Library 160: Introduction to College-Level Research

(9 reviews)

Iowa State University Library Instruction Services, Iowa State University

Publisher: Iowa State University

Language: English

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Reviewed by Erin Weldon, Director of Instructional Design and Development, Trine University on 10/14/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook is an excellent introduction to college research. It provides a foundational understanding of the research process, guiding learners through essential steps such as initiating research, retrieving information from various resources, research techniques, information evaluation, and how to research ethically. Readers will learn how to identify research topics, formulate effective research questions, discover library databases and online resources, acquire practical researching skills, develop critical thinking skills to assess credibility, reliability, and bias, and lastly, understand the importance of academic integrity, avoiding plagiarism, and properly citing sources.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The textbook provides accurate and reliable information pertaining to the research process. I particularly appreciate the interactive H5P tools that effectively assess learners' comprehension of key research concepts. The inclusion of guidance on evaluating the credibility of Wikipedia is valuable. While Wikipedia can be a useful resource, it is critical to assess the information presented due to anyone being able to revise and edit the content.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content is relevant and up to date. It might be helpful to add generic information for universities who want to use this textbook. Students from other university’s might find it helpful to be referred to their school library instead of another institution’s library. Developing a generic textbook for anyone to use might be more appealing to instructor’s adopting this textbook for their courses.

Clarity rating: 5

This is a well-constructed textbook and demonstrates clarity and readability. Its clear organization, concise explanations, and logical progression of information provide an excellent resource for readers and learners. The progression of the material begins with how to get started with research and ends with the ethical implications that readers need to be made aware of. It is very clear on where the referenced material is located in the course by adding references to each page.

Consistency rating: 5

The terminology used in the textbook is consistent with current research practices ensuring that students are exposed to accurate and widely accepted language within the field of study. This consistency assists learners in understanding, comprehension, and effective communication of research findings.

Modularity rating: 5

This textbook is simple and to the point. The cover page is engaging and depicts a sense of reality. The textbook design prevents students from feeling overwhelmed by the volume of material, allowing them to focus on key concepts without being distracted by excessive detail. I like the finishing touch at the end with the Glossary for learners to review important terms.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The overall organization of the textbook is logical and well-structured, facilitating a nice flow of information. To further enhance its comprehensiveness, it might be beneficial to include Academic Integrity in the section that focuses on Plagiarism, as these topics are closely interconnected. The inclusion of a section discussing Reusing Your Work is valuable and provides excellent guidance to students. This chapter is organized very well! I highly encourage instructors to use Chapter 5 with students who are learning to research, writing papers, or are entering into the world of online learning (Undergraduate and Graduate students).

Interface rating: 5

I did not find navigation to be in issue within this textbook. Very well-written!

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Overall, there were not too many grammatical errors. I did feel as if the Learning Objectives should be complete sentences and capitalizing the first word of each bullet.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Section 4.1 does include explicit language; however, there is a purpose to this section, to help readers understand there is a possibility of inaccurate, misunderstood, or misinterpreted information when conducting research. The inclusion of guidance on promoting oneself as a student researcher is a valuable addition to the textbook. This provides students with practical advice on building their professional profiles, networking, and showcasing their research accomplishments, opening up exciting opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Comments

Overall, this textbook serves as an excellent introduction to college research. It provides the very basic foundations of research to allow learners to become familiar with how the research process works. Whether used as a primary text or a supplemental resource, this textbook can provide helpful support to students as they navigate writing research papers.

Reviewed by Morgan Montgomery, Assistant Library Director, Claflin University on 12/5/23

The book's table of contents made it easy to focus on the chapters that interested me the most. read more

Reviewed by Maletta Payne, Systems Administrator/Reference Librarian, Southern University on 11/14/23

The text appropriately covers all information literacy areas and provides a practical glossary. read more

Reviewed by Rachel Milani, Assistant Librarian, Minnesota North College on 12/6/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook comprehensively covers the research process in a concise, comprehensible format that should be easily understood by students at the community college level. This book additionally provides information on ethical use of information, resources for students who wish to learn how to develop a citation, and a brief overview of how research fits into the overall writing process. I also like that this book introduces the SIFT method and explains why the CRAAP method may no longer be the most effective evaluation tool. One critique would be that this book fails to mention that students should cite their sources as they find them so that they can more easily find those sources again if necessary and more effectively prevent plagiarism. Understanding when a source requires citation is one thing, but students often leave citing those sources until the very end of the writing process, which can lead to confusion and errors in citations.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content within this text is accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

While this book was written for a specific institution and program, this text makes an effort to generalize certain topics (like database availability and selection) to be broadly applicable to other institutions that might utilize different platforms and tools or have other options available. This is something that can be easily customized by anyone with access to Pressbooks. This does detract slightly from the comprehensiveness of the book, but not by much. This book seems to be most relevant to an undergraduate "Introduction to College" course or to segments of a Freshman Composition course. That said, this book could also easily be incorporated into other courses that assign research papers.

