Research Process - ENC 1101 - Bielecki - LibGuides at Hillsborough Community College

Finding Reliable Sources for Academic Essays

Created specifically for Ms. Bielecki's ENC 1101 courses, this page covers how to find trustworthy, expert source material for your academic writing by using the HCC libraries. Further down the page, find embedded videos and information on how to get HCC's free tutoring in person or online.

Finding and Evaluating Sources

Chapter 21: The Research Process
from our online textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC
Chapter 22: Finding Sources
from our online textbook, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC

Library Research Slide Show-ENC 1101
Library Research Slide Show-ENC 1102
Ms. Bielecki's Step-by-Step Handout on Finding Trustworthy, Usable Sources for ANY Subject (ENC 1101 classes)
Use this handout for step-by-step instructions on finding trustworthy expert sources for your academic essays in almost any course.
Ms. Bielecki's Step-by-Step Handout on Finding Trustworthy, Usable Sources for LITERARY Subjects (ENC 1102 classes)
Use this handout for step-by-step instructions on finding trustworthy expert sources for your academic essays on literature.

"Information Literacy: How to Excel in College Research" workshop from College2Success
Students will identify why information literacy skills are important to their college research and their future careers. Students will distinguish among information sources, investigate the credibility of sources, and determine the appropriateness of sources for their information needs.
more...less...
Objectives: Students will
1. identify the definitions of "information literacy" and "metaliteracy"
2. distinguish similarities and differences between resource types (newspapers, books, websites, blogs, etc.)
3. develop key terms for searching the web, library catalogs, and databases
4. determine where to look for the information needed
5. explore evaluation tools and tips to help determine the credibility of located resources
Evaluating Resources: University of California Berkeley Library
This library guide explains how to understand and evaluate scholarly, popular, primary, and secondary sources.

Academic Success Centers (Tutoring)
Info on and links to HCC's ASCs
Schedule an appointment with the Ybor City ASC

Questions? 813-253-7741 or yborsuccess@hccfl.edu

Broken links? Please email the URLs of that link and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

Upswing is an online tutoring service to which all HCC students are subscribed. Call 844-879-8779 for tech support.

Upswing Knowledge Base
Technical help with the online tutoring service
more...less...
See also https://hccfl.upswing.io/

Video or link not working? Please email URL to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

How Are Scholarly and Popular Resources Different?

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles

"Peer-reviewed" journals may also be called "scholarly" or "academic."

"Popular vs. Scholarly Sources" module from University of Arizona Libraries
This interactive module provides information on scholarly sources and a quiz to test your understanding.

Choosing Keywords (2:59)

From Kreitzberg Library at Norwich University. Closed captioning and transcript available.

Follow These Steps

Text only version

Getting Started with Research: Videos

WARNING: "How to Avoid Problems with Citation Tools"
Chapter 37.8 of Ms. Bielecki's online textbook explains which citation tools to use (the databases', not the library catalog's) and why beginners may want to avoid open-access sources.

Embedded media or a link not working? Please email the URLs of the item and this page to jbielecki@hccfl.edu.

"Popular vs. Scholarly Sources" module from University of Arizona Libraries
This interactive module provides information on scholarly sources and a quiz to test your understanding.

"Evaluating Source Credibility" playlist from Turnitin
These seven videos (two to five minutes each, totaling twenty minutes) give a good overview of why and how to make sure your sources are trustworthy and expert.