Sterling Public Schools

250 Main Street

Sterling, NE
402-866-4761
Librarian: Mrs. Leia Rumsey
lrumsey@sterlingpublicschools.com or ext. 110

Elementary RESEARCH HANDBOOK

Fall 2018

pg. 1
 Table of Contents:

Topic Page Number(s)

General Information 3
Library Layout and Explanation 4
Research Process 5-6
Example Research Graphic Organizers 7–8
Locating Sources 9
Evaluating Sources 10 -12
Plagiarism and Citing Resources 13 - 14

pg. 2
Grades: PreK – 12th Grade

School Hours: 7:45am – 4:00pm

Library Media Center Hours: 1:05 – 3:37
Open Checkout/Use Hours: 1:05 – 1:45 & 3:00 – 3:37
(Fixed Schedule)

Library Media Center Mission Statement:

The mission of Sterling Public School library is to foster a love of self-led
learning through recreational reading and information seeking through all channels
whether via digital of physical resources. The library supports the school system’s
goal of promoting students to excel, prepare, serve and lead. The library will
provide access to learning by providing materials, guidance, and challenges to all
students, K -12th grade.

pg. 3
 Library Layout:
Secondary/ YA Fiction
Athletic Director’s Office

Classroom Area Paperback Chapter books

Elementary Reference/ Nonfiction

Reference/Nonfiction
Elementary Chapter Books
Elementary Chapter Books
Picture Books

Secondary
Display Shelves
Beginning Chapter Books
Carousel Storytime Area

Main Entrance

Picture Books: Arranged Alphabetical Order by Author (A-Z)

All Paperback Picture Books are located on endcaps

Beginning Chapter Books: (Including Captain Underpants, Bad Kitty, Moody Judy)
located in carousel on endcap. – Arranged Alpha by Author.

Elementary/Middle Grade Chapter Books: Arranged Alpha (A-Z)

All new Chapter books on display on top of book shelf.

YA/Secondary Fiction: Arranged Alpha (A-Z) All New

Chapter Books on display on top shelf

Paperback Chapter books – located in Carousels at end

of elementary bookshelves, unless part of series, then placed
on shelves with other books of series.

Elementary and Secondary Nonfiction: Arranged via

Dewey Decimal System.
pg. 4
Research Process (Be a Super Researcher!)
• Ask yourself:
• Why am I looking into this?
• What is my end project going to look
like? (a report? a poster?)
Identify • What information do I need to have to
Topic/Purpose do a good project?

• Where can you find information?

• Is it better to use a physical book, or
internet search?
Research • How current is this information (is it
historical? is it a current event/person)?
Planning

• Use a book, website or other resource.

• Evaluate your resources as you go - is it a
good, quality source?
Ready, Set, • Start general, then narrow your information
down from there.
Research!

pg. 5
 • Read it! (Go over all the information)
• Write it! (Take notes)
• Organize it! (use a mind map or
other graphic organizer to get your
Get it Down! info in order)

• Take the info. you've found and

organized and put it into a
masterpiece!
• Write a paper, create a
Apply It! presentation, etc.

• Review your project - How'd you do?

• Before turning in your project,
make sure it "covers all bases".
• Do you have enough information?
Evaluate! Too much? Is it accurate?

Based on
A n s ea p e n e

the “Big
Re Su ll Do

te sk !

Six”
r
as er rs
e

m oth rche
re ill

research
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process
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pg. 6
pg. 7
 Name: _______________________________ # ____________ Date _________________

The Solar System: Postcards from Space!

Distance from the Sun

Size Composition

My Planet:

Temperature Number of Moons

________________________

Fun Facts

The Solar System: Final Project Gosselin 2013

pg. 8
 Locating Sources

There are MANY sources you can use to help with research. All print sources can
be located on the library map on page 4. The type you use depends on your topic.

Below is a chart of different types of sources:

Take a look, it may be in a book or perhaps find it online, below is

some helpful info. gathering tools at your fingertips!

BOOKS AND PRINT

Reference Books: Nonfiction - Textbooks Periodicals - Magazines and

Atlases, Dictionaries, Biographies, or topical Newspapers (can also be
Encyclopedias, (War, Animals, etc.)  found on Nebraska Access)
Thesaurus, Almanacs

ONLINE  RESOURCES

Online Database: Internet Research/ Social Media:

NebraskaAccess, Websites Twitter, Facebook,
Worldbook Online Instagram, Snapchat

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 Evaluating Print Sources:
These should be the easier of the two options (print or nonprint/internet), because most print
sources were evaluated when published and selected for the library.

AUTHOR: Look into who wrote the book. Was it one person? A
group of people? Usually books will have information
about the author at the very front or very back of the
book. Does it list their credentials? (why they are an
expert) If you can’t find information about them, you can
always Google them.

Publication DATE:
When was the book published? Would this information
be better if it was updated? For example, Cancer
treatments have changed a lot in twenty years, so
using a book from 1975 wouldn’t be the best option.

TYPE of Publication: Is your source a book? A Newspaper? A magazine?

