SJLibrary.org, a collaboration of San Jose State University and San Jose Public Library system.

Commonly Used Assignments

The scholarly versus popular assignments requires students to include some measure of articles written by experts to other scholars, researchers and students in a given field. This assignment encourages students to think critically about information and to choose peer-reviewed articles that are accurate and lend credibility to their research.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3

More information or samples on how to differentiate scholarly literature from a popular literature is available at http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill20.html.

The primary research assignment requires students to identify and select research articles that document an original project carried out by a researcher or scientist. This assignment exposes students to how research studies are presented and gives them the scientific framework on which to base their own original research.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3

More information or samples on how to differentiate a primary research is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/~pjackso2/Primary%20Sources%20in%20the%20Sciences.htm
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html
http://www.sjsu.edu/~dwu/primary.doc

The annotated bibliography requires students to develop a topic, search for, evaluate, and summarize relevant literature, and cite information in the proper format for the current field of study.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

More information or sample on how to correctly build an annotated bibliography is available at http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html

One step further than the annotated bibliography, the literature review assignment requires students to critically interpret resources and see the relationship between concepts, fitting together various ideas to build a comprehensive view of the topic under study.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

More information or sample on how to write a literature review is available at http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

Requiring students to keep an evaluative and reflective journal or log on course readings and research can help them better understand the research process and evaluate their success.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 3, 4

More information or sample on how to keep a decent journal is available at http://www.gmu.edu/departments/english/composition/students/journaling.html

Depending on the guidelines, a research paper can conceivably incorporate each of the assignments highlighted so far. Research papers require students to develop topics, find information, and critically interpret resources to create a convincing and developed final product.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

More information or samples on how to effectively write a research paper
in APA style is available at http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
in MLA style is available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
in Chicago style is available at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools.html

Library Basics: An introductory orientation to King Library. It includes an overview of library collections by floor, an overview of library services available to students, a tour of the Academic Gateway page for SJSU students and a graded quiz.

Incorporates ACRL Standard: 1

InfoPower: Improves research skills to more effectively select, search and evaluate sources. It teaches concepts such as the type of information you need determines where you look, the difference between scholarly and popular works, defining topics, selecting keywords, searching databases, evaluating information, citing sources, and GetText. Approximately 30 minutes per module (3 modules) and includes a pretest and a graded quiz at the end of each module.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Plagiarism: The Crime of Intellectual Kidnapping: Teaches students about plagiarism, paraphrasing, and citing sources. Includes a pretest, graded quiz, and paraphrasing practice exercises.

Incorporates ACRL Standards: 2, 5

5 Ways to Find Articles and Books: Teaches students the fastest and easiest ways to find the articles and books for their research. It includes searching Academic Search Premier, GetText, Library Catalog, Interlibrary Services, Link+, and using other libraries. Includes a graded quiz.

Incorporates ACRL Standard: 2

Asking students to locate random facts does not teach them how to effectively conduct scholarly research. Rather than sending your frustrated students to scavenge around the Reference Desk in hopes that a librarian will locate the answers, consider working with your library liaison to create meaningful questions that incorporate identifying the correct sources with the search process and research methodology. If you are really enthusiastic about scavenger hunts, consider assigning the Library's online tutorial, Library Basics, in conjunction with the hunt. This will introduce students to our services and collections in print and online before they hit the stacks

Incorporates ACRL Standard: 1