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Finding (and Narrowing) a Topic

Have a glimmer of a topic that you'd like to work on? Great! You'll want to work to narrow that topic a bit before you dive into the catalog and databases, or you will be swamped with results. You can try the following strategies to narrow a topic:

• Visit CQ Researcher, a library database that summarizes current events into massive PDFs.
• Gale Virtual Reference Library has got great entries on many of your topics.
• A Google news search can give you headlines from around the world on topics like "invasive species Illinois."

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Still Drawing a Blank?

The College of DuPage library has several print magazines/journals that you can browse through for inspiration. For example, try looking at headlines in:

• American Forests
• Mother Earth News
• Science News
• Audubon

Finding Articles in Databases

Scientific research can be best found in academic databases. Here are the top two databases to look for information.

Academic Search Complete has a mixture of popular and scholarly articles on a variety of subjects. You'll want to be sure that you're using a source appropriate for class when searching.

US Major Dailies has the full text of a number of the country's major newspapers. Make sure to limit to newspapers and sort by relevance when using the databases.

See the full list of biology databases.

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Evaluating Websites

While you're doing Google searches to either narrow your topic or in order to dig up more information on certain subject, you want to be careful to decide if the information you find is trustworthy.

When it comes to science, nearly everyone has opinions: should we be labeling genetically modified food for consumer's awareness? What will fracking do for our economy or our groundwater supply? Your job is to evaluate the information you can find through Google and Bing to find the good websites--those written by authors you can trust, with good and up-to-date information.

Authorship: Who created this website? What is their background on the topic? Are they trustworthy?

Bias: Why was the website created? What point of view does the author have? Does that limit the facts they present or how the facts are presented?

Date: How old is the information that is presented? Is it still accurate?

Questions? Check out the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.

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Class Exercise

Take a moment to look at your website. Is this information trustworthy? How do you know? Be prepared to tell your classmates your opinion.

Frequently Asked Questions on Genetically Modified Food
GMO Facts: Frequently Asked Questions
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Transgenic Crops and Recombinant DNA Technology
The Facts About GMOs

Finding Videos

Evaluate videos in the same way that you evaluate websites: thinking about Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose/Point of View.

That said, there are some interesting youtube channels that you can check out for class:

• The EPA's Youtube Channel
• Purdue Extension offers some good videos
• The Sierra Club has a youtube channel, though you want to be sure to evaluate the information presented there.
• Google Videos has a large catche of videos mainly pulled from youtube, news channels, and blogs.

Using APA Style

Find directions about how to cite your sources on the library citation guide.

Most databases will have a Cite link that you can also click to get article citations.

Finally, you are welcome to use NoodleBib if you'd like to use a program to create and organize your citations. You must "Create a New Folder" when you use NoodleBIB for the first time. Click on "I am citing a(n):," choose the type of item you are citing, and then fill in the online form. Your bibliography will be formatted for you.

Further questions about APA style? Check out the APA Style Blog, which includes sample papers.

Pick a Topic

One of the best ways to get started is to take a look at your textbook. What ideas have caught your attention? What questions do you have from class discussions?

Google News also provides good current news on a variety of topics.

If you have any questions about definitions from your textbook, or the context of some of these issues (such as "how long have we been using nuclear energy in the US?"), head to a reference source to discover more information. Gale Virtual Reference Library and CQ Researcher are both good sources of information.

Finally, you can browse through current chemistry magazines and journals in order to see current headlines. For example, take a look at

• Chemical and Engineering News
• Science News
• American Scientist

Find Books

Our library catalog contains our books, our DVDs and other physical items. Search by topic, such as "drinking water" and pay attention to the ways to limit your search on the left side of the screen.

Find Articles

Next, head to a database:

Once you have a concrete question, head to a library database in order to find scholarly articles. The best bets for your topic are:

Academic Search Complete: ASC offers a wide variety of topics with a wide variety of types of sources (newspapers, magazines, scholarly articles.) It's a good place to look for anything with a current focus (such as Fukushima Daiichi), but be sure to know what you're looking at.

Science Direct: SD contains only scientific scholarly articles. Be sure to select "Subscribed Journals" while searching, and use Gale as necessary in order to get more information about any topics you may have questions about.

You're also welcome to explore our other science databases for more information.

