لخّصلي

One might think that it is easy to define a library.Referencing (or citing) the source in the written text of the paper is called in-text citation.But here is a video that explains how in-text citations in APA referencing style work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKu2-tjNMokIt is a short form of reference that includes the last name of author(s), the year of publication, and the page number in case of a direct quote.There are many referencing styles depending on the subject discipline.Still, students may confuse 'the library' with 'the Internet' as many library resources are available on the Internet and many Internet resources are found in Libraries.(No /yes )

Answer:
Do you think that pieces of information found in libraries have the same value (reliability) as those found on the Internet?You should check with your department first about which referencing style they are adopting.Warm-up activity:
Take a few minutes and think whether library research and internet research refer to the same thing.

One might think that it is easy to define a library. Still, students may confuse ‘the library’ with ‘the Internet’ as many library resources are available on the Internet and many Internet resources are found in Libraries.

Warm-up activity:

Take a few minutes and think whether library research and internet research refer to the same thing. (No /yes )

Answer:

Do you think that pieces of information found in libraries have the same value (reliability) as those found on the Internet?
Answer:

A library is a building that hosts an “organized collection of printed books and periodicals of any other graphic and audiovisual materials” (Oyewusi & Oyeboade, 2009, p. 277). Libraries found in universities and colleges are academic libraries because they provide scholarly materials while other libraries that provide non-scholarly materials are public libraries. The Internet, on the other hand, is not a physical place, but it is a network of computers that provide services like the World Wide Web (WWW), emails, and blogs. These services made it easier for individuals to share texts, media, and pieces of information on the Internet. Even libraries are now sharing their materials, i.e., books, dictionaries, journals, and so on, on the internet in an electronic format. It is important, however, to always distinguish between the materials and information found in the library, either printed or in electronic format, and those found on the Internet. This is because materials from libraries are generally more credible and reliable than materials from the internet.
process by other authors, editors and
Remember

reviewers. However, anyone can

Books and other publications found in libraries have been through a review 

/ or
post on a website page on the Internet without any review from other writers and editors about the credibility and reliability of the information.
Still, it should be acknowledged that more credible and reliable research is becoming available exclusively on the Internet with the rise of many online academic journals and newspapers.
The following are a number of the findings of a systematic study conducted in the UK to report the services that academic libraries provide to researchers and university students:
Remember
An academic library is a library that provides academic materials.

1. Good libraries help institutions to recruit and retain top researchers.


2. Libraries help researchers win research grants and contracts.


3. Libraries promote and exploit new technologies and new models of scholarly communications.


4. Repositories increase the visibility of the institution and raise its research profile.


5. Outward-facing libraries contribute to institution-wide initiatives Specialist staff.


6. Specialist staff work in partnership with academic departments


7. Connecting with researchers enhances the value of the library’s services.


8. Dedicated spaces provide a better work environment for researchers.


9. Easy access to high-quality content is a key foundation for good research.


10. Libraries are a physical manifestation of the values of the academy and of scholarship.
    You always have to remember that you are in charge of your learning. If the lecture notes you took are unintelligible or insufficient, it is a good idea to consult the library.


11. Introduction
    Studying at this academic level is not only about being instructed or told things but about finding out information for yourself. You are required to find answers to problems, confirmation for ideas, and resources for research, or to do the required readings of your modules. For these ends, you need to locate relevant materials in the library. Accordingly, it is important for you to get familiar with the university or department library. Before your first attempt to use the library, it is always helpful to go on guided tours of the building and (or) watch online explanations of its available materials and how to locate them. But for your information, we will explore how most academic libraries are organised.


12. Finding Materials
    Most libraries have an information desk where librarians are found and are ready to help. Each library has its own cataloguing system used to organise materials, and librarians can help you understand how the system works. They usually have printed catalogues designated for separate collections of materials.
    Searching for titles in these catalogues is manual. Once the intended title is found, the code next to it should be given to the librarian who will check the availability of the material.
    
    Alternatively, it is better to use the search engines. Every library has an area for computers connected to the computerized library’s database. You can conduct your search by (1) the last name of the author or editor, (2) the title, or (3) a keyword. Searching by keywords is very helpful when looking for materials related to the area of interest as opposed to individual authors.
    When you are searching by
    This will increase the quality of the results.
    REMEMBER
    synonyms of these keywords too.
    keywords, use

The materials, also called resources or research resources, found in an academic library include books and journals. Journals are a collection of articles written by different researchers in an area of academic research (Donald & Keale, 2001). They are the means through which researchers discuss their ideas and share their recent research findings. The advantage that a journal has over a book is its shorter publication time. As university students, you are required to read academic research articles more often.
Keep in mind that although it is easier, faster, and more convenient to search on the Internet, efforts should be made to ensure the reliability of the information.

The electronic resources that could be useful and credible for academic searches are databases and E-journals. Databases are a collection of information about publications. They contain publications’ details including the title, author, source, and an abstract or a short summary. PubMed is an example of a database for medical research. It comprises more than 37 million publications. Similar to using search engines in libraries, searching on the databases can be made using the name of the author/ editor, the title, or a keyword. The search will yield titles of books and journal articles with a link to download the material, depending on the database and accessibility settings. Ejournals are the electronic version of academic journals.

Before beginning your search on the Internet, decide on the keywords, which are words related to the area of your search interests. Then, use the appropriate Boolean operator to have a precise search.
Boolean operators are
REMEMBER

the words ‘AND’, ‘OR’, and ‘NOT’.	

