LIB 1201 Fall 2011

In class we learned how to use advance searches, search catalogs and article databases to help us find sources for our research paper.  I knew already a lot about these different searches, but I did learn new things about using searches such as these.  For example, I learned about Google scholar.  I heard of Google scholar but never actually used it for any of my papers.  I always used regular Google because I believed it worked just as fine as Google scholar.  However, that is not true.  I already knew about catalogs and article databases from my English class, so there wasn’t anything different about it.  Using these new search engines will help me find proper sources for any paper I might have to do with any of my other classes.  This is definitely going to help me.

In learning how to do advanced searches and searching library and article databases, a new world of information was opened for me. Through the different ways of searching, things have definitely become more complicated than a simple keyword search, and that is something that I found to be effective. What will stay with me is the use of quotations and the use of the word “and”. Another thing that will stay with me are the different ways to look at writing a research paper. I always thought it had to be along the lines of a report rather than coming up with my own recommendations on the topic.

The first thing I would do in writing my draft is to use my outline as a blueprint. We have always been taught to use outlines so we can make our drafts much easier to write. This has helped me a lot because it helps organize my thoughts. I will also use my annotated bibliography as a reference to my sources. It will help me cite the sources based upon what I read in them. Not to mention the paragraphs he wrote about each source will help determine which one to use. With these two types of blueprints in my possession, I would be able to create a draft much easier than if I didn’t have them in the first place.