Evaluating Websites

While you're doing Google searches to either narrow your topic or in order to dig up more information on certain subject, you want to be careful to decide if the information you find is trustworthy.

When it comes to science, nearly everyone has opinions: are we getting enough Vitamin D? What will fracking do for our economy or our groundwater supply? Your job is to evaluate the information you can find through Google to find the good websites--those written by authors you can trust, with good and up-to-date information.

Authorship: Who created this website? What is their background on the topic? Are they trustworthy?

Bias: Why was the website created? What point of view does the author have? Does that limit the facts they present or how the facts are presented?

Date: How old is the information that is presented? Is it still accurate?

Questions? Check out the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.

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Class Exercise

Take a moment to look at your website. Is this information trustworthy? How do you know? Be prepared to tell your classmates your opinion.

• What is nuclear energy?
• U.S. Electricity Generation by Fuel, All Sectors
• Reinvent Your Brand with Eco-Friendly Products
• How long does it take for plastics to biodegrade?

Cite Sources

Find directions about how to cite your sources on the library citation guide.

You can also always check out the Purdue OWL website, which has MLA and APA citation guides.

Finally, you are welcome to use NoodleBib if you'd like to use a program to create and organize your citations. You must "Create a New Folder" when you use NoodleBIB for the first time. Click on "I am citing a(n):," choose the type of item you are citing, and then fill in the online form. Your bibliography will be formatted for you.

Plagiarize, Patchwrite, Paraphrase?

Confused about when you would need to cite, or where the line is drawn between paraphrasing and patchwriting?

Take a moment to look at the following sources to see definitions and good and bad examples of student writing. Further questions? Contact me using the information at the right of the screen.

• The COD Plagiarism Tutorial has samples, quiz questions to test your knowledge, and helpful explanations.
• Take a look at the COD patchwriting definition at the bottom of the page.
• See a longer definition of patchwriting supplied by Lewis and Clark College.
• See a discussion of patchwriting that occurred when a student writer used the New York Times as a plaigiarized/patchwritten source..

Critical Thinking

Becoming a Critical Thinker by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero
BF455.R829 2015
Success depends on the ability to think critically. Training and practice turn this ability into a powerful skill.

Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and Argument by Stella Cottrell
BF441 .C68 2011
Ideal for students who are mystified by lecturer comments such as 'more analysis needed', this title takes the art of analysis and breaks it down into easy-to-understand blocks, with clear explanations, good examples, and plenty of activities to develop understanding at each stage.

Ownership: Critical Thinking by Megan Stone
LB2395.35 .S76 2014
The Ownership series teaches Students ownership of concepts, so they are more likely to take responsibility for their successes and failures and “own” their learning.

30 Days to Better Thinking and Living Through Critical Thinking: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life by Linda Elder and Richard Paul
BF441 .E4 2013
This book is for anyone interested in improving the quality of their lives by improving the quality of their thinking.

Reading

Improve Your Reading by Ron Fry
LB1050.455 .F79 2012
This book presents a practical way to increase what you learn from texts, notes, and additional resources. The core belief is that it doesn't matter how much or how fast you read but how much you understand and remember what you are reading.

Ten Steps to Improving College Reading Skills by John Langan
LB2395.3 .L36 2008
Carefully explains and illustrates ten key reading skills that are widely recognized to be essential for literal and critical comprehension. Provides activities and reading selections to help you practice and master those skills

Study Skills

Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? by Steve Piscitelli
LB2395 .P59 2013
Immediately has the student address an age-old question, “Why do I have to take this course?” through assessment of strengths and weaknesses and critically applying what is relevant to their situation.

Ownership: Study Strategies by Megan Stone
LB2395 .S763 2014
The Ownership series teaches Students ownership of concepts, so they are more likely to take responsibility for their successes and failures and “own” their learning.

How to Study by Ron Fry
LB1049 .F74 2012
Provides information on how to create an effective work environment, stand out in class, use the library, conduct research online, and much more.

Listening and Taking Notes

Lecture Ready 3: Strategies for Academic Listening and Speaking by Laurie Frazier and Shalle Leeming
Lecture Ready 3 prepares students for listening, note taking, and academic discussion through videos of realistic and engaging lectures. Explicit presentation skills prepare students for public speaking, a requirement in today's academic and professional world.