Clarity rating: 5

Again, this textbook comprehensively covers the research process in a concise, comprehensible format that should be easily understood by students at the community college level. This book covers some complex concepts (like copyright and fair use) and makes them accessible to students.

Consistency rating: 5

The language, tone of voice, and terminology used within this text are consistent. The use of Glossary Terms easily enables students to learn the terminology and ensures continuity of terminology throughout the book, as well as clear definitions of each term.

Modularity rating: 5

At no point does this text refer the reader to another internal section. Each topic is further subdivided into smaller segments that could be utilized in a stand-alone manner as needed.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This text is organized in a linear, logical manner, proceeding from one step to the next logical area of consideration.

Interface rating: 5

All aspects of the Pressbooks interface for this text seem to be free of navigation issues or distortions. The only potential issue could be that the "next page" button is a little easy to overlook, but that's nitpicking.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

From what I could see, there were no blatant grammatical errors in this textbook.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It serves as a "how-to" manual regarding the steps of the research and citation process.

Reviewed by Annie Cifelli, Reference Librarian, Cape Cod Community College on 11/7/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

As an introductory text book, Library160 does a good job covering the basics. The 5 chapters address "Getting Started," "Locating Information,"
Search Techniques," "Evaluating Information," and "Using Information Ethically." Each chapter begins with clearly stated learning objectives. The sub-sections within the chapters proceed in a logical and well-organized manner. There is a thorough glossary at the end.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content in Library 160 is accurate; however, examples rely rather too-heavily on the authors' (Iowa State University Library Instruction Services) unique library features. Adapting this text book would require substantial editing. For example, some screen grabs are from ISU's specific search interface, record examples and unique “pay for” tools like Map It and Get It. But explanation of Library of Congress call numbers is quite good.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Content is up-to-date. Again, using ISU's specific website to illustrate content may prove problematic in the future. Likewise, the database search pages change not infrequently and may not reflect what students see when they login to their own school's library page.

Clarity rating: 5

One of the strengths of Library 160 is the way in which it is written. The language used is accessible and friendly. I made note of several "real world" examples (like avoiding "BS") that help make the content real to students.

Consistency rating: 5

Library 160 does an excellent job using terminology consistently. One issue with information literacy classes is the lack of standard terms. For instance, faculty often use phrases like "scholarly articles,” "academic journals,” and "peer reviewed sources," interchangeably, which can be confusing for students new to the research process. Also, between disciplines what constitutes a primary source can vary. This textbook explains all of the "jargon" and offers clear visuals as to how the terms interrelate.

Modularity rating: 5

As mentioned above, the 5 chapters are each divided into smaller sub-sections. The Table of Contents is always on the left side of the screen, making it easy to move around between sections or return to previously covered content. Moving between pages is also straightforward--the arrows at the bottom of the screen show what's "previous" and what's "next."

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Overall, the organization of Library 160 makes sense. However, the early mentions of "how to cite" work represent something of an issue. Ethical information use is covered in the last chapter book, but opportunities for additional coverage abound. The style guides (MLA, APA, Chicago) are only just mentioned. Likewise, fair use, copyright, plagiarism are all addressed but only in most generic terms.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is fantastic! There are a lot of great visuals (bullet points, charts, graphs) and several embedded YouTube videos break up large sections of text. Plus, there are quizzes to check understanding. Yay quizzes!

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors. At first, the use of the second person "You" seemed too informal for a textbook, but by the end of the book, it felt collaborative as "you" can be singular or plural--"you" the individual student as well as "you" all the students in this class.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There is one curse word in this book (BS), but in context and with a solid reason. I was surprised to see it, but not offended.

Comments

At the very end of Library 160, there is a small section on "Promoting Yourself as a Student Researcher." The idea of sharing student work through scholarly channels and encouraging students to think about themselves as “student researchers” is a powerful one. More energy should devoted to that concept in information literacy instruction. Too often students feel like they're just “pretending” to be scholars. Perhaps Library 160 can help change that!

