Students called to don detective hats

 The research process at UConn is becoming quicker, more in-depth and efficient, aiding students interested in conducing their own projects.

The amount of information available to UConn students interested in research is growing each semester. Kathy Labadorf, the host of Tuesday's seminar on starting your own research, said a student remarked, "The world's a candy store for you."

The seminar, "It's not too early to start your research" was part of a Homer Babbidge Library series for undergraduate students, called Tuesdays @ Homer. The series will focus on things like getting started in the sometimes-daunting area of research, and time management.

This week's focus was on the online resources that students have at their disposal. Labadorf conducted specific example searches based on attending students' majors and interests, ranging from Neuroscience to Spanish. Using ILLiad, UConn's inter-library loan system and the newly launched Summon Search, Labadorf found countless articles, eBooks and journals related to the topics.

The new refined search capability of this system made users' specific parameters for sources easy to fulfill; things like subject, year, even language of articles were simple check-boxes that redefined what the search system retrieved in its archives, and honed down one's search results.

Labadorf also perused several worldwide resources on UConn's Worldcat system, which makes available to UConn students any number of books and articles from libraries across the globe.

For the students who were not sure what exactly to look for, Labadorf offered steps in beginning one's research. Students must read journal articles online, examine their theses, find a theme of interest, and narrow the search to begin to build up a source base.

Professors often find that students do not take advantage of their office hours. Many of these professors are interested in collaborating with undergraduates. Contacting them is a further step in getting research started.

Further, she advised that, "if you're really interested, don't quit."

Finding a subject area to pursue is as simple as browsing articles in areas of interest, or even just within one's major. These seminars are also open resources to undergraduates. They are opportunities for guidance in many areas of collegiate life.

Whatever one's interest areas include, such as Feminist Pedagogy for Labadorf and the Sympathetic Nervous System for one attendee, UConn databases had some resource to show for it.

The seminar's casual and personalized approach to its subject allowed students in attendance to see what is possible for them using these services accessible online or at the Homer Babbidge Library.

More seminars are to come, on numerous topics that fall under the title "The Real College Survival Strategies," such as learning about bibliographies and library technologies.

Next week's seminar is "Time Management and Study Skills," with the Academic Achievement Center's Kevin Sullivan at 7 p.m. in the Electronic Classroom 1 on Floor 1 of the library.