Reflection Essay on the Environments Reseacrh

The library search path has been instrumental in shaping my competence and perception around the thought of the research. The knowledge acquired in this direction is applicable in the personal, academic and expert developments. However, to maximize benefits from the acquired knowledge, it is crucial that I consider the appropriateness of the information leaned earlier than applying. Primarily, the three environments that the information from the course can be utilized include academic, professional and personal.

 Academic surroundings relates to all activities related to the academic life of a student. From a personal viewpoint, I discover the concepts from the course to be imperative for the accomplishment of academic tasks and goals. In light of this, the course has been informative about how to develop a research topic as well as evaluate sources. Such information is instrumental in the accomplishment of academic goals, especially those relating to the execution of major research projects that usually come at the end of the program. Therefore, during my research work, I will be able to select the most suitable topic and use only valid sources of information. By being able to develop a research topic, I will be accomplishing the course objective of understanding the definition and extent of information needed to finalize a research task. Such is because understanding one’s topic automatically leads to a decision on what information is needed.

The information acquired from the library search course will also be helpful in my professional life. The professional environment may be an internship or employment after graduation. Besides understanding how and where to look for information, the library search course also equipped me with skills in using the acquired information ethically. Such will be in compliance with the code of conduct that is inherent in many workplaces. In addition, my ability to discriminate between credible and incredible sources of information will be instrumental in the avoidance of information that has the potential to occasion wrong decision.

The concepts of the course will also be instrumental in my personal life. In particular, the knowledge acquired from the library search course will help me execute multiple tasks that are important to me. For instance, in the event I need a professional service, say medical care, I will be able to retrieve the information about available providers. Further, chances of visiting a fake professional will be significantly reduced owing to my capacity to determine the validity of information as learned in the course. Such is aligned to the course objective of evaluating sources to determine credibility.

Tools

The course also covered multiple tools that are critical to executing a library search in the various environments. However, I find most of the tools critical for the academic environment. The first tool that I believe is helpful in academics is OneSearch. The tool enables one to access multiple types of sources in a single search. Such enhances the chances of getting the right information during a library search leading to timesaving hence, its application in academics. Citation tools will be helpful in the writing of research papers, as they will enable me to format the various sources to the required styles, for instance, APA, MLA or Harvard. Storage tools such as Google Drive and Dropbox will be of use in the storage of documents related to my academic works. The use of the storage tools will be instrumental in accessing needed information efficiently. The fourth and fifth tool that I will apply in the academic environment is record view and Google Scholar. Record view is helpful in providing the details about various sources available in the library. This will help me easily identify the sources I need for my academic works. Google Scholar will be instrumental in the finding of sources that have been evaluated by scholars.

Learning Outcomes

OneSearch tool is instrumental in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in the access of needed information as per the course learning outcomes. The various tools will be helpful for the accomplishment of the goals of the course. The ability to reference my work adequately in academics using the citation tools is aligned to the learning objective of using information ethically and legally, as failure to reference an academic paper amounts to dishonesty. Second, the use of the storage tools, Google Drive and Dropbox will help in accessing the information easily which conforms to the course outcome of enhancing the access of information most efficiently and effectively. The two tools, Record View and Google Scholar, will help me accomplish the learning goal of accessing information effectively and efficiently. Such is because I will be able to access the right information and save on time. As indicated in the course, Google Scholar offers credible academic sources that have been validated by scholars.