Course Essentials 

This course is designed to introduce students to college level research and the effective use of traditional and online library resources and other online research tools. Classwork emphasizes applied experience with research planning, search strategies, critical evaluation of research sources, ethical uses of information, and documentation of sources following standard citation styles. Recommended for students who plan to transfer to a four year university to prepare them for academic research in upper division classes. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.  For Honors, Transfer Credit: CSU; UC. 

At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

• Identify and access credible library and information resources using a variety of search strategies. 

• Evaluate the credibility of information by utilizing lateral reading techniques.

• Correctly cite information in standard citation styles. 

• Apply research and critical thinking skills to organize, synthesize, and evaluate information.

Over the course of the semester you will learn a variety of skills related to accessing, evaluating, and using information.  You can find which Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives are covered in each module on the Introduction page to that module. These are the skills you will develop in this course:  

1. Narrow a broad topic down into a clear and focused research question.  

2. Distinguish between types of research resources and understand their strengths and weaknesses.  

3. Write search statements using basic Boolean to meet an information need.  

4. Distinguish between types of information and their appropriateness to meet an information need.  

5. Develop a research plan that fills an information need.  

6. Search library databases and other sources for academic level information.  

7. Locate and select appropriate books, periodicals, newspapers, multimedia, and journals in an academic library. 

8. Understand key issues related to the various types of information resources.  

9. Understand the role and norms of information in academic settings, including the concept of scholarly communication.  

10. Apply search techniques to successfully navigate online resources.  

11. Use advanced search techniques to search the open web. 

12. Evaluate sources for perspective, authority, and purpose. 

13. Evaluate sources using lateral searching techniques.  

14. Compose citations for multiple sources of information according to MLA or APA citation style.  

15. Understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.  

This is a Zero Cost course. All course material will be available for FREE. All readings are linked in the weekly Canvas modules.  Occasionally, you will need to access online library materials through the OCC Library or on the open web as part of your course reading. 

We will be using portions of these textbooks, as well as other material:

Butler, Walter, et al. Introduction to College Research. 2021.

Hosier, Allison, et al. The Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open, Online Textbook.. 

Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries. Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research. 2016.

Caulfield, Mike. Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers. 2017.