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Forsyth Library Tutorials

Use these videos, tutorials, and other tools to learn about Forsyth Library, how to use Forsyth Library's resources and services, and tips for research, writing, and citing.

Getting Started with Research

Getting Started with Research

What is Research?

This video describes the difference between primary and secondary research:

  • Different types of research (empirical and library)
  • Research in scholarly papers
  • Primary sources and secondary sources
  • Ways to describe research
What is Research Tutorial

Empirical Research

Learn more about Empirical Research, including:

  • Empirical research definition
  • Examples of empirical research
  • Non-empirical research
  • How to search for empirical research
  • How to identify empirical research
Empirical research tutorial video

6 Stages of Research

Walk through the different stages of the research process, breaking each step down into manageable and concrete action. This guide includes:

  • Brainstorming a topic
  • Creating a research plan
  • Finding information
  • Taking notes
  • Citation

 

6 Stages of Research tutorial guide

Defining Your Topic

This tutorial will help you define your topic for a research project including:

  • Selecting a research topic
  • Defining your topic
  • Narrowing Your Topic

Defining Your Topic Tutorial

Types of Sources

Peer-Review, Scholarly & Popular Sources

Popular and Scholarly Sources

This video provides information about popular and scholarly sources, including:

  • Examples of popular and scholarly source types
  • Characteristics of popular and scholarly sources
  • Where to search for popular and scholarly sources
  • How to search for popular and scholarly sources
popular and scholarly sources video tutorial

Peer-Reviewed Sources

This video provides tips for finding and identifying peer-reviewed sources, including:

  • What is peer review?
  • How to find something that's been peer-reviewed?
  • How do you know if something is peer-reviewed?

Peer Review Tutorial

Peer Review Process

This video provides information about the peer review process:

  • What makes something peer-reviewed?
  • What is the process like to make something that's been peer-reviewed?
Peer Review Process Tutorial

Reading Research Articles

This video provides tips for reading research articles, including:

  • Identifying the different parts of a research article
  • Suggested order of reading

Reading Research Articles Tutorial

Searching Google Effectively

Sometimes, your instructor will ask you to find websites, government publications, or other sources that are more easily found on Google. Watch this video for some tips for searching Google more effectively, including

  • Types of sources to find using Google
  • Search Tips
  • Advanced Search

searching google effectively for popular sources tutorial video

Finding & Using Statistics

Finding & Using Statistics

Finding Statistics

This video discusses strategies for finding statistics for research, including:

  • What are statistics?
  • How to find relevant statistics
  • Object of focus or social unit 
  • Where to find statistics

Getting Started with Statistics Tutorial

Evaluating Statistics

This video discusses evaluating statistics, including:

  • Author
  • Method (Self-selected sampling, framing, sampling periods, snapshot vs. longitudinal, dark numbers)
  • Plausability (big numbers and benchmarking)
Evaluating Statistics Tutorial