• AND: Using ‘AND’ between the keywords tells the search engine or the database that you want all the keywords to be present in the title for it to appear in the search results. This will narrow down your search to the most relevant materials.
• OR: Using ‘OR’ on the other hand expands your search. It tells the database that if any of the keywords are present in the title, the latter should appear in the search results.
• NOT: Using ‘NOT’ before the keywords tells the database to discard these latter from the search results. This is particularly useful when you are interested in only one aspect of a topic.

You must remember that for every library search you conduct, there are many available materials and resources. The question is which material should one choose to read? You will learn how to be efficient in sorting such materials in the best possible way. If unable to use the library, an Internet search can be done instead.
Here are the steps of a library search strategy that include suggestions for balancing your time between reading and searching. Notice that searching is never done alone, it should be accompanied by reading and even taking notes.

1. 
   

   Decide on the topic: choose what to search about. This could be an aspect of a topic from one of your modules that you would like to explore or a topic for research purposes.

   
   


2. 
   

   Decide on a list of keywords and (or) author names: depending on the topic of your interest, make a list of 6 relevant keywords and (or) 3 author names.

   
   


3. 
   

   Decide which year to search: remember that the more recent the material is the better.

   
   


4. 
   

   Search University library: spend 30 minutes on the search engine searching by the keywords and names of authors you prepared.

   
   


5. 
   

   Search databases: spend another 30 minutes searching this time on an online database.

   
   


6. 
   

   Skim read promising materials: examine the results of the previous searches to select the books and articles that seem most relevant to your topic. Spend 2 hours minimum quickly reading through them.

   
   


7. 
   

   Draft ideas: write down all relevant, interesting, and main ideas from your readings.

   
   


8. 
   

   Revise and review keywords and author list: determine whether the materials you found so far are sufficient. If not, revise the list of keywords and author names you made earlier.

   
   


9. 
   

   Continue library and online searches (steps 4 to 7).

   
   


10. 
    

    Deep read materials: select the most relevant materials from the skim reading step to deep read for 6 hours minimum while always updating the draft of ideas.
    Researching in the library can be more efficient if one learns some good library research skills. Mastering these skills will make your research life easier.
    The library skills that you need to develop include:

    
    


11. 
    

    Using exploration tools efficiently: learning how to make use of the library and the Internet to access the relevant materials can ease your searching experience and make it more efficient, see sequence 02.

    
    


12. 
    

    Reading and making notes: when consulting online or library materials, taking notes is crucial for tracking one’s readings; we will learn more on this in sequence 4.

    
    


13. 
    

    Evaluate the readings as you progress: when you read a text, you must think about the value of the information. Think about whether the information is a fact or an opinion. Then ask yourself questions: is the fact true? Do I agree with the opinion? Can I trust this author or website? Is this information useful for my research or my revision?
    
    These questions are summed in this diagram; use it while reading:

    
    


14. 
    

    Recording resources: remember that you do not own the information you read. So, you cannot use it in writing unless you acknowledge its original writer or source. When you do many readings, tracking the source of each piece of information you have read, to acknowledge it, becomes difficult. Hence, it is important to take a record of the sources you are reading as you go. Also, you need to learn how to reference the sources as we will see in sequence 4.

    
    

You must remember that taking notes while you do your library or online readings is important. Taking notes while you read helps you keep a record of the readings and remember the main points. Also, it helps you revise for exams or prepare for writing your research paper.
The first step of effective note-taking is to identify the key (main) points in the text you are reading, depending on your purpose. Then, you can go on to make notes on these key points. Let’s examine the following example:
Text: WHY WOMEN LIVE LONGER
Despite the overall increase in life expectancy in Britain over the past century, women still live significantly longer than men. In fact, in 1900 men could expect to live to 49 and women to 52, a difference of three years, while now the figures are 74 and 79, which shows that the gap has increased to five years. Various reasons have been suggested for this situation, such as the possibility that men may die earlier because they take more risks. But a team of British scientists have recently found a likely answer in the immune system, which protects the body from diseases. The thymus is the organ which produces the T cells which actually combat illnesses. Although both sexes suffer from deterioration of the thymus as they age, women appear to have more T cells in their bodies than men of the same age. It is this, the scientists believe, that gives women better protection from potentially fatal diseases such as influenza and pneumonia.
The key points in the previous text are italicized and highlighted. From these key points, we can make notes as follows:

British women live longer than men: 79/74 reasons? new research suggests immune system > thymus > T cells women have more T cells than men = better protection

In taking notes, you can use abbreviations, headings, lists, and symbols, but remember that you will have to read your notes later. For this reason, make sure your notes are intelligible and detailed just as needed. Finally, remember that note-taking is personal. Make use of what was mentioned here to develop your own note-taking style.
REMEMBER
It is important to record the source you are reading or taking notes from. Before beginning to take notes, write the information of the source at the top of the page. It is needed to mention the title of the book or article, the name of the author, the year, and page numbers.
 
To sum up what we have learned so far when you want to conduct an online or library search for studying or researching purposes, you take notes of the key pieces of information you read in different materials. You must remember this information (ideas, data, or thoughts) belongs to its writer, except for cases of common knowledge. You need to mention the writer when using the information. This process is known as referencing.
Referencing is the act of writing (or citing) the source of the information. By so doing, you acknowledge that such information is the intellectual work or research results of others (Neville, 2007). Accurately referencing sources is important to avoid plagiarism. This latter is the “practice that involves knowingly taking and using another person’s work and claiming it, directly or indirectly, as your own” (Neville, 2007, p. 28).

Referencing (or citing) the source in the written text of the paper is called in-text citation. It is a short form of reference that includes the last name of author(s), the year of publication, and the page number in case of a direct quote. There are many referencing styles depending on the subject discipline. You should check with your department first about which referencing style they are adopting. But here is a video that explains how in-text citations in APA referencing style work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKu2-tjNMok