If so, who was it written for? Some newspapers
may be more “conservative” and others are more
“liberal” the same goes for magazines. A newspaper
tries to get information out as quickly as possible, so
it may not be completely accurate. Some
publications have articles that are reviewed by
other experts.
This may be a tricky one from the start – ask your
teacher/librarian if you need help.

CONTENT:
Does your source cover your material in depth, or just a little
bit? Sometimes you may have to pick a more specialized book
for more specific information about your topic. An
encyclopedia may give you a lot of information about dinosaurs,
but not very much about Triceratops. You may need a book or
website that talks about that specific dinosaur.

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 Evaluating Sources – Website Edition
Put on your Super Sleuth hats – it’s time to check out some websites for validity
(Can you trust it?, Rely on it?) This takes a little more work than print sources . . .

There are FOUR areas you should check – and each one has questions you should ask
yourself.

CONTENT DESIGN/ USE.

PURPOSE/ BIAS CREDIBILITY/ AUTHORITY

CONTENT Clues:
1. Does the site cover the topic totally, or just SOME info?
2. Can you understand the info.? Does it use words you don’t understand? Simple ones?
3. What is unique about the site? Does it offer something others do not?
4. Are there links to other sites about the topic?
5. Does it give the date the information was created? The date the material was last revised?
6. Would you get better information in a book? An encyclopedia?

DESIGN/USE Clues:
1. Is it easy to get around on the website (can you find stuff easily)?
2. Is there a table of contents, and is it labeled clearly?
3. Are the graphics (pictures) a good quality?
4. Are there any spelling or grammar errors?
5. Is the information easy to read (font size, amount of information)
6. Do all the links work that you click on?
Purpose/ Bias Clues:
1. What type of site is this? Commercial - .com, Government - .gov, Academic (.edu), or non-
profit (.org)?
2. Why was it created? Is it persuading you to do or buy something, to educate you, to make
you believe in something?
3. Are these FACTs or OPINIONS?
Credibility Clues:
1. Who is responsible for your website? (does it have an “About Us” section)
2. What is that person or organization’s credentials?
3. Are sources documented? (look at the bottom of Wikipedia – that’s where their sources are listed)
4. Where do the links take you? Are they “GOOD” sites?
(based on: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/angela-bunyi/reliable-sources-and-citations/)

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 Research Notes Page:
SOURCE #1: What the Source/Author Said: Page #:
TYPE:
Title:

Author:
My Thoughts/ Questions about this information or this source:

Publication Date:

SOURCE #2: What the Source/Author Said: Page #:

TYPE:
Title:

Author:
My Thoughts/ Questions about this information or this source:

Publication Date:

SOURCE #3: What the Source/Author Said: Page #:

TYPE:
Title:

Author:
My Thoughts/ Questions about this information or this source:

Publication Date:

SOURCE #4: What the Source/Author Said: Page #:

TYPE:
Title:

Author:
My Thoughts/ Questions about this information or this source:

Publication Date:
pg. 12
 Plagiarism and Citations

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s words or images and claim that
they are your own. If you copy and paste something from the internet, you could
be breaking Copyright laws.

Types of Plagiarism:

Direct Plagiarism Copying another person’s ideas word for word without a
proper citation (gives them credit for their work).

Self-Plagiarism When you turn in work that you had already submitted for a
previous assignment for a current assignment without permission.

Mosaic Plagiarism When you rephrase someone else’s work without quotation marks

Accidental

Plagiarism When you accidentally forgot to cite when quoting or paraphrasing
someone else’s work.

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How to avoid plagiarism:

• Avoid copy and pasting from the internet – this is not arts and crafts!!
• If you DO copy and paste, create your citations as you go (don’t worry,
we’ll get to that shortly.
• Paraphrase while creating citations.
Citations:
• Make sure to use AS much information as possible (you may not find
EVERYTHING listed below, but try to get AS MUCH as you can)
• Depending on your teacher, the FORMAT of your citations depends on the
STYLE required.
• This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are different requirements for
different print sources (online, magazine, etc.) Mrs. Rumsey will walk you
through OWL Purdue website for more complete listings.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu

MLA FORMAT
In text citations: Author’s last name and the page number where it comes
from.
Example: (Rumsey, 32) – “Please don’t copy and paste” (Rumsey, 32).

Works Cited or Bibliography Page (for a book): Author’s last name, first
name. Title. Where published, publisher, copyright.

Rumsey, Leia. How to Avoid Plagiarism. Lincoln, University of Nebraska
Press, 2018

See the attached worksheet for more practice
APA FORMAT

In text citations: Author’s last name, Copyright date and the page number
where it comes from.

Example: “Please don’t copy and paste” (Rumsey, 2018, p. 32).

Works Cited or Bibliography Page (for a book): Author’s last name, first
Initial. (Publication Date). Title. Where published: publisher.

Rumsey, Leia. (2018). How to Avoid Plagiarism. Lincoln, University of
Nebraska Press.

See the attached worksheet for more practice
All images used were either from Microsoft Clip Art, public domain or “labeled for reuse” via Google

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