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Rhetoric 105

The Undergraduate Library's website contains numerous pages that will be helpful to you as you complete assignments for Rhetoric 105. The information and links provided in the first section below are tied to chapters in The Curious Researcher. The pages that follow provide guides that should be helpful to you as you complete your writing assignments.

The Curious Researcher

Chapter 1

Exercise 1.1, Building an Interest Inventory, p. 29

Choosing a Topic http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/topic.html
Suggestions for choosing and focusing a topic.

Exercise 1.2, Making the Most of an Assigned Topic

Exercise 1.3, Getting a Lay of the Land

Library of Congress Subject Headings, p. 40

Locate Subject Headings for Your Topic http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/subjectheadings.html
A brief guide to using subject headings effectively in the UIUC Online Library Catalog.

Exercise 1.4, Finding the Question, p. 51

Building a Search Strategy: Developing Your Topic http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/developing.html
The hows and whys of planning a search strategy for you topic: using questions, identifying keywords, and more.

Exercise 1.6, Finding the Relationship, p. 53

Creating a Concept Map http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/conceptmap.html
Using a concept map to help define various aspects of your topic and alternative terminology for each aspect.

Chapter 2
The resources below will help you select and use various library resources.

Using Library Sources:

Reference sources are great sources for getting started finding information on your topic. The Electronic Reference Guide provides links to numerous online versions of print reference sources provided by the library.

Selecting the Best Information Source http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/selectingsources.html
Provides characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of various information formats to help you choose the best type of source needed.

Understanding Types of Databases http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/databasetypes.html
The focus of databases vary. An explanation of the various types of databases: general, discipline specific and subject specific.

Choosing an Article Database http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/choosing.html
Strategies to help choose the most appropriate database for an information search.

Guide to Finding Primary Sources http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/primarysources.html
Strategies for idenitifying and searching for primary sources in the University Library.

Is it Scholarly? Determining Periodical Types http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/pertype.html
A comparitive chart that list criteria that can help you determine if a source is scholarly.

Is it Scholarly? Determining Periodical Types Online http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/pertypeonline.html
Guidelines for determining periodical types for online, full text articles.

Evaluating Internet Resources http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/webeval.html
Guidelines for evaluating Internet resources, with particular attention to determining academic, scholarly content.

Understanding Call Numbers, p. 85

The University of Illinois Library (with some small exceptions) does NOT use the Library of Congress classficaton system that Ballenger focuses on in this chapter. Rather the University Library uses the Dewey Decimal System of classification.
The following page are useful when decifering Dewey call numbers.

Dewey Decimal System - A Guide to Call Numbers http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/about/dewey.html

How to Read a Call Number http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/callnumber.html

Chapter 3

Recognizing Plagiarism, p. 120

Avoiding Plagiarism http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/plagiarism.html
Includes information about the University of Illinois' plagiarism policy in the student code, suggestions for avoiding plagiarism, and information about properly citing your sources.

Chapter 4

Reclaiming Your Topic p. 176

Is this the source I need? How to know if a source is right for you. http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/rightsource.html
Now that your basic research is done, here are some strategies for choosing the best sources for your paper.

Integrating Sources http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/integrating.html
A guide to incorporating your sources into your paper.

Citing Sources, p. 207

Citation Styles http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/citations.html

Links to various online guides for many citation styles.

Finding Specific Kinds of Information

The following pages will assist you as you look to find particular kinds of information. The suggestions on these pages include both strategies and likely resources for finding information.

Guide to Finding Editorials http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/editorials.html

Guide to Finding Pro/Con Arguments http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/howdoi/procon.html

Guide to Finding Statistics http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/find/findstatistics.html

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