ENG 2150: Writing II - Prof. Aviv

Understanding Sources

Authority and Relevance of Sources

  • Is contextual
  • Depends on your needs

Ways to Use Sources

  • Background
  • Evidence
  • Argument
  • Method

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

Location of different kinds of sources on continuum

Expertise and authority of an author

  • What do we know about the author?
  • Have they written or spoken about this topic before?
  • Do they teach at college or university on this topic?
  • Are they affiliated with a research institution or agency or think tank?
  • What do other authors think of this one?

What's in OneSearch?

What you CAN find in OneSearch

checkbox  Scholarly journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles
 
checkbox  Print books & ebooks @ Baruch College
 
checkbox  Print books @ other CUNY colleges
   

What you can SOMETIMES find in OneSearch

Sometimes

 Streaming videos & DVDs
 Alternative: use the Videos & Movies guide

Sometimes

 Articles from reference books
 Alternative: use the Dictionaries & Encyclopedias databases

   

What you CAN'T find in OneSearch

Can't find

 Data & statistics
 Alternative: use the Statistics databases

Can't find

 Company & industry reports
 Alternative: use the Business databases

Can't find

 Market research reports
 Alternative: use the Marketing databases

OneSearch on the Library Home Page

When you click "Define Your Search," you are presented with options you must select before you can type your search terms:

Search options within the search box

 

Books (print + ebooks) will search the OneSearch system.

Articles will search the OneSearch system for articles in journals, newspapers, and magazines.

Videos will search the OneSearch system for streaming videos and DVDs

Books + Articles + Videos will search OneSearch for all of the above format types and more.

Databases will link you to a page with an A-Z list of all library databases.

Journals will search the OneSearch system for journals we have online and in print.

Newspapers + Magazines will search the OneSearch system for newspapers and magazines we have online and in print.

Course Reserves will link you to a page listing all the courses where we have items on reserve.

Library Services & Policies will search just the library web pages for info about our services.

Top Search Tips

1. Quote marks around phrases = more precise results

quotation marks around phrases

2. Type AND in all caps between concepts

Search connector words in all caps

3. "Filter" your search results by resource type, date, and more. Use the "Limit to" option for "Peer Reviewed Journals" to get just scholarly journal articles.

Filter my results on left side

4. Use "Advanced Search" mode for greater control

Advanced search mode

Identifying Resource Types in Search Results

After you use the search box for OneSearch on the library home page, you see results that include different kinds of resources. Above the title of each item (in blue) is a label identifying the resource type.
  • ARTICLE
    • if there's a "PEER REVIEWED" label on that listing, the article came from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal
    • if there's no label, the article is from a newspaper or magazine
  • BOOK
    • If there is a green "Available Online" link in the listing, that's an ebook
    • If there is no green "Available Online link, that's a print book
  • BOOK CHAPTER
    • Chapter from an ebook
  • REFERENCE ENTRY
    • entries from encyclopedias and dictionaries

Search results page in OneSearch