1. Determine your information needs

This module will take approximately 35 minutes to complete.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• define your topic to provide focus
• do background reading to increase familiarity with your topic
• find known items
• understand location/shelf numbers
• identify key concepts and map your ideas

  An idea, thought, notion, or general theme. A phrase or series of terms describing a problem.
• judge the appropriate quantity of information required
• differentiate between types of information sources and publications and judge their usefulness to the task at hand.

  A copy of a printed work offered for distribution.

specifically:

• differentiate between primary and secondary sources
• distinguish between popular, trade and academic periodicals (journals).

  A publication issued in successive individual parts at regular or irregular intervals with no foreseeable end, for example, journals, magazines or newspapers. Also known as serials. Plural: periodicals.

First, you need to define your topic.

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