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Discover the impact of library instruction on students' paper quality. Find out how collaboration between faculty and librarians can improve research skills. Rethink the way you approach bibliographies.
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Want Better Papers? Start With Better Sources By Susan Hurst Joseph Leonard Lilly Conference, Miami University November 18, 2005
WHAT ABOUT YOU?? • Are you happy with the quality of students’ work? • Does your school require students to learn about library resources? • Do you have librarians come into your classes? • How much attention do you pay to students’ bibliographies? • What resources do you use for your own research?
RATIONALE FOR OUR STUDY • Poor Term Paper Quality • Too Much Dependence on Internet Sources • Library Resources Not Being Utilized • How Can We Change This?
WHAT WE DID • Collaboration between Faculty and Librarians • International Business Class • Fall 2004, Spring 2005 semesters • 2 sections received Library Instruction, 1 did not, each semester • 184 students total, 83 received library instruction, 101 did not • Based on a term-paper assignment
THE ASSIGNMENT • 9 to 14 page company-based research paper • Components include company descriptive information, analysis, future recommendations, support of recommendations, conclusions and implications, bibliography. • counts for 20% of course grade
LIBRARY INSTRUCTION – WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT ? • Instruction was in the classroom – demonstration by a librarian – no hands-on (NOT ideal) • Demonstrated Library Webpage (http://www.lib.muohio.edu/), how to access resources off-campus, and library databases • Tailored to a specific assignment • Stressed databases’ ease of use, cost (FREE to students – already paid for through tuition), quality of results, often full-text online
WHAT IF YOU DIDN’T GET LIBRARY INSTRUCTION? • 3 minute talk by professor • Citation style and format • No requirement for number of citations • Don’t rely too heavily on company homepage • Go to the library or use library resources online (no further instructions about using library resources though).
DATA ANALYSIS • Analyzed bibliographies from the term-paper assignment – looked at each citation • Compared resources used among students receiving library instruction vs. resources cited by those that did not have instruction • Where did the sources come from (journal article, library database, book, Internet, other)? • Statistical analysis done with Minitab
WHAT WE FOUND Students that received library instruction – • Used significantly more library resources • Used significantly more types of materials • Turned in significantly fewer papers where the only citations were from the Internet. • Did not have significantly improved paper or course grades.
CONCLUSIONS • Students do benefit from Library Instruction. • They appreciate resources but are often unaware of their existence. • Students will utilize what they know. • Grade bibliographies as carefully as you do papers. • Better papers start (and end) with better sources.
Susan Hurst Business Librarian Miami University 202 King Library Oxford, OH 45056 513-529-4144 hurstsj@muohio.edu Joseph Leonard Management Professor Miami University 313D Laws Hall Oxford, OH 45056 513-529-4239 leonarjw@muohio.edu HOW TO CONTACT US