Library Tutorial - a guide for information seeking

Library Tutorial guides you in academic information seeking. You will learn how to understand the stages of the information retrieval process, how to formulate relevant search terms and phrases, how to use the databases relevant to your field, how to assess the scientific quality of a source and how to improve your search results.

Study Library Tutorial independently or take the course LIBESIS Systematic Information Seeking! 

Suomeksi: Kirjastotuutori ja LIB1THP Tiedonhankinnan perusteet.

  • Library Tutorial is an open self-study website for information seeking implemented by the Open Science Centre (Library) of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. 
  • You can study its contents independently or by enrolling in the course LIBESIS Systematic Information Seeking course (1 credit). You can find the course details in the Sisu. 
  • The figure below provides a summary of the information acquisition process and the content of the Library Tutorial. 

Instructions and information seeking plan

LIBESIS Systematic Information Seeking course

How to study the LIBESIS Systematic Information Seeking course

Information seeking plan

Information seeking plan is a guide for finding sources

Overview of the topic and finding search terms

What is scientific information?

In scientific information seeking, we are looking for scientific sources, such as peer-reviewed articles.

Defining the topic

Get an overview of your topic

Search terms

How to select keywords?

Search statements

How to combine keywords to make a search statement

Finding sources

Publication types and information seeking

What are the publication types in your discipline

Choosing scholarly sources

How to evaluate what is a scientific source?

Articles, journals and databases

How to find scholarly articles, journals and databases

How to find books

Finding books and ebooks

How to find information on research methods

There are databases specifically for information on research methods

Refining search results

Tips and strategies for getting good search results

Open science and information seeking

Open science is research that is openly available to everyone

Managing references

How to cite

Always state in your text what sources you have used. When quoting directly or paraphrasing someone else's ideas or text in your own words, indicate the source you are using.

Citation styles

There are many different guides and styles for citing both printed and electronic sources. Remember to check what practice is used in your department.

Reference management software

We strongly recommend that you use a reference manager tool such as Zotero to manage your references.

Research ethics

Research is reliable and ethically acceptable only if it has been conducted in accordance with good research practices. Using proper referencing is research ethics at its most concrete.

Academic misconduct

Sufficient skills in information seeking, research data processing and scientific writing are essential to ensure that you do not indulge in academic misconduct without realizing it.

License:
Library Tutorial is licensed with

The basic idea of the Library Tutorial comes from , which we have developed together with students to suit the needs of our own university.

Citations:
Open Science Centre (2024) Library Tutorial. Jyväskylä: Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. URL: /en/for-students/instructions-for-bachelors-and-masters-students/information-seeking-and-research-data-management/library-tutorial (Date accessed)