Helping You Write That Research Paper- Finding scholarly sources

Almost every student starting in high school has to write essays or papers. However, as a student climbs in terms of education (HS to Undergrad to Post-grad), the level of writing required quickly escalates. For example, high school students are often taught to summarize and repeat information that is given to them. While this is a good start in terms of learning how to write, it isn't productive because it does not further the argument and the rhetorical audience is simply being fed the same thing over and over again. In college, however, students are now taught to undertake research, synthesize the information, then complete an analysis, all in the name of furthering the discussion. 

So what makes writing college-level papers harder?

A common challenge with college-level papers is finding sources, especially scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Scholarly sources are extremely important to a paper's effectiveness because they demonstrate the highest level of credibility. The rhetorical audience will more likely to find a paper with sources that are written/reviewed by people that specialize in that field to be convincing.

The challenge with finding scholarly sources.

The challenge with finding scholarly sources is that a simple Google search usually do not suffice. Google is more likely to find sources such as news or magazine articles, which may be credible, but not to the degree of a published or peer-reviewed source. In order to find scholarly sources, specific sites aimed towards peer-reviewed sources must be utilized.

My go-to websites for finding scholarly sources:

Examples of scholarly-source search tools that are completely free and can be used anywhere if you do not have access to a college campus.

https://eric.ed.gov/?

https://scholar.google.com/ (Highly Recommended!)

Examples of scholarly-source search tools that you can use on a college campus. Many colleges have their own tool and an easy Google search will find you your college's resource. These are some of the best tools, as they are provided by tuition dollars. Some of these sources do not allow you to view the full article when you are not on their respective campuses. 

https://libraries.psu.edu/

https://www.library.illinois.edu/

http://library.princeton.edu/

Media Literacy

Apple, one of America’s leading tech companies has just announced a new program to promote media literacy programs. In the time of “fake news’, people need to become more educated on which media they chose to retain information about the world around them. Apple recognizes this and has now teamed up with nonprofits in Europe and Asia to launch this new program that educates users about the news for free. The teams that are collaborating with Apple on this new task are the New Literacy Project, Common Sense Stateside and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani from Italy.
Apple believes that through their influence they can educate people on how they digest news through the widespread appeal of their products. Millions of Americans have access to these products such as the iPhone and the company realizes that they have the potential to be very influential learning tools. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said, “News literacy is vital to sustaining a free press and thriving democracy, and we are proud to be collaborating with organizations on the front lines of this effort,” After extensively studying news cycles in college, it is nice to see that highly influential companies such as Apple are learning to correct a widespread problem such as news misinformation. The company’s new endeavor will be looked upon favorably by the media where other tech giants such as Facebook have been repeatedly condemned for having not done enough to correct this issue. Those who are interested in becoming more educated on this topic will have access to this program for free but through Apple products. Doing this allows the public to take partial initiative and not have to pay extraneous costs that could turn people away. This all draws back to Apple’s responsibility to create widespread consumer awareness that is accessible to all. It is not yet reported on how Apple will exactly go about pushing out their new initiative, but they have made their stance clear. Apple believes they have a responsibility to the greater good by better educating those who are ignorant about media literacy. While concerns about how partisan the program could be are valid, it seems like they have teamed up with the appropriate organizations to springboard this new idea. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and with Apple understanding the lack of ways people can educate themselves on the news, they, in turn, will do their part in enacting this education. Original Article: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/03/apple-teams-with-media-literacy-programs-in-the-us-and-europe/ Contribution by Dale Desantis

Free Textbooks!

College students nowadays spend hundreds of dollars buying textbooks before a course. Students buy these expensive textbooks because either it's required for a course or they need it for reference. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution around this because if a book is required, then simply a student must buy it in order to complete the assignments in a class. On the other hand, if you are perhaps a self-learning student, there is a good list of free textbooks online at your discretion. 

Click here for the link to 200 Free Textbooks: http://www.openculture.com/free_textbooks

Source: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcIII/CalcIII.aspx

Above is an example of a free calculus III textbook. The interface may not be the prettiest, but if it means saving you $120 on a textbook, then it could be worth it. 

The development of the computer age was great for many reasons, including information/knowledge opening up to anyone regardless of economic status, as long as there is access to a computer. Unfortunately, too much information is now open to the world, and the distinction between false and true information has become blurred. I can guarantee that the textbooks on this site are "useful and insightful" knowledge, however, they are not accredited for a student trying to earn a degree. Sites with free texbooks shows how easy it is to find information in the technology world, but these cheap alternate methods usually don't lead to a degree.

Have fun diggin' through free textbooks!

Open Educational Resources Commons

Recently, I came across a very interesting search engine. Usually, when search engines come to the mind of people, they think of Google. However, search engines like Google simply search through a large portion of the web. On the other hand, some companies actually build search engines that delve into more specific fields, where only specific results related to a specific topic are found. The Open Educational Resources Commons is like that search engine that only searches of online educational tools! The best part about this search is that it searches through open-sourced resources where anyone can use for free, as long as it is for educational purposes.

The OER Commons website provides resources for both authors and those seeking for useful resources. For those who are seeking to expand their audience or to simply help other educators, they can upload lessons or modules onto the website free of charge. 

For educators who are seeking resources for their classes, the search engine provides a plethora of lessons from science topics to social studies! 

An example:

Source: https://www.oercommons.org/courses/1-kinetic-molecular-theory-kmt

Let's say you were a high school teacher and you've been swamped with meetings the last three weeks! You don't have enough time to create class material for tomorrow's lesson about Kinetic Molecular Theory because you also have 50 exams to grade at the same time. The OER Commons can be a lifesaver because here you can find class materials that are open for your use!

When you click on the "view resource" button, it links you to a Google Drive with files for worksheets and directions. Everything is pretty much prepared! Click here to check out how it works!

Sometimes, preparations for a class is too time-consuming or you simply need an idea or comparison by looking at an example to create your own resources. The OER Commons should serve as your number 1 stop for looking at resources because it is free to use and covers a wide variety of subjects.

Enjoy!