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Want Better Papers?

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?

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  1. Want Better Papers? Start With Better Sources By Susan Hurst Joseph Leonard Lilly Conference, Miami University November 18, 2005

  2. 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?

  3. RATIONALE FOR OUR STUDY • Poor Term Paper Quality • Too Much Dependence on Internet Sources • Library Resources Not Being Utilized • How Can We Change This?

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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).

  8. 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

  9. 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.

  10. RESULTS – CHART 1

  11. RESULTS – CHART 2

  12. RESULTS – CHART 3

  13. RESULTS – CHART 4

  14. RESULTS – CHART 5

  15. RESULTS – CHART 6

  16. 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.

  17. QUESTIONS?????

  18. 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

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