Student Guide to Research in the Digital Age: How to Locate and Evaluate Information Sources

One of the most perplexing aspects of research today is what to do when there's too much information on a topic. What then of the librarian, charged with teaching new generations to appreciate the search for intellectual wheat, especially when the chaff has greater appeal? The key, suggests Leslie Stebbins, is to impress upon students the importance of good filtering instincts and careful management of search results. At the same time, it is equally essential to impress upon them the particular challenges and controversies that accompany research in a digital environment. Chapter one provides a step-by-step introduction to both research and critical evaluation that can be followed for any assignment. Chapters two through seven focus on specific types of information resources: when to use them, where to find them, and how to evaluate them. Chapter eight offers guidance on how to develop a note-taking system, cite sources, avoid plagiarism, and organize references. Students and librarians alike will benefit from Stebbin's suggestions, strategies and straightforward examples.

Leslie F. Stebbins coordinates the Library Intensive Program at Brandeis University Libraries. She also serves as a liaison to the Brandeis University Sociology Department, Politics Department, Women's Studies Program, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Her previous works include Work and Family in America: A Reference Handbook and Women and Equality in the Workplace (co-authored with Dr. Janet Giele).