas and periods of the history of art. Its mission is to foster an intensive engagement with intellectual developments and debates in contemporary art-historical practice.” What type of publication is this? Choose one: Popular periodical Book Professional/trade periodical Scholarly periodical Government document 20. Newsweek is published weekly. It reports on and analyzes current events and issues in the US and throughout the world. Articles cover business and financial news and issues, as well as social and technological trends that affect our everyday lives and examine important issues from multiple perspectives. What type of publication is this? Choose one: Popular periodical Book Professional/trade periodical Scholarly periodical Government document 21. You have been assigned to find a scholarly journal article on the effects of television commercials on children. Which of these items would best fulfill your assignment? Choose one: Young, Brian M. Television advertising and children. New York : Penquin Press, 1990. Australian kids inundated with junk food ads. Chris Prichard. Medical Post Newsletter Apr 22, 2003. Vol. 39, Iss. 16; pg. 71. Children and television advertising: When do they understand persuasive intent? Author: Oates, Caroline Source: Harvard Review of Consumer Behavior Vol 1(3) (Feb 2002): 238-245 Television advertising leads to unhealthy habits in children; says APA task force. APA Press Releases Date: February 23, 2004. http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html [2] I do not know 22. Which of the following oral presentation topics requires the most current information? Choose one: A critique of Maya Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning” The origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Issues in Iraq’s transition to an independent government Sleep deprivation among high school students I do not know 23. Which aspects of a website are important when evaluating its value as a source for a research paper? Choose all that apply: Author’s identity and credentials Indication of date of the creation and revision of the site Website’s use of graphics The website offers a chat group option The website domain: what institution sponsors the website 24. You are doing research on gun control policy and have found several websites which discuss this topic. Which of the sites listed below might have the most balanced and authoritative information? Choose all that apply: http://www.atf.gov/firearms/index.htm [3] - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, U.S. Department of Justice http://www.nra.org/ [4] - The National Rifle Association http://www.banhandgunsnow.org [5] - The Violence Policy Center http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/gunlaw.htm [6] - University of Pittsburgh Law School I do not know 25. Suppose you are writing a research paper and you read an article on your topic. In which of the following instances would you include a citation to the article in your paper? Choose all that apply: When you quote a whole paragraph When you write a paragraph over in your own words When you quote one sentence from the article None of the above I do not know 26. Which of these kinds of information would you not expect to be able to retrieve doing a search of Google on the open Internet? Choose all that apply: Today's news Newspaper archives U.S. Census information Journal articles that require paid subscriptions Books in the Urbana University Library catalog on a topic 27. In my high school, I attended a class session about library resources and research strategies that was presented by a librarian or a teacher. Yes No 28. For courses in high school, please indicate any of the following specific resources that you have used. Choose as many as apply: The MLA Bibliography General periodical database like Ebsconet, Infotrac or Readers Guide A full text online newspaper (e.g., The New York Times) Microfilmed primary sources or periodicals A science periodical database (e.g., BIOSIS, SciFinder) 29. You are reading an article about African-Americans in Springfield, Illinois. You want to confirm some of the statistics in another source. Where should you look? Choose one: Essence, a publication targeted to African-Americans factfinder.census.gov, a U. S. Census Bureau website America the Book, by Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" The Chicago Sun-Times 30. You are writing an article for the newspaper on the use of Ritalin and related drugs among college students. Which of the following would not be a useful source of information? A drug company flier on the use of Ritalin Confidential interviews with students who use Ritalin in college An article in American Baby magazine about a parent's experience with their elementary school child on Ritalin A website from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration discussing the use of Ritalin among adults Medical journal articles on Ritalin's effect on concentration 31. You cannot find very much information on your chosen topic: Does caffeine cause high blood pressure in naked mole rats? What other kinds of information would be useful to you in supporting your hypothesis? Choose all that apply: The effects of caffeinated beverages on mice The effects of diet change on naked mole rats The effects of coumadin treatment on blood pressure Salt's effects on high blood pressure in naked mole rats 32. You are writing a paper on the role of the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Below are some of the possible statements you might include in your paper. Which of them is an example of plagiarism? The chief justice of the Supreme Court is appointed for life. According to the Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, "The chief justice's most conspicuous customary duty is that of presiding over Supreme Court proceedings and serving as circuit justice for his allotted circuit." The chief justice's most conspicuous customary duty is that of presiding over Supreme Court proceedings and serving as circuit justice for his allotted circuit. According to the West's Encyclopedia of American Law, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is appointed for life. 33. Which of the following represents an inappropriate use of materials? Including a copy of a map from the CIA World Factbook in your written report, and citing the CIA World Factbook as the source. Copying an outline map of a country from a website that says, "These outline maps are free of charge for educational uses," making your own notations, and noting that your map is based on an outline map from the site. Saving an image of a map of a country from the PBS website and uploading it to your website. Linking to a map of the country from the country's official website. 34. You are starting to do research for a paper about the Great Depression. You know very little about this topic. What would be a useful source to consult as you begin your research? America: History and Life database Encyclopedia of American History Google Scholar The New York Times 35. From the following excerpt, determine the key concepts that would be helpful in creating a search strategy for finding more information related to the topic: "...the quality, speed, and effectiveness of the public health response to SARS brilliantly outshone past responses to international outbreaks of infectious disease, validating a decade's worth of progress in global public health networking. Thus, in several respects, the SARS epidemic reflected fundamental improvements in how the world responds to an outbreak of infectious disease." --Learning from SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak -- Workshop Summary (2004), National Academies Press, http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309091543/html/2.html [7] Epidemic, global, diseases, severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), public health response, advancements, international disease outbreaks International, health response, transmission, outbreaks Outbreaks, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), international travel, health response Research Skills Assessment [8] Copyright, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy applicable to this site. | Login Show mobile version Source URL: http://library.lehigh.edu/content/research_skills_assessment_instrument Links: [1] javascript:open_win('http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/neh.html') [2] http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html [3] http://www.atf.gov/firearms/index.htm [4] http://www.nra.org/ [5] http://www.banhandgunsnow.org/ [6] http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/gunlaw.htm [7] http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309091543/html/2.html [8] http://library.lehigh.edu/teaching_support/information_literacy_teaching_research_skills/ research_success_your_students/resear