Kean University Library

Kean University Library Information Literacy Program Lesson Outline for Library Instruction

Course: Research Methods in Occupational Therapy I Course Number: OT 6520

Kean University Graduate Catalog Course Description: “Introduction to the research process, data analysis and critiquing of current research in occupational therapy. Topics include research methodology, applied statistics, analysis and interpretation of data, evidence based practice.”

Typical Course Research Assignment: Students must choose a topic, then search for and locate 15 articles on the topic from professional/scholarly education journals, such as AJOT: American Journal of Occupational Therapy or Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. Ultimately, students will write a research paper with at least 15 primary references cited using APA style.

Prerequisites (Assumptions) for Students Attending the Library Instruction Session: It is assumed that graduate students have completed a library module in their undergraduate coursework. It is also required that graduate students have completed Psychological Statistics (PSY 3200) or the equivalent.

Equipment and Materials: Computers with Internet access in a dedicated computer lab; library handout; examples of print psychology periodicals (scholarly/professional and popular).

Goals and Objectives for Library Instruction Session: General goals- The student:

1. Has knowledge of the physical layout, service points, and circulation procedures of the library, i.e., library barcode and online book renewal processes. 2. Has the ability to articulate his or her research topic of interest. 3. Has the basic skills needed to find course-related information in books from the Reference and Main collections. 4. Has the basic skills needed to find course-related information in periodicals, such as newspapers, magazines, and scholarly/professional journals. 5. Has developed the basic critical thinking skills needed to select the information access tools, keywords, and information sources that are most appropriate for the course-related information need. Objectives- (Cited in parentheses are the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes* that will be met upon satisfaction of the objective.) The student:

1. Is aware that individualized research assistance is available by telephone, e-mail (Ask a Reference Librarian), and in person at the Reference Desk. (Standard 2.3.c) 2. Knows how to formulate a research focus and refine the research focus if a more specific and relevant focus is identified. (Standards 1.1.a; 1.1.b; 1.1.d;1.3.c; 1.4.a; 3.6.a) 3. Understands that subject encyclopedias and other Reference books often provide helpful background information on course-related topics, as well as ideas for relevant keywords and key concepts. (Standards 1.1.c; 1.1.d; 1.1.e) 4. Knows how to search the Kean Catalog by author, title, and keyword to determine the call numbers for library books that contain subject matter addressing the information need. (Standards 1.1.c; 2.2.b). 5. Understands how to find books in the library by locating specific call numbers within the appropriate library collection. (Standard 2.3.b) 6. Knows how to use the Periodicals list to find journal titles held by the library in its electronic, print, or microform collections. (Standard 2.3.b) 7. Understands that journal articles on a particular subject or by a particular author are accessed through periodical indexes in both print and electronic formats. a. Knows how to select a periodical index database in electronic format appropriate to the course-related information need (i.e., Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, DOME, or ScienceDirect). (Standard 2.1.d) b. Knows how to access the database, navigate within it, construct a search strategy, and execute a basic search using appropriate keywords in order to retrieve citations, abstracts, and, in some cases, full text for relevant articles. (Standards 2.2.b; 2.2.d; 2.2.e; 2.3.a) c. Understands how to utilize the Periodicals list and Kean Catalog to check for an article’s availability in print or microform format so that the article may be retrieved even when it is not available in full-text format through a database. (Standards 2.3.a; 2.3.b) d. Recognizes the difference between scholarly/professional journals (such as British Journal of Occupational Therapy and Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics) and popular magazines (such as Psychology Today). (Standards 1.2.d; 3.2.a) e. Understands that scholarly and reputable information sources are more readily accessible by searching in a library’s subscription databases, than by searching in freely available Internet search engines and directories (such as Google and Yahoo). (Standard 3.2.a) f. Recognizes the difference between primary and secondary sources, and identifies the value of each of these source types when doing research. (Standard 2.2.e; 2.2.f) g. Understands criteria to consider (authority, currency, objectivity, accuracy, and coverage) when evaluating retrieved information sources, and checks that retrieved information sources are relevant to the topic of interest. (Standards 1.2.d; 2.4.a; 3.2.a; 3.4.a; 3.4.g; 3.7.a) 8. Can identify and understands the importance of recording the pertinent parts of a bibliographic record retrieved in the Kean Catalog and in periodical index databases. (Standards 2.5.c; 2.5.d) 9. Understands that the concept of academic integrity requires that, when information is used, the source of information must be cited in order to avoid committing plagiarism. a. Knows that sources must be cited whether the information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. (Standards 3.1.c; 5.2.f) b. Knows that APA citation style requires a brief citation in the text of the paper as well as a complete bibliographic citation in the paper’s References list. (Standard 5.3.a) c. Understands that examples and explanations of APA style may be found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is shelved in the Reference Collection. (Standard 5.3.a)

* The ACRL standards satisfied by meeting the aforementioned objectives are available in full at the following Website: American Library Association. Association of College and Research Libraries (2003). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved July 20, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html

Lesson outline prepared by librarians Linda Cifelli and Caroline Geck, July 2004.