EN 112: Research Labs: Lab A
Dig Overview

What can reference sources do for you?

The labs use the image of a "sorting hat" to decide on information need and source type. This idea is taken from the sorting hat in the Harry Potter books.

To learn more, you could read chapters 7-8 in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.

Food for Thought:

• Is getting an overview of a topic before proceeding more or less important depending on the kind of job you have or depending on the kind of idea you are researching, or is it always important? Can you think of anything in the news lately that applies to this?

Put it into Practice:

• Do these directions sound familiar: give a summary of your topic in 1-2 sentences and list 5 unique keywords off the top of your head. Usually, that's too much to do if you don't have a good background on your topic first. Look into some of the suggested resources that provide overview knowledge, then try again.

Food for Thought:

• Have you ever had a conversation with someone who clearly found their background information on a topic from a bad source? Or has it happened to you? What do you do in that situation?

Put it into Practice:

• Choose one overview source you found after the first video--or find one now. Analyze it using PATS. Share with the class if you verified your source is credible or not credible. If you are used to using all website sources, challenge yourself to use one of the library overview databases.

Search for ebooks, books, DVDs, CDs, print journals, scores, and other physical items in the library.