ENG 152 : Keywords and Database Searching for Dual Credit

Welcome to the information literacy session for ENG 152. You first learned about information literacy in MCC101, where we defined information literacy as knowing when you need information, and how to find it, evaluate it, and use it effectively. In ENG151, you learned how to evaluate information.

This session will focus on the research process, identifying keywords, and database searching. You'll also learn about the benefits of using library databases and the types of information they contain.

This module is a combination of written content and short videos with an assignment at the end. The assignment will ask you to use one of our many databases, Academic Search Complete, and apply your new database searching skills to identify keywords and locate sources relevant to your research topic.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Define your information need.
• Identify the main ideas of your research question or topic.
• Construct effective database searches to produce relevant results.
• Apply appropriate search strategies to locate relevant sources that match your information need,

The research skills you learn in this module will apply to any class or subject that has a research component.

The Research Process

1. Information need: What is your assignment asking you to find? 
2. Pre-research: Choose a topic, learn more about it, narrow it down, find keywords.
3. Research question: What is your assignment asking you to create?
4. Search strategy: Where will you look for information?
5. Search: Start with the main ideas of your topic or research question.
6. Evaluate every source you find - for credibility and usefulness.
7. Cite: You have found credible sources and answered your research question!