Technical Writing course guide

Michael Kirby

Michael.Kirby@dctc.edu

651-423-8406

Fall & Spring Semesters:

Monday - Thursday:
7:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Friday:
7:30 AM to 3:30 PM
 

Summer Sessions:

Monday - Thursday:
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

• DCTC Library web site
• OneSearch: our catalog
• Online resources
• The Library Blog

Abraham Lincoln famously said you shouldn't believe everything you read online. And 82% of all statistics are made up.

There's a lot of misinformation out there. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield developed the SIFT method to help students evaluate information and make better decisions about what sources to trust:

Here are more guides to help you evaluate sources of information:

• Criteria for Evaluating Information (Otis College of Art and Design)
• Evaluating Information (Johns Hopkins University)
• Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
• Evaluating Sources of Information (Purdue University)
• Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (YouTube)

There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments. Your instructor will let you know whether to use APA, MLA, or some other style. Here are some introductory guides to these styles from the Purdue and Excelsior Online Writing Labs:

• Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
• Excelsior OWL: APA Style
• Excelsior OWL: APA In-Text Citations
• Excelsior OWL: APA Side By Side
• Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
• Excelsior OWL: MLA Style
• Excelsior OWL: MLA In-Text Citations

Our catalog and databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select the appropriate style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!

"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."

This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct.

Citing your sources like this or in a bibliography is an essential part of the research process. It allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their work.

The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8420 or visiting room 2-101.

Use our catalog, OneSearch, to find the books and videos on our shelves, plus ebooks and streaming videos.

 

 

The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify My Results options on the left side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.

Please ask a librarian if you need help locating anything you find in our catalog.

If we don't have the book, video, or article you're looking for, you can request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) and it will come to you. It's easy! E-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know what you're looking for and we'll do the rest.

Reference books and online resources like AccessScience, Britannica Academic, Gale eBooks, and Salem Online are great for improving your background knowledge on almost any topic. These resources also provide images and videos, which you can use to liven up your papers and presentations.

There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.

 

Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles. Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles. Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.

Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.​