Library Resources
Welcome! I'm happy to be serving as your personal librarian for RCSH 2050!
Think of me as your research partner... I can assist you with finding articles, developing a research topic, citing sources... you name it! Visit our homepage to learn more.
If you ever want to meet with a librarian for specialized research assistance, you can schedule a research appointment.
JWU Librarians are available for research appointments in-person, over the phone, and online. We would be more than happy to help you!
Looking for immediate research assistance? Chat or Text us!
Rebecca Gagne | rgagne@jwu.edu | 401-598-5113
Scenario: You need to write a short research paper. Your professor requires that at least two of the articles you include in your works cited are scholarly.
Instructions
1. Break into groups of 5 and open the Google Doc
2. Enter your names next to your group # and choose a presenter
3. Assign each person in the group to a different database
4. Once in the database, each person will find at least one report/article
5. For each database, determine:
- What kind of information is in the database (reports, statistics, articles)
- Is there a citation button or generator? Post the link/citation
- Any additional questions you have about the databases
The Academic Success Center is open for in-person and remote appointments by zoom.
Whether you're just getting started or need final editing advice, writing tutors are kind and trained to help you at any stage of the writing process. Visit the Academic Success Center website for more information.
Top Tips for Working with the Academic Success Center:
- Book an appointment by phone: 401-598-1485
- Visit us live on the first floor of the Yena Center
For 24/7 at no extra charge tutoring support and academic success coaching, log into JWULINK to use tutor.com and schedule a session.
Look for the link in jwuLink, type tutor.com in the search bar. It will be the first link to come up! Log in to your account with your JWU credentials and then, it will auto-populate with your name and you're ready to go!
How to Start a Search:
Step 1: Think about your research topic/question
Step 2: Extract the main keywords/concepts
Step 3: Input each of the words into the search lines. Click 'Search'!
- Example Research Question: How does social media affect mental health?
- Search Terms: Social Media (and) Mental Health
Bonus Step: Select search limiters (left side of screen)
- Full Text
- Scholarly/Peer Reviewed
Your search page will look similar to this! ....
Which library databases should you use?
My recommendations:
The JWU library has two style guides:
However, if you need more in depth guidance on formatting go to the Purdue OWL.
Need to talk to someone and seek guidance in real time?
- If you are an online student, you can go to the online writing center for information about how to contact a writing coach.
- If you are a PVD campus student you can schedule an appointment with the writing coach through uSucceed.
If you use the library's databases for your research, you can copy and paste pre-generated citations - look out for the option as it may appear differently in each interface but is generally represented by an icon of quotation marks.
If you need to cite a resource not located in a database, I recommend using the OWL as a reference. You can also reach out to me or JWU Library for help with citations!
