When looking at the prompts for this class, there is usually a minimum source requirement. Back in the beginning of the semester you had a research professional guide us through searching on Griffin and WordCat on the WSU libraries website. This information was useful, however it didn’t stick.
It seems like whenever I try to search for very narrow subjects (for example: Organic food’s effect on race) little to no articles or journals come up. Even after learning the proper uses of “AND” and “OR,” narrow topics like in the essays we are assigned are extremely hard to look for. Because of this, I try to look for books about the broader topic (for example: Organic foods in the last decade). If I cannot find information about the narrower topics I use a lot of Internet sources (web pages, online encyclopedias, company sites) because they are easy to access. Before writing the paper I open a separate Word document and type out the facts I thought we interesting. When writing the paper, I try to place the quotes were I see need extra support or where exact facts are needed. For example: when I talked about class and income in paper 3, I used a quote from the census to support what I was trying to prove.
I should learn more about Griffin and WorldCat because I can’t always rely on book and Internet resources. I should also use the note card method where I write the facts on note card with their sources. I should filter out he pointless filler facts and use only the ones that support the point I am trying to make. I feel that as far as writing papers go, finding legitimate sources is my weakest point. I also think before our next draft for paper three is due, we should have another day to learn about the online library resources.
I like your idea of using quotes where you think you need more support on your argument. Also, I agree that the library’s search engines are extremely hard to find sources on. I usually stick to Google because I know how to use it and it’s easy to access like you said. But I too think I need to learn how to use the library’s searches better for future classes.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely have to agree on the fact that the library sources are difficult to actually find the right sources on. Google and other internet sources are a good way to find information which i agree on but can sometimes be less credible.I've also never used the note card method which seems pretty helpful
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