1. Specify the sources: provide students guidance in determining what are appropriate types of sources for their projects.

2. Require source proof: this would include both the source document and the notes the student developed from the source.  (Be sure to warn students to NOT rip source documents from library books and journals!)

3. Build collaboration into the process: have students work in teams to develop their resources and papers.

4. Color code sentences by type: as an exercise, have students highlight different portions of their paper, based on sections written by them, sections based on other sources, and direct quotes.  (This is easily done in word processing packages such as Word.)

5. Specify an audience:  have the student identify a target audience for their work and discuss how publications (newspapers, trade journals, research journals) target their audiences.

6. Readjust the stakes: break the writing process down into its component parts—thesis statement, outline, bibliography, etc… Base the grade on each part and not just on the finished product.

7. Require specific components:  consider specifying the number of quotes allowed, the types of sentences to be included, etc…

8. Involve peer editing: allow students to share ideas and approaches by incorporating a peer-review process.

9. Break the process into pieces:  research has consistently shown that breaking down the writing process into smaller pieces significantly reduces the likelihood of plagiarism.

10. Require current sources: existing essays on the web often contain dated material; requiring current sources insures the student must consult newer materials.

Librarians can play a vital role in building up the ethical and effective research habits of your students.  Look for additional suggestions in the months to come—or share your own in the comments section!

Deborah Lee

Over the last couple of years we have heard from many of you that the Grolier online products were not meeting your needs.  As a result of your comments/suggestions, we reviewed a couple of other products to see if they would be a better fit.  This summer the Selection Committee met with Britannica and World Book to see if their products were a better match for the K-12 participants of MAGNOLIA.  After their presentations, the Selection Committee discussed the pros and cons of each product and decided that World Book would be a better fit for our school libraries.  We presented our report to the Steering Committee, who voted unanimously to switch from Grolier Online to World Book effective immediately.

We are in the process of updating the MAGNOLIA website, removing Grolier and adding World Book.  We hope you will be pleased with the switch in products.  This will be for school libraries only.

All other products for all libraries will remain the same for this year.  The URLs are being added/updated on the MAGNOLIA K-12 website at http://library.msstate.edu/magnolia.

Note from Deborah:  I talked with Stephen this morning; remote access/access from home is not yet set up for World Book.  They hope to have this established quickly.    There’s also a Customer Training Site, that has downloadable training materials, scavenger hunts (to introduce students to World Book) and other resources librarians and teachers may find useful:  http://www.worldbook.com/training/

Deborah

Deborah

• 50 Key Concepts  in Gender Studies
• Biographical Dictionary of British Economists
• A Financial History of the United States
• Geography of the World
• Key Concepts in Early Childhood Education and Care
• Key Concepts in Feminist Theory and Research
• Key Concepts in Postcolonial Literature
• Key Contemporary Concepts
• Need to Know? Islam

Credo Reference is available as part of the MAGNOLIA suite of databases.  Be sure to check out this useful collection of online reference resources!

Deborah

For now, you can check out our news release about two new options:  WolframAlpha and Twine.