Reviewed by Maribel Pagan, Librarian, Klamath Community College on 10/25/22

The book is extremely down-to-earth with easy to access chapters, sections, and information. read more

Reviewed by Maribel Pagan, Librarian, Klamath Community College on 10/25/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is extremely down-to-earth with easy to access chapters, sections, and information.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book is very accurate to today's libraries, but I wish it covered a bit more about the CRAAP test which is still relevant in some libraries today.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book uses information that tends to stay the same. For example, even with databases, boolean operators do not tend to change even when the databases do. This makes it easier to follow along and makes it accessible to all regardless of which databases they use.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is extremely accessible with its use of down-to-earth language that's extremely easy to understand. It feels wordy at times as a result, but I feel it also makes it more personable to both staff and students.

Consistency rating: 5

Very consistent in its explanations, its down-to-earth language, and all the steps needed to effectively conduct research.

Modularity rating: 5

Very easy to take out sections of it and utilize in a class section. The book often separated each section of a chapter into subsections, which makes it easy to adapt and utilize the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This book follows a clear organization and goes step by step, following all the outcomes that are first outlined in each chapter.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is pretty interactive, allowing the user of this text to simply read or to also engage with the material through interactive activities.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Did not notice any grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Did not notice any culturally insensitive aspects of the book and felt the piece was pretty inclusive.

Comments

The book is very down-to-earth, easy to read, and easy to utilize parts of. I love how the user of this text can simply read or also engage with the material through interactive activities, which I'll be sure to incorporate some of these interactive activities in my own information literacy classes. I wish they also adapted more visual learners by providing some linked videos or something akin to that. I also wish that the book had a print version that I could have at hand and offer students if they expressed any interest in learning more. Some students have come to me before asking for print copies of their books, and it would be nice to have a print copy at hand for students to pick up and look through.

The sections on teaching students strengths and weaknesses of each information source helps tremendously as well. It shows how one can evaluate different resources and understand the different types of sources that may come up. I feel there could be some additional coverage of how to utilize research for research powerpoints, presentations, etc.

Overall, a wonderfully written book that provides accessibility to all.

Reviewed by Stefania Hiltgen, Public Services Librarian at Newberry College, Newberry College on 3/9/22

This book goes into great detail and includes modern research concepts such as using Wikipedia for background information and how to search Google. read more

Reviewed by Meridith Wolnick, Director of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia on 12/16/21

Library 160: Introduction to College-Level Research is written for students attending a particular course at Iowa State University. It has a full table of contents and is easy to navigate. Sections are short and include clearly labeled... read more

Reviewed by Meridith Wolnick, Director of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia on 12/16/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Generally, the text is accurate and unbiased. However, Web Search Engines are incorrectly identified as not having filters for advanced search or narrowing a search (Table 2.1, pg. 28). In the case of Google, there is a capacity for advanced search, searches can be narrowed by time, and images can be narrowed by type of image, usage rights, etc. This is something the authors acknowledge further in the text (Section 4.6, pg. 129).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up-to-date and relevant to today’s readers. The text does link to tutorials and other resources from other universities. Given that those links are out of the hands of the authors and ISU, broken links may go unnoticed. Additionally, there are several figures that look like they are from the ISU Library catalog. While those helpfully illustrate the text, they may become dated as web pages change. That said, given their placement in the text, updates should be easy to make.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clear and terms are defined for those new to the concepts. Each chapter includes learning outcomes that are achieved by the end of the chapter. Terms (like 'popular information' and 'peer review') are well-defined with examples. However, the use of bolding for terminology is not consistent throughout the book. Some terms (like 'thesis' and 'finding tools') are bolded and explained but others (like 'item records' and 'DOI') are just explained, not bolded. It also would be helpful to have bolded terms and concepts in a central list in the book for easy reference. In Section 1.4 (pg. 8), it’s not clear by Books whether the authors are referring to scholarly books or all books. Section 3.3 covering nesting and Boolean operators was complex compared to the rest of the text. It was helpful when the text differentiated between the ISU Quick Search function and a search engine. For instance, when discussing Boolean operators, the text identifies how to do a search similar to Quick Search in Google using a – instead of NOT.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistently written and cohesive.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is logically divided, and individual sections can be assigned independently. Sections are generally small and concise, easy to take in and understand. Page numbers did not consistently appear in the downloaded PDF.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The flow of the text is logical. The sequence of the sections, particularly illustrating the steps in beginning the research process, are clear and aligned with the student experience. The sections on Keywords are particularly organized and well-defined.

