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ESL Level 6 - Fall 2021 - Molly Popchock: Library Research

This guide will help students in Molly Popchock's ESL class find relevant library resources

Welcome!

Researching Multicultural Societies, Immigration and Related Topics

 greetings from different languages

Image Source: So You're An American, U.S. Department of State

Contacting Tim

Not finding what you need?

Feeling frustrated?

Having trouble using the library databases?


Then it’s probably time to ask a librarian for some help.

Tim Aman, SCC Librarian
tim.aman@scc.spokane.edu

If you need immediate help, contact a librarian any time using our online chat service.

24/7 live chatchat 

(Evenings and weekends you may be chatting with a librarian from another college. Ask for an SCC librarian to contact you for follow-up if needed.)

Steps in the Research Process

Is this your first time doing research?  Just follow these eight steps.

  1. make sure you understand the assignment

  2. clearly state your topic

  3. think about the search words you will use

  4. select the library research databases you will use

  5. search for and select your sources

  6. collect the citations for your MLA Works Cited

  7. take notes from your sources

  8. create your presentation

Finding Images and Videos

Google Image Search logo

 

YouTube logo

Recommended Sources and Searching Tips

The purpose of this research guide is to help students in Molly Popchock's ESL class find credible and academic information sources.  This guide will suggest useful sources, search techniques and evaluation methods for researching your topic.

SEARCH TIP

When searching for information consider trying related words.  For example, when researching country migration patterns you might try using these words: 

  • migration, immigration, emigration, migrants
  • countries, global, world

 

LIBRARY RESEARCH DATABASES - include features to create MLA citations automatically.

Reference Books (including encyclopedias) - concise, general background information; articles often written by experts who are university professors

Books

  • eBOOK COLLECTION - 150,000 ebooks selected for college and university researchers -- Don't worry about reading a whole book. Just look for small bits of information that you can use for your research.

Periodicals - magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals

Here's an example of a search in the Academic Search Complete database:

Academic Search Complete sample search

Cultures & Countries

 

WEBSITES

Migration Data

Spokane Multicultural Facts

MLA Citation Examples

Online image

Creator’s Last name, First name. “Title or description of the digital image.” Title of the website, Publication date, URL.

Al-Rubaye, Ahmad, “The photo shows Iraqi schoolgirls in one of the many temporary schools built after the end of the war.” Mufta, 27 May 2013, muftah.org/bombs-backpacks-education-in-iraq/#.WYoQUGffOw8.

YouTube video

McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube, uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E.

Evaluating information and domain searching

WWW Test - ask these questions when determining whether a source is reliable, especially when Googling.

  • Who's the author or organization responsible for the information?  Does the author or organization have expertise?
  • What's the nature of the information?  Is it objective (based on facts) or biased (based on opinion)?  Is it based on careful research?
  • When was it written?  Is it appropriately up-to-date?

Domain Searching

Try limiting your Google search to a particular domain (such as .edu or .gov which are restricted domains). You may find more reliable information.  Here are a couple of search examples:

global immigration trends site:.gov

honduras and migration site:.edu