Hello! I'm your Foundational Learning and Engagement Librarian. I can help you locate, evaluate, and use information for your research projects. I'm a first generation college graduate with a BA in Biology and Master's in Library & Information Science.
Learn about top resources (like course reserves) and how to search in the library's OneSearch catalog and databases.
Library Research Module
Do you have a research assignment and don’t know where to start?
The Library Research 101 Tutorial will take you through the steps of the research process in four self-guided lessons on...
finding information in the Libary's OneSearch catalog and databases
research ethics and types of bias in research
evaluating information sources for credibility and quality
identifying and understanding different types of information sources
There are knowledge check questions for you to test your own understanding and a research notebook where you can apply your research topic and practice the steps in the research process.
If the module is not available through one of your courses, you can access it by self-enrolling in the Library’s Canvas Course. The module is titled “Research 101”.
For instructors, feel free to use any or all of this module in your own Canvas shells. We have published these pages to the Canvas Commons, for your use. NOTE: If this link doesn't work, go to the Canvas Commons and search for the title of the module "Research 101 Tutorial". You may need to filter by “shared with California Polytechnic State University” when searching by tutorial title.
Finding Data Tutorial and Notebook
In this self-guided tutorial, students learn search strategies for finding data and visualizations.
In the Finding, Using & Citing Images self-guided tutorial, students learn how to find the best images for their topic, analyze images for effectiveness and credibility, and are introduced to MLA and attribution citation styles for images. This tutorial takes approximately 30 minutes and includes knowledge check questions to check for understanding of the content.
Instructors can import the Finding, Using & Citing Images Tutorial into their Canvas course as a Canvas module from Commons. You can import directly from the link above (make sure you're signed into your Cal Poly account) or you can search for the title of the module on Canvas Commons: "Finding, Using & Citing Images". You have the option to have students complete the tutorial as a graded assignment, an ungraded assignment, or a page.