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SURI: Library Orientation

UROC Summer Undergraduate Research Institute Library Guide

Orientation Instructions

Welcome to the SURI Library Orientation Information Page!

***During the Orientation, you will need to be connected to the UC Merced network via the Virtual Private Network (VPN).  If you do not yet have a VPN connection, please visit campus OIT’s Installation Guide for instructions.***

Step 1: Read the workshop descriptions below. Each workshop is 30-35 minutes long and offered 3 times during the orientation by the same librarian instructor.

Step 2: Select 3 out of 5 workshops to attend. What looks relevant and useful to your research? 

  • Sessions begin at 10:00am, 10:45am, 11:20am

Step 3: Virtually attend your 3 selected workshops on Wednesday June 3rd.  

  • All workshops are hosted through Zoom. Each workshop is assigned a unique Zoom URL.
  • The password for all workshops is SURI2020.

Step 4: During your last session, the instructor will direct you to a survey about your experience participating in the UROC SURI Library Orientation. 

Session Shortcuts

Click or scroll down to view the full session descriptions. 

Session A: Using What You Know: How To Find Known Items 

Session B: Using RefWorks to Manage Your Research & Cite Sources 

Session C: Be a Social Success! Social Sciences Databases and Resources

Session D: STEM Databases and Resources

Session E: True Detective: Investigating Your Sources

2020 Introduction Slides

Session A: Using What You Know: How To Find Known Items

Zoom link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/95669812251?pwd=bHRNcm83TzFqalpXZzRLVEZ6ajdtUT09  

Meeting ID: 956 6981 2251 

Zoom Password: SURI2020   

We’ll discuss and use methods for finding known items quickly and efficiently, saving time so that you can focus on the rest of your research. We’ll cover Melvyl, our catalog, Google Scholar, databases and the open web. Afterwards you’ll be better equipped to search faster and hurdle obstacles when searching. By the end of this session, you will be able to: 

  • Identify useful characteristics of what you are trying to find before searching
  • Understand how ownership affects access and availability
  • Successfully locate known items using different pathways

Session B: Using RefWorks to Manage Your Research & Cite Sources

Zoom link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/96610402273?pwd=a0JXV0xuVVA0c1BWR1RraXZHK3VXQT09

Meeting ID: 966 1040 2273

Zoom Password: SURI2020

Add another time-saving skill to your researcher toolkit.  This session will introduce you to RefWorks – an online tool for managing and citing your references.  In this session, you will get experience adding references to RefWorks, editing & organizing your references, and creating a bibliography.  You will also discover how to cite while your write by connecting RefWorks to a Word document.

In advance of this session, please do the following.

1.     Create a RefWorks account.  Instructions are located here.

2.     Add the RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM) to Microsoft Word.  RCM is for Word 2016 and above.  A Write-N-Cite version is available for other Word versions. See instructions at “Set-Up Reference Citation Manager (RCM) or Write-N-Cite in Word”. 

Session C: Be a Social Success! Social Sciences Databases and Resources

Zoom link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/91769325176?pwd=WDQrRDNuZ3EwdkhGdTczd0tIV1FLQT09

Meeting ID: 917 6932 5176

Zoom Password: SURI2020

In this session, we’ll discuss how to find and use databases useful to social sciences scholars: psychology, political science, management, and others. We'll talk about finding the databases through the UC Merced Library’s webpage,and we’ll practice using search techniques that will help you locate and access the materials you need. By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  • Identify and use relevant social sciences databases
  • Conduct effective searches

Session D: STEM Databases and Resources

Zoom link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/96795087213?pwd=N1lwOWluM3lmY3huaERmR01UTy9Bdz09

Meeting ID: 967 9508 7213 

Zoom Password: SURI2020

In this session, we’ll discuss how to find and use STEM databases available at UC Merced. We'll talk about finding databases through the Library’s webpage, and will practice using search techniques that will help you locate and access the materials you need. 

Depending on those fields that attendees are engaged in, databases we explore may include PubMed, Engineering Village, or IEEE Xpress. By the end of this session, you will be able to: 

  • Identify and use relevant databases 
  • Conduct effective searches 

Session E: True Detective: Investigating Your Sources

Zoom link: https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/94469655206?pwd=TUI2Yjc3N2tobUllOFJEQTlxcEtCZz09

Meeting ID: 944 6965 5206

Zoom Password: SURI2020

You found peer-reviewed articles to use for your research, but what additional criteria can you use to evaluate your sources? Learn strategies for making informed decisions about what sources to use and how to avoid falling prey to predatory journals. By the end of this session, you will be able to: 

  • Evaluate articles and journals using a variety of criteria 
  • Identify the warning signs of a predatory journal 
  • Use resources and tools to assist you with source evaluation