ENG 1003
Strategies for Academic Success

Traditional Resources


Electronic Resources

Databases

Suggested Keywords
(search terms)


Websites

 

Search Tips


How to Generate Ideas for a Paper

  • Rely on search engines, such as Google or Dogpile
  • Refer to an encyclopedia, either paper or electronic (including Wikipedia)
  • Browse databases and e-journals
  • Ask for assistance from your instructor or a librarian

Scholarly Versus Popular Periodicals

Watch this 3-minute YouTube to distinguish the difference:
Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals

Searching the Catalog

·         Resources can be found by searching the online catalog: http://library2.nsuok.edu/

·         Subject headings used in the catalog

o   academic achievement

o   learning

o   study skills

o   test-taking skills

Want an item NSU owns placed on the hold shelf for you? Order it through the online catalog.

Want an item NSU does not own? Order it through the interlibrary loan system ILLiad.

Traditional Resources:

Books

Academic Success:

College Success Strategies. LB2395 .N545 2003

High-Achieving Schools: What Do They Look Like? LB1131 .S54 2002

The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life. LC1390 .G87 2005

Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should be Learning More.  LB2322.2 .B65 2006

Reference Materials on the Broken Arrow Campus

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Ref PE1628 .A623 2000

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Ref PE1628 .M36 2001

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Ref AG5 .H757 2002 

The New Oxford American Dictionary.  Ref PE1628 .N429 2005 

The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations. PN6084 .H8 094 2001 

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Electronic Resources:


E-books

Film Snob’s Dictionary, c2006 

The Hutchinson’s Dictionary of Confusable Words, c2006

Keepin’ It Real: School Success beyond Black and White, c2005

Up Your Grades: Proven Strategies for Academic Success, c1997

Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation: Invisible Rules for Success, c2000


E-journals

Campus Life

Chronicle of Higher Education

College Student Journal

Journal of Advanced Academics

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Databases

Academic Search Premier - a general database that contains article citations and full-text articles covering many academic subjects.

Wilson Web – this database provides access to domestic and international English-language periodicals, monographs and yearbooks. Citation coverage goes back to 1983. Full text articles are available from 1996 to the present. Contains a thesaurus.

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Suggested Keywords for Strategies for Academic Success

One of the first steps in creating a research plan is to select “key words” which best describe the topic you plan to research. If you are unfamiliar with the terminology of your assigned topic you may wish to refer to sources such as textbooks, dictionaries, and other reference materials in the field of study.

Use the following terms individually or in combination with one another:

college students
development
social, physical, emotional, educational
education and psychology (combine terms using and)
diversity
"cognitive style"
"learning modalities"
"learning strategies"
"learning motivation"
"thinking skills"
"learning styles "
culture
gender
"multiple intelligenc*"
students
teen* (truncate to get all forms: teen, teens, teenagers, teenaged, etc.)

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Database Search Tips

1. Use synonyms if your original search produces no results. A thesaurus can be helpful, if the database is equipped with one.

2. Pay attention to search tips or help screens provided by each database.

3. Most databases allow for Boolean Searching.  Use and to narrow, or to expand, not to exclude.  Truncation is also useful for bringing back all relevant results.  For example, type counsel* to bring back documents containing the words counsel, counseling, counselor, etc.

4. Take advantage of the following sources of help:

- CLIP tutorials

- Reference desk: Located on the second floor of the BA library, the desk is staffed from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon - Thurs & 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday by reference librarians or other experienced library staff members.

- Feel free to contact the library with a question or to schedule a one-on-one reference session.

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Websites

Strategies for Academic Success

Academic Success

Guidelines and Thoughts for Academic Success

Learning Strategies: Maximizing Your Academic Experience

Significant Factors to Achieve Academic Success

Style Manuals for Academic Writing

American Psychological Association (APA)

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Chicago

Turabian

General

The Internet Public Library

Tom Messner's Search Engine Page

U. S. Department of Education

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Send questions or comments to Linda Summers