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Not sure what we can teach, or how long a topic will take? The lists below show our most popular topics: finding sources, evaluating sources, and using sources. The points covered and concepts columns help explain our key objectives for the topics.

This is not an exhaustive list. If you would like other resources or topics addressed, we’d be happy to discuss the options with you. Unsure what topic(s) would be most beneficial? Once we've seen your assignment instructions or syllabus, we can help you decide.

Finding Sources:

Topic	Time Required	Points Covered
Brainstorm research topics	15 minutes	Brainstorming ideas with the help of concept mapping and/or topic development databases Narrowing or broadening a topic to fit the scope of a research assignment
Search the library catalog	10 minutes	Finding materials on a topic Generating keywords and search terms Using call numbers to locate items in the building, identifying links to online content, and interlibrary loan links for content we do not own
Search a specialized database	25 minutes	Searching for topics in discipline-specific or specialized databases (PubMed, JSTOR, Factiva, etc.)
Citation chaining	10 minutes	Tracking the literature through mining references and articles citing a work

Evaluating Sources:

Topic	Time Required	Points Covered
Evaluate source credibility	50-75 minutes	Identifying characteristics of credibility via websites
What is a scholarly article?	15 minutes	Identifying characteristics of scholarly articles Discussing the peer-review process
Contextualize source authority	50-75 minutes	Analyzing the credibility of a range of sources

Using Sources:

Topic	Time Required	Points Covered
Introduction to RefWorks (citation management tool)	25-50 minutes	Creating a RefWorks account Importing references into account Using RefWorks in Google docs
Introduction to Zotero (citation management tool preferred by the Health Sciences)	25-50 minutes	Installing Zotero Importing references into Zotero account Using Zotero in Google docs