First Year Fundamentals

Offered by Librarians, this is a program to address common academic research questions experienced by First Year Students.

Drop in to Lamont Library, Room B-30 to get an edge on your academic study skills!

Your First Research Paper at Harvard: Discovering Sources in HOLLIS

HOLLIS: it’s our library catalog, but it’s also more than a library catalog. You’ll be using it constantly for the next four years, no matter what your concentration turns out to be. ...
Date:
Monday, September 30, 2019
Time:
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:
Lamont Library
Audience:
  Students

Peer-Reviewed Sources: The Basics for New Students

When instructors say your sources have to be “peer-reviewed” or “scholarly” or “academic,” what do they mean? How do you search for these kinds of sources? In this 1-h...
Date:
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Time:
7:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Lamont Library
Audience:
  Students  
Categories:
  Workshop  
 

Your First Research Paper at Harvard: Discovering Sources in HOLLIS

HOLLIS: it’s our library catalog, but it’s also more than a library catalog. You’ll be using it constantly for the next four years, no matter what your concentration turns out to be. Now&rsq...
Date:
Friday, October 11, 2019
Time:
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location:
Lamont Library
Audience:
  Students  
Categories:
  Workshop  
 

 

Your First Research Paper at Harvard: Discovering Sources in HOLLIS

HOLLIS: it’s our library catalog, but it’s also more than a library catalog. You’ll be using it constantly for the next four years, no matter what your concentration turns out to be. Now&rsqu...
Date:
Monday, October 21, 2019
Time:
7:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Lamont Library
Audience:
  Students  
Categories:
  Workshop  

 

I Can Do That With Twitter? Using Social Media in Your Research Projects

Every day, we use social media to document our lives, observe our world, express what matters to us, and participate in civic life. Increasingly, academics are using these familiar tools to ask and...
Date:
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Time:
7:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Lamont Library

Past Sessions

Reading Toward Research Topics: First Year Fundamentals @ Lamont

When a research topic is wide open and you're brand new to the subject of a course, how do you begin to "read" toward a topic?

  • When you've got a narrower assignment, how do you make sense of it?
  • When a research topic seems less than engaging, how should you cope?

We’ll discuss these scenarios, identify good strategies for reading well and strategically, and we'll suggest ways to keep track of the ideas that catch your attention. 

In 60 minutes, you'll be on your way to smarter research . . . weeks before you actually start to research!

 

Common Types of Sources for College Research Projects: An Introduction to Academic “Genres” for First Years

Your first semester is all about cracking codes, including those related to the research projects you’ll be assigned. 

  • What does your professor mean by “primary” and “secondary” sources, for example, and why is she requiring them?
  • What are the features of “scholarly” books?
  • Why do we care so much about “authority” here?
  • Does “data” mean numbers? Something else? Something more?
  • What’s common (and different) about research articles that are written in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities?

This interactive 1-hour workshop will help you decode the kinds of knowledge “genres” you’ll be encountering again and again as a student.