Conducting Successful Library and Internet Searches

In this paper, I will write about the following topic. Conducting a successful library and Internet search, academic honesty, effective study skills, time management and goals. I intend to use this paper as my guide for future courses.

Conducting Successful Library and Internet Searches

When conducting a library search it will be important to have a specific search strategy. First being your search with general sources and topics. This will lead you to more specific information and sources. Libraries may have different layout, however, there are common areas too. Such as reference area, book area, periodical area, audio/visual, computer area and microform areas. Search strategy can save you a lot of time and also an effective way to search for information. Keyword is also essential to conducting a search. Library's computer database can make this easier for you. For example you can choose to search about cooking, or to limit the results you can try "Thai cooking". Keep in mind on how to use "or", "and," and "not" to narrow your searches. This is called the Boolean logic. Some library operates on Dewy Decimal system. A Dewey decimal system uses number to identify the different subject category. For example all books relating to anthropology will be under 100-199. These numbers are marked on the books, and clearly marked on the shelves. The library of Congress uses a different system. They use the subject classifications system. The different subject categories are assigned a letter instead of number. Everything else works the same way. Utilize all your sources. Librarians and library staff are very knowledgeable people who can help guide you to your topic. I like this phrase "Ask question is a willingness to learn, not a weakness". (Bishop & Kravitz, 2002 , p269).

Researching on the Internet

Conducting research on the Internet can be easy and can be complicated for some. This task requires more computer knowledge. Start with choosing your search engine; such as yahoo or google. I like using google. However, I feel searching online is somewhat similar to conducting a search in a traditional library. When conducting searches via the Internet, you should also have a search strategy. Write down a list of words that relate to your search. You can start be asking a question. The best part about conducting a search on the Internet, you can bookmark the pages instead of tote around 10 books in your basket. Remember the Boolean operators; it works the same way conducting searches on Internet. You can also request the search engine to eliminate a list. Example when searching for schools-private, when you enter the minus sign you are asking the search engine to look up all schools but private ones. This eliminates the need for you to go through hundreds of results. When you want only a specific words consider using quotation marks around the words. "Private School". The search will only contain the exact words.

Critical thinking to evaluate each source

All sources you read and find online is should be analyze and reviewed for accuracy. Check the author's creditability; just like you would check an employee's track record before hiring them. Review the article for bias facts; ask yourself questions about the writer. What I the writer's position and what are they writing about. For example a Christian writing about abortion will contain bias comments. Christian was raised to believe abortion is a sin, regardless of how it was conceived. Check the source date of publication. Many rules and laws change over time. Therefore, it is important to verify the date of publication. An outdated article dated in 1999 may not contain all the facts as one that was published last year. When searching in Axia College library database, there is an option to only view peer-reviewed article. A peer-reviewed article is a writing that is first submitted to a panel of well-recognized group of people. For example, if I was assigned to draft an employee handbook. I will be sure to get a group of peer-reviewed before publishing the book. The peer group, will consist of managers from each dept as well as the board. Next I will consult with an attorney to make sure all legal employee rights are also considered.

Upholding Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is very important. This takes us to our next topic, plagiarism. Remember to cite your sources. If it is not your ideas make sure to cite them. Paraphrase to ensure you don't commit plagiarism. Keep the 7 rules of plagiarism handy. "Attributes, quotation marks, citation, paraphrase, loyalty to source, reference list, and image citations" (Pearson Custom). The consequences of plagiarism can be very serious. Your diploma can be revoked, you can be suspended from the school. So when writing it is important to make sure to cite our sources, paraphrase whenever possible. Be true about your work. Allow sufficient amount of time to complete each assignment. When you rush you usually are in hurry and copying can happen. This is plagiarism. Whenever you are in doubt, it is best to cite it. This way you will avoid plagiarism. Common known facts does not need to be cited. Examples; they sky is blue, spring is a season for blooming flowers, and winter is cold.

Developing Effective Study Skills

Reading to understand. Understanding what you read is important, if you don't understand what you read, it will defeat your purpose. Apply SQ3R to your daily reading.

Survey, question, read, recite and review. This is an effective reading skill for me. Understanding your characteristic will help identify your weakness. In order to develop an effective study skill you will need to implement a system to improve or remove your weakness. If one's weak point is lack of basic computer knowledge. A weekend class to learn would be the key. My weakness is grammar. To improve, I visit Bedford website often. I practice on my grammar and take notes. I am a forgetful person, so upon reading the material I am ready with my highlighter to highlight any sentence I believe will help me later. I believe being allowed to ask good and dumb question is my key to learning. It is dumb question for someone else, but if I ask the question it is not dumb for me because I don't know the answer. Discover your learning style. A visual learner would benefit from seeing with the eyes and hands on, while I benefit from reading the manual and doing it myself. Not everyone study the same. I notice I am an organizer and like to keep things nice and tidy. If my notes and assignment are neatly laid out, my brains are not scattered. Which allows me to concentrate and work under less pressure. Managing Time Wisely

Time management is important to succeeding in school and on the job. Everyone has the same amount of hours in a day. It all depends on how you use it. I manage and prioritize my day be analyzing the consequences. If I crave T.V. time but still need to finish the laundry, I need to understand what my consequences will be. The kids will be without clean shirts. Can I stand it when they are dirty? If I cannot imagine them going to bed with dirty clothes on, then I need to give up T.V. and get the laundry done? Or I can time myself, put the clothes in the machine before the show starts, and check on it during commercial breaks. During my long commute I catch up on news. My goal to use every minute to its fullest. I walk the treadmill for 30 minutes; I will read for 30 minutes while walking. When I run, I close my eyes and just relax while running. I also learned to let go of the small things that used to bother me. If my dividers were not perfectly aligned, I learn to ignore it. There are more important things for me to do.

Setting and Achieving Goals

I will set reasonable goals. The goals will be divided into smaller ones. For examples I want to become a manager. To do so, I need to earn the credentials and experience. With each goal, I have dates and the actions to take to achieve the goals. Giving yourself a deadline to complete the goal is much more reasonable than asap. Time will allow you to plan and achieve your goals one step at a time. I would not be able to receive my credentials overnight. So it is a 21 months process. While pursuing my degree, I will set a goal to learn more about the company's accounting system. This can be worked around the work schedule. I will also need a commit and sacrifice a few things. Like shorter lunchtime, more work load, more overtime. All this will result in an educated me. Being educated about the company operations will help me in achieving my goals.

Conclusion

The skills I learn today, is a lifelong tool. Once I complete this course, I can take the skills I learn and apply it to the next course. I learn how to check website and reading articles for credentials. Which I did not know how to do before. I learned that referencing the source is crucial to avoid plagiarism. To successfully manage your time you need to understand the consequences. Learning about your weakness and strength will help you improve and tackle your weakest area. Developing a study skill that is truly yours is the key to good study habits. Not everyone study the same way. In order to achieve your goals you must set them first. Each goals should be broken down with a list on how to achieve them.
References

Axia College Of University of Phoenix. (April 2006). Writing style handbook.

Bishop, Joyce and Kravitz, Sarah Lyman. (2002). Keys to College Studying: Becoming a lifelong learner.

Driscoll, Dana Lynn. (2007). The Owl at Purdue. Research and Citation. Retrieved April 23, 2007, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

Pearson Education, Inc. (2006). Plagiarism. Retrieved April 23, 2007, from http://www.pearsoncustom.com