Library How-To Videos, Guides, and Handouts

See also: Library Procedures (e.g. how long can I check out a book, etc.)
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New to the library? Check out our brand new Canvas course Library Guide for Students.

Sign up for the Canvas course and get 24/7 access to modules that cover OTC library resources and how to use the library, the basics of library research, finding and evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, help with citations, and more! Click the Ozarks Tech Library Guide above, or visit https://academics.otc.edu/library/lib101 to get started.

Questions? Contact us!

Email: libraryref@otc.edu

Phone: 417-447-8185

Starting Your Research

Research Starters

Research Starters
The library provides an online tool called “Research Starters” provide concise, citable summaries of popular topics, acting as a starting point for research. These articles, typically 3,000 words long, offer comprehensive overviews, real-world applications, and links to further research. They are designed to help students grasp a subject’s broad outlines and locate sources for more in-depth study.

Topic Finder: Gale Electronic Books
A research tool that helps you explore and discover research topics within the Gale Electronic Book database. It processes titles, subjects, and the beginning of search results to display a visual map of frequently occurring terms, which can be used to narrow broad topics, find new research paths, or discover unexpected connections

Topic Finder: Opposing Viewpoints
A research tool that helps you explore and discover research topics within the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database. It displays a mind-map-like visualization of a search term, showing the relationships between concepts and identifying related subtopics, which can help users find specific areas for research on a broad subject like “guns”. It’s especially useful for students who are new to the database or are unsure of what specific topic to research for an assignment.

Browse Issues: Opposing Viewpoints
This tool provides a list of over 400 controversial topics to explore. Clicking “Browse Issues” allows users to navigate a comprehensive, alphabetized list of social, political, and scientific issues from a broad spectrum of subjects, such as capital punishment, climate change, and immigration. Each topic page offers a starting point with an introductory article, a variety of viewpoints, and may contain content types like news, video, and audio to support research and critical thinking.

Explora – General Research
This database provides access to a wide range of reliable articles, and other content. It is designed to simplify research by offering a single point of entry with both simple and advanced search options, browseable topic categories, and high-quality materials. This interface allows users to easily find information for assignments, projects, or general curiosity from sources like magazines, newspapers, e-books, and more.

Explore Occupations – LearningExpress Library
Provides detailed information on different occupations, including data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Biography Reference Source
A full-text database that provides access to a vast collection of reliable, full-text biographies on notable people from various fields like history, business, science, and the arts. It allows users to search for biographies by criteria such as occupation, nationality, and gender, and includes content from reputable biographical reference collections and publications.

History Reference Source
Covering topics in U.S. and world history from the earliest civilizations through the 21st century, History Reference Source is a research database containing full-text journals, magazines, reference books and thousands of primary source documents.

Literary Reference Source
A full-text database for literary research, containing thousands of critical essays, author biographies, plot summaries, book reviews, and literary journals. It also includes a large collection of full-text classic novels, short stories, and poems, making it a valuable tool for students, educators, and researchers studying literature across different genres and time periods.

  • More than 26,000 plot summaries, synopses and work overviews
  • More than 210,000 author biographies
  • More than 12,000 author interviews

Using Library Databases

Evaluating Resources and Misinformation

The SIFT Method

The SIFT Method

Source:
“The SIFT Method” by Kaitlyn Van Kampen, University of Chicago Library is licensed under CC BY 4.0

https://mikecaulfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/sift-infographic.png

The SIFT method is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert, Mike Caulfield, to help determine whether online content can be trusted for credible or reliable sources of information. All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license.

Determining if resources are credible is challenging. Use the SIFT method to help you analyze information, especially news or other online media.

S – Stop

Before you read or share an article or video, STOP!​

Be aware of your emotional response to the headline or information in the article. Headlines are often meant to get clicks, and will do so by causing the reader to have a strong emotional response.

Before sharing, consider:

  • What you already know about the topic. ​
  • What you know about the source. Do you know it’s reputation?

Before moving forward or sharing, use the other three moves: Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, and Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media back to the Original Context.

I – Investigate the Source

The next step before sharing is to Investigate the Source.

Take a moment to look up the author and source publishing the information.

  • What can you find about the author/website creators? ​
  • What is their mission? Do they have vested interests? ​Would their assessment be biased?
  • Do they have authority in the area?​

Use lateral reading. Go beyond the ‘About Us’ section on the organization’s website and see what other, trusted sources say about the source.​ You can use Google or Wikipedia to investigate the source.

Hovering is another technique to learn more about who is sharing information, especially on social media platforms such as X (aka Twitter).

F – Find Better Coverage

The next step is to Find Better Coverage or other sources that may or may not support the original claim.

Again, use lateral reading to see if you can find other sources corroborating the same information or disputing it.​

  • What coverage is available on the topic?
  • Keep track of trusted news sources.

Many times, fact checkers have already looked into the claims. These fact-checkers are often nonpartisan, nonprofit websites that try to increase public knowledge and understanding by fact checking claims to see if they are based on fact or if they are biased/not supported by evidence.

T – Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context

The final step is to Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context.

When an article references a quote from an expert, or results of a research study, it is good practice to attempt to locate the original source of the information.​ Click through the links to follow the claims to the original source of information. Open up the original reporting sources listed in a bibliography if present

  • Was the claim, quote, or media fairly represented?
  • Does the extracted information support the original claims in the research? ​
  • Is information being cherry-picked to support an agenda or a bias?​
  • Is information being taken out of context?​

Remember, headlines, blog posts, or tweets may sensationalize facts to get more attention or clicks. ​Re-reporting may omit, misinterpret, or select certain facts to support biased claims. If the claim is taken from a source who took it from another source, important facts and contextual information can be left out. Make sure to read the claims in the original context in which they were presented.

CRAAP Test

Source:
“The CRAAP Test” by Kaitlyn Van Kampen, University of Chicago Library is licensed under CC BY 4.0

 

The CRAAP Test is an evaluation method that was designed by librarian Sarah Blakeslee at the Meriam Library California State University, Chico. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose. This provides you with a method and list of questions to evaluate the nature and value of the information that you find.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

C – Currency

The timeliness of the information:

  • When was the information published or posted?
  • Has the information been revised or updated?
  • Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
  • Are the links functional?

R – Relevance

The importance of the information for your needs:

  • Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
  • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
  • Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

A – Authority

The source of the information:

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
  • Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
  • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
    • .ac.uk = Academic institutions in the UK
    • .com = Commercial sites
    • .edu = Educational institutions
    • .gov = Government
    • .nhs.uk = Health information services in the UK
    • .org = Non-profit organizations
    • .mil = Military
    • .net = Network.

A – Accuracy

The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content:

  • Where does the information come from?
  • Is the information supported by evidence?
  • Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
  • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
  • Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
    Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

P – Purpose

The reason the information exists:

  • What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
  • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
  • Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
  • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
  • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Citation & Formatting

For Further Assistance with Citations please see the Writing Center

The Carol Jones Writing Center helps people negotiate the process of solving problems through the act of writing. We offer OTC students and community members free tutoring services to help people of all skill levels improve their abilities. From brainstorming ideas to citing sources, we’re here to help you with any step of the writing process. The Writing Center is also a great place to hang out and study. We have a cozy sitting area, computers and a printer!