Note-Taking Made Easy by Judi Kesselman-Turkel and Franklynn Peterson
LB2395.25 .K47 2003
The authors describe the two most successful methods of organizing notes—outlining and patterning—and provide shortcuts to really make note-taking easy, from shorthand devices to abbreviations.

Get Organized by Ron Fry
E-book - you will need your library card to access this e-book from off campus.
This book shows you how to create your ideal study environment by using simple time-management tips to develop to-do lists, daily schedules, monthly calendars, and project boards.

Online Learning

Power Up: A Practical Student's Guide to Online Learning by Stacey Barrett, Catrina Poe and Carrie Spagnola-Doyle
LB1028.5 .B357 2012
The majority of online students do not persist in their programs. As an online student, you are embarking on an investment in yourself. This book is designed to give you practical tips and information to help you achieve your goals in the online environment efficiently and effectively.

How to Master Online Learning
LC5803.C65 H69 2010
Guides readers in choosing an online learning program, provides advice on paying for classes, software, and textbooks, and discusses common mistakes made by online learners

Lynda.com video courses are made up of a series of instructional videos - you can watch all the videos in the course, or pick and choose topics that fit your needs.

COD students, faculty and staff have free access to Lynda.com - simply register using your @dupage.edu or @cod.edu email address and you will have access to Lynda's vast online library of instructional videos covering a variety of topics such as software training, business and creative skills, and study skills.

For more information about Lynda.com, visit http://www.codlrc.org/lynda

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Study Skills Fundamentals Duration: 1h 36m
Whether you want to ace your next test or simply retain information better (at work or at home), good study habits are essential. Paul Nowak offers tips for improving your reading speed and comprehension, creating detailed notes, committing the learning to memory, and even taking tests. The information in this course is appropriate for all levels of learners, from grade school and grad students to full-time members of the workforce. Start watching now—you'll never approach studying the same way again.
Topics include:

• Learning to read faster and more thoroughly
• Improving your note-taking skills
• Enhancing your memory
• Memorizing new words and formulas
• Scoring better on tests
• Creating study plans

Speed Reading Fundamentals Course duration: 58m
Learn how to improve your reading speed and comprehension. Speed-reading is a skill everyone can benefit from, and this course provides proven techniques to improve how much information you absorb and how fast you absorb it. Paul Nowak, the founder of Iris Reading, first asks you to measure your current reading rate, and explores the reading habits that slow people down. Then he introduces simple techniques for boosting your reading speed and practice drills to reinforce your new skill.

The course then focuses on improving comprehension by understanding how memory works, practicing the "read and recall" method, and breaking down technical terms. The final chapter introduces some advanced tips and strategies for reading different types of media: news and magazine articles, textbooks, technical material, and ebooks.
Topics include:

• Measuring your reading speed
• Reading faster on the computer
• Reading groups of words
• Previewing and overviewing
• Improving comprehension and retention
• Understanding the 80/20 principle of reading
• Reading magazines, textbooks, diagrams, and ebooks

Improving Your Memory Course duration:1h 29m
Memory is not a finite resource, and with techniques like repetition, association, and visualization, you can improve your memory before it starts to fade. This fascinating course shows viewers of all ages how to improve their recall. It explains how and when to employ tricks such as mnemonic devices, rhymes, stories, and alliteration. And it explains the best methods for different situations, like remembering names, important dates, passwords, to-do lists, quotes, and more. These techniques will prove invaluable, whether you're memorizing facts for a test at school, points for a work presentation, or trivia to impress your friends.
Topics include:

• Memory principles that work
• Taking notes
• Using songs and rhyming techniques to remember details
• Building a "memory palace"
• Remembering names and passwords
• Memorizing long texts and speeches

Learning Styles

Learning Strategies Inventories: Assess How You Learn
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/index.html
An tool from Dartmouth College providing a variety of suggestions and resources for maximizing your academic experience. View an on-line video, read about helpful strategies, or download a handout. You can either search for resources by category or by format.

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
This online survey assesses your study habits and provides an immediate assessment of your learning style

Note Taking

Note Taking Systems
http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetakingsystems.html
Information about five different systems will help you find the note taking method that works best for you.

Write This Down: Note-Taking Strategies for Academic Success
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/01/27/write-this-down-note-taking-str...
A humorous but informative introduction to note taking strategies for all students from the Art of Manliness blog.