Services and Support: Assignment Planning Tips

Best Practices

Do the Assignment Yourself

Attempting to do the assignment yourself using BMCC Library resources can help you figure out potential problems before they arise.

Have Students Read Scholarly Articles Throughout the Quarter

Students should already be familiar with and have experience with the types of resources they'll need when doing a research assignment.

Be Specific About What Kinds of Resources You Want Students to Use

Unless you require something different - students will default to using a simple Google search.

Require Students to Cite Their Sources

Whether in a traditional works cited page or in a reflection page about the resources they used, this will help students be accountable to the process of research.

Other Ideas to Craft Great Research Assignments

• design research assignments around specific BMCC Library resources
• meet with librarians to be sure the library gets the appropriate materials for your assignments
• include a rubric that specifically mentions research and/or sources
• including a minimum # of sources yields better results

1. Check with a librarian to ensure that BMCC Library can support the assignment’s requirements
   • Because of the dynamic and ever–changing nature of our resources, especially electronic information, even assignments and guides used previously may need updating.
      
2. Don’t assume students already know how to use the library or can successfully navigate its complex information environment
   • Request a Information Literacy instruction session and encourage students to "Ask a Librarian" (in person, via email, and via chat) for help at the beginning and throughout the research process. 
      
3. Offer general suggestions for resources, rather than limiting students to particular titles or formats
   • Since particular resources may only be available electronically or in print, both traditional print sources and Web documents may be necessary for research on most topics.
   • Do specify what category of resources you require or prefer; e.g., scholarly journal articles, primary sources, subscription databases available through BMCC Library Web pages.
      
4. Share your assignments – including the due date – with the Librarians
   • We can be prepared for last minute demand and knowing the nature of the assignment helps us anticipate the kinds of questions we will be answering from students.
      
5. Provide a reasonable time frame for the completion of the assignment
   • Do the assignment yourself to see how long it takes before you decide how long students need to do it, allowing for their inexperience and for request of materials.
      
6. Consider the availability of information sources, especially those in print
   • If it is necessary for all students in the class to use the same library materials; e.g., the same volume of a specific journal, edition/copy of a book, consider putting the item(s) on Course Reserves so all students can access them.