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Library Research Workshops: On-Campus and Zoom Workshops

Library Workshop program descriptions, schedule, and online sign-up form.

Take a Library Workshop

SIGN UP for an on-campus or Zoom workshop

See the workshop schedule.

Learn about the self-paced workshops you can take any time through Canvas.

For the live sessions: To request ACCESS-related accommodations, please contact the division office at least 5 days in advance. (909) 274 - 4244

APA Basics

Description

A basic introduction to citing sources using APA style. 

Key Topics in this Workshop

  • Explain why and how to cite sources using APA format

  • Find information needed to write the APA citation (e.g., where is the DOI and what to do if there's not one?)

  • Practice writing APA end references/citations

  • Practice writing in-text APA citations 

Who Should Attend? Students who are new to APA formatting style or want a refresher on the basics. 

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed.

Note to Faculty: We designed this workshop based on faculty requests and input. It is an introduction to APA and is under development. If you would like a more advanced session of APA taught during your class meeting time, please contact your liaison. 

Developing Research Topics

Description: Learn time-saving strategies to develop strong, focused research topics for your assignments. 

Key Topics in this Workshop:

  • Find reliable overviews and background information
  • Narrow or broaden research topics
  • Develop focused research questions or statements

Who should attend? Students who need to develop a research topic for an assignment or want to learn how to do so.

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed. 

TIP: It is more helpful to attend this workshop while you are still in the topic development phase of the research process.

Finding and Evaluating Books

Description: Discover the art of finding books in the library and online, equipping you with essential tips and techniques for successful book and ebook navigation.

Key Topics in this Workshop

  • Search for books by topic, title, or author
  • Access  Mt. SAC Library ebooks
  • Locate books in the library
  • Evaluate books to determine if they are appropriate for college-level research
Who should attend? Students who want to learn how to find books appropriate for college level research.
students in stacks

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed.

TIP: You can use your own research topic during the online catalog searching exercises in this workshop.

Finding and Evaluating Articles

Description: Boost your academic success and save time by taking this workshop, where you'll learn effective techniques for finding high-quality articles to help you complete top-notch assignments.

Key Topics in this Workshop

  • Use a general article database to search for scholarly and non-scholarly articles
  • Discover and use effective search terms
  • Use search techniques to narrow results
  • Evaluate and troubleshoot search results
  • Distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly articles

Who should attend? Students who want to learn research techniques and strategies for finding articles. You will use a general article database useful for many different types of research topics in this workshop.

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed. 

TIP: You can use your own research topic for several of the research activities in this workshop.

Evaluating Websites and Lateral Reading

Description: Learn how to evaluate websites using lateral reading techniques, a strategy proven to equip people with the ability to discern reliable information swiftly and accurately and navigate the digital landscape with confidence. 

Key Topics in this Workshop

  • Analyze websites to determine how well they meet evaluation criteria
  • Compare websites to determine which are more reliable

Who should attend? Students who want to learn a step-by-step method of evaluating websites.

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed.

Some example websites that we might evaluate:

Demystifying Scholarly Articles (formerly known as Reading and Understanding Scholarly Articles)

Description

Unlock the mysteries of scholarly articles by taking this workshop, where you'll discover how to decipher their structure and uncover valuable insights. Get hands-on experience in reading, annotating, and interpreting scholarly articles.

Key Topics: 

  • Describe the differences between popular, trade, and scholarly literature and what peer review means. 
  • Identify common structural and organization elements of scholarly articles. 
  • Demonstrate ways to read, annotate, and derive meaning from scholarly articles. 

Who Should Attend? Students who need to understand and use scholarly/academic/peer-reviewed articles. 

Prior experience needed? No prior experience is needed.

Note for faculty: This is a new workshop in development and is offered on a limited basis to test the curriculum and learning activities. 

Sign Up Now

Sign up for a workshop

If you would like a self-paced option that you can take any time, see the online workshop page. Self-paced options are available through Canvas. 

Questions? Ask a librarian online.

Need-to-Know

Do I need to sign up, or can I drop in?
For on-campus workshops, signing up guarantees you a spot, but drop-ins are welcome!

For Zoom workshops, you must sign up so we can send you the Zoom link. 

How do I sign up? 

Use this form to sign up for a workshop. 

When are the workshops?
See the schedule or login to the signup forms to see the dates/times. 

How will I get proof of completion? 

For the on-campus and Zoom workshops, print, save as a PDF, or take a screenshot of your appointment history page about 1 day after the workshop.