DATES:
November 10--Introduction to Communication Library Research (Class meets in Library Instruction Classroom, Rm. 213 Robertson Library -- Attendance Required)
November 13--Submit author, article title and journal title to me for approval
November 27-- abstract due.
December 8-- abstract rewrite & critique due (details to be announced).

An "abstract" is a brief, concise summary. For this assignment, you will locate one recent (1990 or newer) scholarly/academic communication research study. You will read and BRIEFLY summarize this article (for a later assignment, you will rewrite the abstract and critique the study, too). This assignment introduces you to scholarly communication research. It gives you practice in library research techniques, as you are required to locate the study yourself in the library. Last but certainly not least, it is a writing assignment, designed to allow you to cultivate your writing skills.

LOCATING:
1) Come up with a topic area and search term. You may select from one of the broad topic areas listed below, or check with me about a different communication topic.
2) Use the appropriate on-line or hard copy indexes, as explained to us by Hollins’ Reference Librarian, Ms. Elizabeth Doolittle (Friday November 10, Rm. 213 Robertson Library **ATTENDANCE REQUIRED**) to locate possible interesting articles. The articles must be from refereed, academic, research journals, NOT from the popular or trade press (we will discuss in class how to tell the difference). Be sure to initially pick out several journal article listings that look interesting to you, in case Hollins does not subscribe to the journal in which your first choice of article appears, or the first article you choose proves to be boring!
3) Locate the journal and the article. Your journal may be "hard copy" or on-line in some form. Check the on-line catalog on the library web page to see if Hollins has the journal in hard copy. The most recent hard copy journals are kept in the periodicals area of Robertson Library (in the "sun room!"), and the full collections are on the bottom floor, shelved alphabetically. To find on-line journals, follow the links/instructions in the appropriate on-line data base, or ask library staff for assistance.

WRITING:
1) Your first step after locating an article is to read and understand it. If the article has statistics or other details which you find confusing, try reading the conclusion of the article first, and see if this clarifies the relevant issues for you. If you’re still not able to understand, try another article.
2) Next write a summary of the study. The summary should be brief--no more than one page (12 point type, double-spaced). It should NOT include your opinions of the study. Save these for the critique assignment.
3)The paper should be formally written, and should include: an introduction in which you introduce the title and author(s) of the study, and note at a very general level what it is about; a body in which you summarize the study and its findings/results; and a conclusion, which in this case will simply note the conclusions of the author(s) and give a sense of closure. List the author, title, Journal title, etc. in American Psychological Association (APA) bibliography format, but at the beginning of the abstract.

I strongly recommend that you utilize the support and services of the Writing Center in preparing this assignment.

WARNING: You must read and summarize the original article. Although the abstracts in the indexes will be useful in locating, and even understanding an article, they are NOT adequate for writing a summary. Relying ONLY on someone else's abstract will not earn you a good grade.

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