• Library Webpage Introduces students to the basic navigational structure of the McDermott Library website, focusing on information most pertinent to the research process.
• Library Catalog Teaches students how to search the McDermott Library online catalog, how to read a catalog record, when to go to the "Long View" or "More Like This", and how to find more records for the same subject, etc.
• Items in Print Introduces students to the basic formats and uses of print items in the McDermott Library (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies etc.)
• Electronic Databases Shows students how to use the alphabetical list and the subject list of databases, power searching, how to limit and expand search terms for maximum search efficiency, how to use the ebook collections, etc.)
• Web Searching Teaches students how to search the web efficiently.
• Evaluating Your Sources Stresses the importance of evaluating your source, and introduces students to the critical thinking skills necessary in evaluating items in various formats.

Resources

INDIVIDUAL TUTORIAL WITH A LIBRARIAN make an appointment with a librarian at the beginning of the semester, or at any time during the semester.

REFERENCE LIBRARIANS you may IM, email or call these librarians any time that you need help using the library for your assignments.

GENERAL

• Booklet - Distributed to each student visiting the library for the Rhetoric 1101 presentation. It provides the most pertinent information about library services.
• Ask-A-Librarian
  • email reference service providing answers to brief, factual questions
  • virtual reference - chat-based collaborative reference service with other libraries in the University of Texas system
• Useful Websites A collection of free WWW resource links, organized by subject and chosen by librarians at UTD.
• Interlibrary Loan Provides access to materials not held in the McDermott Library collection.
• Tilt Tutorial UT System tutorial explaining the steps involved in library research.

PLAGIARISM (transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
- from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

• Plagiarism tutorial - online tutorial created by McDermott Library that provides students with a thorough overview of plagiaism issues.
• Turnitin.com - online tool that allows students and instructors to submit papers for plagiarism review.
• UTD Office of Judicial Affairs - provides UTD policies on academic integrity including examples of how to avoid cheating and plagiarism.
• Suggested books in the library
  • Little book of plagiarism by Richard A. Posner.
    Call Number K1485 .P67 2007
  • Doing honest work in college: how to prepare citations, avoid plagiarism, and achieve real academic success by Charles Lipson.
    Call Number PN171 .F56 L56 2004
  • Using sources effectively: strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism by Robert A. Harris.
    Call Number LB2369 .H37 2005
  • Guiding students from cheating and plagiarism to honesty and integrity: strategies for change by Ann Lathrop and Kathleen Foss.
    Call Number LB3609 .L27 2005
• Web English Teacher is a collection of educational websites covering all aspects of plagiarism

CITING SOURCES

• The Little, Brown guide to research and documentation
  
• MLA HANDBOOK MLA handbook for writers of research papers
• Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
  Call Number BF76.7 .P83 2001
• A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations (Turabian)
• The Chicago manual of style
  
• Noodletools Knowledge Base - online database of how-to articles that help answer questions about ALA and MLA citations
• UTD Learning Resource Center Writing Lab - obtain writing and citation help, (by appointment only).
• RefWorks is a citation management service that allows you to import citations from online article indexes and databases, organize and manage these references within folders, automatically format them within papers and create instant bibliographies in a variety of styles.

SCHOLARLY/PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS This short tutorial explains the difference between scholarly/peer reviewed journals and popular magazines and explains why you need to use scholarly journals for your research.

• Ulrich's Web database provides information on each journal title, including whether or not the journal is scholarly/Peer Reviewed

EVALUATING WEBSITES

• Choosing a Search Engine
  • Search Engine Watch provides a comparison of search engine features.
  • Search Engine Showdown provides a comparison of search engine features
  • How to choose a Search Engine suggests appropriate search engine by subject being searched
  • Google Help Pages (basic search - advanced search) these pages give simple tips to improve your searching strategy and return hits with greater relevancy. Help pages are available for any search engine or directory that you use - take the time to look at them, it will save you time and frustration!
• ABC's of Website Evaluation
• Five Criteria for Evaluating Websites