. . . now in a wiki!!!!
I am currently in the process of moving my help guides over to a wiki platform.
Please go to Psychology Research Help to find the guides.
September 18, 2009
March 10, 2008
Psychology Research Resources
As back-up to my classroom instruction sessions for psychology, I am providing some help guides here in Periodical World.
All of these help guides are under the Pages heading on the right side blog menu; they are also linked from this post.
There are several selections, each with a slightly different focus:
- Empirical Research: what is empirical research and how to recognize it
- Psychology Research Using PsycINFO: a page about PsycINFO with links to a printable MSWord document explaining PsycINFO searching as well as to pdf documents on Methodologies and fields in PsycINFO records
- Using PubMed for Research: how to search for research articles in PubMed
Also, knowing how to cite your sources is of critical importance. The library’s general help page for all subjects is linked here.
A specific source for finding writing help and teaching resources in the APA Style, as well as others, is The OWL (online writing lab) at Purdue University.
Northern Michigan University has an excellent online tutorial with a flash video presentation on APA Style for referencing online articles using the doi (digital object identifier), a unique alpha-numeric code for linking to permanent record versions of journal articles. Here is a link to an earlier blog post about those new APA guidelines for documenting electronic resources: APA style guide to electronic references.
A few words about the APA style when writing papers:
In addition to the General APA Guidelines for formating a paper, there are two common types of papers psychology students will be asked to write or to review: the literature review and the experimental report.
Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper; specific information can be found at the OWL site at Purdue University.
I hope students & faculty find this resource useful for reviewing, or expanding on, what I cover in a library instruction session that is sometimes too short on time.
Please feel free to use the comments as a way to ask questions or get more guidance.
February 14, 2008
Momentum building for Gleeson|Geschke blog!
The power of social networks and online community still astounds me. It is almost breathtaking when I consider the speed at which one, or many, can be published on the web and the synergy that is created when comments or blog posts link to each other.
In December 2007, a group of us at Gleeson Library worked at getting a blog started. By the first week in February 2008, we were up and running and linked to the library home page with a google gadget.
Thus, Gleeson Gleanings was brought forth into the world.
Our “coach” and enthusiastic supporter — USF Media Studies professor, David Silver — blogged about our blog in his own silverinsf.
We blogged about his Davies Forum, Digital Literacy program in Gleeson Gleanings.
There are comments in David’s blog and there are comments in our blog.
Ivan Chew, tonight’s Davies Forum speaker, has left a comment in our blog and linked from David’s post to his blog where he mentions Gleeson Gleanings.
All of this within less than two weeks!!
All of this attention and feedback is not only extremely rewarding but I also don’t know when the last time was that I’ve had so much positive reinforcement. I hope my colleagues and blog work group members get the same thrill as I do — thank you so much to Debbie Benrubi, Kelci Baughman-McDowell, Jessica Lu and Karen Johnson. And thank you to Randy Souther for the google gadget. And Tyrone Cannon, Library Dean, for his support and endorsement.
It’s even inspired me to post in my own blog, a big step considering my preference for staying out of the public eye. Ah well, into the blogosphere I go, like Alice taking that step into the rabbit hole . . .
December 19, 2007
Internet, web-accessed databases, student research
A recent article in the USF student newspaper has caused me some anguish as a librarian.
The student author of the article has garbled the descriptions and blurred the lines between “the internet” and the databases the library licenses that are accessible via the internet. Since he mentions Gleeson Library, I felt a need to write about this and clarify the differences between the two.
As the author points out, use of the internet for academic research has limitations with regard to reliability, authenticity, credibility, and accessibility. However, he fails to point out that Google searching, use of Wikipedia and other such internet resources are entirely different from accessing licensed library databases on the web.
When professors tell students not to use internet sources in their research papers they mean, don’t do Google searches and then cite any old web page that is retrieved. They do not mean, don’t utilize authoritative and credible databases provided by the library via the internet. Those very databases are where students can search for scholarly journal articles, empirical research studies, opinion pieces and statistics — the very relevant and essential content needed in order to write a quality, university-level essay or research paper. Most of those articles are available full-text, in html or pdf format, and can be printed out in the library, computer lab or at home.
There are also many government and educational websites on the internet that can be used for writing papers at university.
Of course, from my perspective as a librarian, the most egregious omission in the article is the failure to mention the assistance students can (and should) request at their college or university library. Librarians come to work every day looking forward to assisting students in their quest for information. We are accessible in-person or online and we invite all USF students to Ask A Librarian.
December 14, 2007
Faculty Journal Subscription Requests
Faculty can now submit an online request for Gleeson Library to add a new journal subscription. Requests must be accompanied by a written statement justifying the need for the journal and should fit the criteria outlined in the policy Considerations for acquisition of new Periodicals.
Links to the policy and online form can be found on the library web pages under:
December 12, 2007
USF Book Club
Did you know USF has a book club? The book club meets in the Seminar Room on the 2nd floor of the library.
Gleeson Library and the USF Well-Life Center are the co-sponsors; all USF faculty & staff are invited to participate. Please help spread the word!
The next meeting of the USF Book Club is on Monday, January 14, 2008 from noon-1pm.
Please join us to discuss Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
Brown bag lunch is welcome; bring your own copy of the book.
