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Library Research Assignments:
Ideas and Tips

  • A subject librarian will help you.
    Librarians will help you structure an assignment and evaluate student resources. Alert us if your assignment requires on-site help. Subject librarians can also teach a library session tailored to a specific research assignment.

  • Encourage critical thinking, evaluation, synthesis.

    • Assignment Ideas:
      • Keep a research diary
      • Develop an annotated bibliography [What is this?]
      • Create a research portfolio

  • Teach evaluation

Students do not easily distinguish scholarly from popular and trade literature. Direct students to databases (periodical indexes) you want them to use and to the types of literature you want them to discover. Teach the resource evaluation practices in your field.
  • Assignment Ideas:
    • Compare and contrast discussions of the same topic in a scholarly journal and popular magazine.
    • Compare the way two different disciplines handle the same topic

  • Books disappear; e-resources do not. Scavenger hunts in print can be hazardous.

    Direct students to the databases you want them to use, AND make sure several appropriate print sources are available.

  • Formats are changing...

    Limiting permissible resources by format (one book, two microfiche, three print journal articles, and nothing from the Web) often skews access to high quality content.
    • At the Help Desk, we often hear students say that they aren't allowed to use Internet or Web sources. The library catalog Sage, along with many scholarly journals are available in electronic format. If you do limit Web resources, make sure the students are know what "counts" as an Internet or Web source and what does not.

Additional Ideas for Library Research Assignments