Research

• Your JSCC Libraries offer access to resources in both traditional and electronic format to meet your research, writing, and other academic needs.  This guide provides information on the various types of resources and instructions on their best use.
• This section is organized via the tabs on the left.  Take advantage of the glossary if you are uncertain of the terminology related to the research process.
• For assistance at anytime during this process, be sure to use the virtual reference feature tab "Ask a Question".  Additionally, for an extended research session, please schedule a Research Appointment with a librarian using the forms for your campus below.

If you are a faculty member and would like to schedule library instruction, please select your campus to access the online form:

Jefferson Campus LRC

Shelby Campus LRC

St. Clair Campus LRC

Chilton Campus LRC

Find and Cite Sources

One of the most time-consuming tasks when writing a paper or other assignment is digging through the vast number of sources to find what you need. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the information out there—use strategies to stay on top of it all. In this tutorial, learn how to find and evaluate different sources, and properly format your citations.

Introduction to Research Skills: Information Literacy

When you’re bombarded with information, how do you cut through it all and pick out the most important information? The key is information literacy: knowing how to effectively find, evaluate, integrate, and cite sources. When you think about all of the research you’ll do in school, it’s clear that information literacy is a skill you’ll use again and again. In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basics of information literacy as well as how to apply these skills toward your assignments.

Making Sense of Today’s Media

Understanding media means understanding what is happening around you—being a more conscious member of society and a more informed human being. This tutorial is designed to help you understand how media works and how the media (and especially news) landscape has changed with the movement of information onto the Internet.

Mastering Social Media

This tutorial will familiarize you with the most popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and more! You’ll learn to get the most out of your usage while keeping away from the very real online pitfalls. Educate yourself about what each platform is for and how best to use it, whether for personal life, your hobbies, networking, or career development.

Understand and Avoid Plagiarism

Whether you intentionally turn in an essay that you didn’t write yourself or simply forget to add the proper citation, it’s considered plagiarism. If you don’t give credit where it’s due, there can be significant and long-term consequences. In this tutorial, learn how—with planning and good study habits—you can avoid plagiarism. That’s all it takes!

Write Like a Scholar

Get the skills you need to write like a scholar! While you may have done a lot of writing in high school, you’ll need to go beyond just noting observations. In college, you’ll read and interpret various works and use them to support your own assignments. In this tutorial, you’ll learn about the main parts of scholarly writing, sources and citations, and where to turn to for help if you need it.