First-Year Writing Research Guide

Set yourself up to do efficient research by creating your interlibrary loan account, developing your topic, and creating and testing the word bank you'll use in library databases.

1. Log into Canvas for this class and familiarize yourself with the library links. The library portal on Canvas is where you’ll begin any research project.

• Click on the Library Resources tab on the left side of the page in Canvas.
• The ENGL1160 First-Year Writing Research Guide is your link to the databases and other resources that are a good place to start for Composition II research.
• The A-Z Database List for Composition II is a list of databases that are appropriate for most Composition II assignments.
• Use the calendar booking link to make a research consultation appointment with a librarian online or in person.
• Need help immediately? Wait for the Library Help Chat popup to chat with library staff.

2. Set up your interlibrary loan account. You will use your regular Canvas username and password to sign into your library account and library databases, but you have to sign up for an account to borrow books and articles from other libraries around the world.

3. Complete the Workshop Your Topic assignment. This assignment will help if you don’t have a topic for your paper, or if your topic seems too broad or difficult to explain.

4. Complete the Using Keywords for Library Research tutorial. The tutorial explains the importance of using keywords in your database searches and includes interactive learning elements to practice developing word banks for research. Your instructor may request that you complete all quizzes in the video. At the end of the tutorial you can download a certificate of completion suitable for emailing to your instructor.

5. Complete the Construct & Deconstruct Your Research Question assignment. This assignment will help you shape your topic into a research question, then break that research question down into your personal word bank.

Want to grab this assignment and go? Download the directions as a PDF.

Learn how to evaluate a source using the 5Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) and find newspaper and statistical sources.

1. Watch the Access World News video (2:19). This video will show you how to navigate Access World News to find newspaper articles.

2. Search for articles in Access World News and choose an article to read and evaluate. This database contains news articles from all over the world. This is a good place to find local interest stories or sources with community stakeholders. Search the Omaha World-Herald archives in this database.

3. Complete the Evaluating Resources tutorial. The tutorial guides you through evaluating resources using the 5Ws. Your instructor may request that you complete all quizzes in the video. At the end of the tutorial you can download a certificate of completion suitable for emailing to your instructor.

4. Complete the Evaluate Your Sources assignment. This assignment is a companion to the tutorial video. It gives you a chance to apply what you learned in the video to your own source. Using the article you found in Access World News, evaluate your source by answering the questions on the second page of the assignment sheet.

5. Watch the Statista video (2:23). This video will show you how to navigate Statista and find statistical information.

6. Search for statistics in Statista. This database contains statistics, industry reports, and infographics. Use Statista to triangulate citations about statistics and figure out if that quoted statistic you found is really true.

Want to grab this assignment and go? Download the directions as a PDF.

Part Three: Find academic library sources using e-books from the library and a variety of articles from a library database.

1. Watch the Library Search Bar video (2:52). This video will show you how to navigate the library search bar to find books.

2. Search for eBooks using the Library Search Bar. Books are a great place to find background information or very specific information about a special topic. Put one broad or general word or phrase in the search box. Use the terms from your word bank, but think about the “big ideas” behind your topic. To open an eBook, click on the View eBook button.

3. Look through the eBooks – How to Find and Download library guide. This guide will give you more information about checking out, reading, and downloading eBooks from different publishers.

4. Watch the Academic Search Complete video (2:43). This video will show you how to navigate Academic Search Complete and find academic articles.

5. Search for articles in Academic Search Complete. This database contains articles from academic journals, magazines, newspapers, and trade publications. It also has some images and videos. After you search, take a look at your results. Do you have plenty to look through? Are they similar enough that you can tell the database has understood what you’re looking for? If not, try a different set of terms from your word bank.

6. Practice, practice, practice! Looking for sources gets easier the more often you do it. It will take practice for you to understand where to look, how to look, and when you have found what you need.

7. Connect with a librarian. If you don’t find what you need, please schedule an appointment with a librarian. We can meet with you in person, online, over chat, or via email.

Want to grab this assignment and go? Download the directions as a PDF.

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