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Counselor Education

Social Sciences Librarian

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Melissa Cardenas-Dow
Contact:
916-278-7508

College of Education Information

The College of Education is located in room 206 Eureka Hall. Telephone - 278-9939.

Five Steps to Successful Research

1.   Read an essay by an expert on your subject to learn important names , dates , and terminology to use in further searching. References at the end of the essay often list the core research articles on the topic.
         Tools:  Specialized handbooks and encyclopedias
 
2.   Find books on your topic
         Tool:  OneSearch
 
3.   Find peer-reviewed articles on your topic 
         Tools:  Databases, Articles, & Journals (TAB above)
 
4.   Consider specialized sources such as:
         Statistical information  (googleScholar) or (google.com/advanced_search)
         CSUS theses/projects/dissertations (TAB above) or (Sac State Scholars on Library homepage)
         Government publications (http://www.usa.gov/) or (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/)
 
HINT: When searching the Internet via google advanced, limit domain to: .edu, .gov, .org for scholarly results
 
5.   Evaluate your material: Top 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
 
      1.)   Intended audience - general, specialist, student?
      2.)   Purpose: inform, entertain, persuade?
      3.)   Author's credentials: affiliation, education, occupation, publications?
      4.)   Publisher: learned society, research institution, commercial, private, political
              organization?
      5.)   Refereed, reviewed, or edited journal?
      6.)   Documentation: sources cited, bibliography, list of references?
 
For Internet Web sources, in addition to the above ask yourself:
 
      7.)   What is the value of the Web site compared to the range of other sources available on
              this topic?
      8.)   When was the Web item produced and last revised - currency?
      9.)   Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling, composition?
     10.)  Is contact information for the author included in the document?
  

 

 

 

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2023 1:57 PM