Interface rating: 4

Navigation throughout the text is easy and logical. A few things I noted that could be improved: Figure 1.1 on page 10 in the section defining journal articles/issues/volumes is mid-quality and not ultimately necessary for the text since it is well explained in the preceding section. It may become dated since the journal clearly shows publication dates.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn’t observe any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

While the examples used throughout the text assume some knowledge about the United States, they are inclusive and cover a wide range of topics. Since the book is clearly written specifically for ISU students, reliance on U.S. concepts is less of an issue. The sub-section on outdated and offensive subject headings (pg. 80) was a helpful addition to the text.

Comments

This text is written for students early in their college careers. It would be useful for any student undertaking academic research for the first time. The text adds helpful sections that go beyond basic research skills, such as the Did You Know section (pg. 30) about free accounts. There are interactive checks for understanding that are relevant to the subject matter being reviewed. They include the opportunity to retry if answered incorrectly and give immediate feedback to the student. In the PDF, the checks are labeled “An Interactive H5P element” which may cause a student who is unfamiliar with H5P to avoid clicking.

Reviewed by Elena Rodriguez, Research and Instruction Librarian, College of Charleston on 9/28/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The Introduction to College-Level Research provides a straightforward and thorough review of the research process. The five chapters cover the primary elements students should be considering as they become proficient in locating, evaluating, and using information. Being a student centered textbook, I can understand why there isn't any mention of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy or a specific section that discusses why this book was created, but these are elements that would be helpful for instructors using this textbook outside of the institution. Additionally, as this appears to be for a specific course, including a glossary of terms would be helpful as a reference. While definitions are provided throughout each chapter, they can get lost in the text.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content appears to be accurate, error-free and unbiased. Any included references were relevant and functioned properly. I appreciated that, in the section concerning Wikipedia, the authors did address the issue that the majority of editors are male and there are inherent biases and exclusions in those articles.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Given that these chapters cover topics with a general approach, it is unlikely that this content will be obsolete in the near future. However, some of the images from the institution's interface may become outdated.

Clarity rating: 5

The authors clearly define concepts and terms, and provide excellent examples throughout. Some of these examples, however, may edge into the overwhelming for novice researchers. A particular example is the graphic provided in the Boolean Operators section, 3.2. The very detailed search example (that includes AND, OR, and NOT with nesting) is simultaneously effective and a lot to take in. I very much appreciated their approach of including "strengths" and "weaknesses" at the end of certain section; this summarized information very concisely and helps demonstrate that there isn't one source or tool that is perfect.

Consistency rating: 5

Despite being written and compiled by the Library Instruction Services unit, this book manages to have a consistent voice and approach to how each chapter and subsequent section is presented.

Modularity rating: 5

Keeping to 5 chapters with quick subsections makes this book easy to use and read, either as a professor assigning work or a student using it as a resource. The sections are, for the most part, very reasonable in length, and the ones that verge on being too long are appropriately divided. I did not find the text to be disruptive.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is thoughtfully organized with a clear and simple structure. The order of the chapters is logical and follows a typical research process.

Interface rating: 5

No issues noted with the interface. The occasional “check your understanding” quizzes were very effective and added to the overall experience of using the textbook online.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not note any grammatical errors during my review of the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text did not appear to be culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Generally, all their examples and screenshots were very generic and represented authors from different backgrounds and fields of study. However, there is certainly opportunity to provide more inclusive examples or to discuss critical information literacy and social justice.

Comments

Overall, a good resource for an introductory college research course. It is simple in its approach, which makes the material approachable for novice researchers. For instructors not at the home institution wanting to use this book, certain sections may be confusing for students given the very specific screenshots, but this is expected given it’s attachment to the 160 course offered at Iowa State University. It would be useful to have more details about the course itself and the institution, as well as the makeup of the Instruction Services team that authored this source.

Chapter 1: Getting started with research

Chapter 2: Locating information

Chapter 3: Search techniques

Chapter 4: Evaluating information

Chapter 5: Using information ethically

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About the Book

You will learn how scholarly information is produced, organized, and accessed; how to construct and use effective search strategies in a variety of web tools and scholarly databases; how to choose finding tools appropriate to the type of information you need; critical thinking skills in the evaluation of resources; and best practices in the ethical use of information.

Library 160: Introduction to College-Level Research

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