Online tutorials/learning materials
LETS - Library Etutorial for Students
LETS: Library E-Tutorial for Students
LETS (Library E-Tutorial for Students) is a suite of online interactive tutorials designed to help develop students’ information and digital literacy skills.
Developed by DCU Library’s team of Subject Librarians the tutorials employ a variety of media (text, videos, quiz questions) and are specifically tailored to the DCU student context.
LETS consists of nine short tutorials in which students learn how to locate, evaluate and use information in an effective and ethical manner. On completion of the entire set of tutorials students will:
- know about different types of information sources they will be using, their advantages, and be able to explain the differences between them
- understand how to use module reading lists and find books and journal articles in the Library
- know how to run simple, and more advanced searches, using the Library's (journal) databases
- use Google Scholar and become familiar with our tips and tricks for better Web searching
- be able to find the most appropriate, high-quality information they need for their assignments
- learn to search effectively and critically think about information they find
- understand what plagiarism is and the importance of always acknowledging the work and ideas of others
- paraphrase or quote information in assignments correctly by citing sources, and develop a reference list/bibliography of source, using the correct citation style
- Learn about reference management tools and how to use Zotero
LETS is hosted on Loop, and is openly available to all students to work through at their own pace. However, you may also wish to embed LETS into your modules, either as a compulsory part or just additional online learning support. We also have optional quizzes available, which can be used for assessment of the key learning outcomes.
Please contact your Subject Librarian to find out how you can explore the full benefits of embedding LETS in your courses.
Online Learning Material
In addition to our LETS tutorials, we have developed a number of online learning materials to support the development of students’ information literacy skills and encourage students to become confident, independent researchers.
YouTube Videos
We have produced a number of video tutorials on various topics. Some highlights include:
- Understanding your reading list (3:10)
- How to search a database (3:18)
- Getting started with Zotero Reference Manager (10:24)
Check out our YouTube channel to see the full range
Library Guides
Our Subject Librarians have developed Library Guides that pull together the key sources relevant to a particular subject area.
Other useful resources at DCU:
Academic Integrity
In support of the university’s Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy, the Library has developed a number of useful resources to help students understand plagiarism and the importance of correctly citing and referencing their sources.
All resources can be viewed on the Citing & Referencing page, which include:
Videos and Online Tutorials
- The LETScite section of our LETS tutorial covers all aspects of avoiding plagiarism and citing and referencing.
How to Videos
- Cite and Reference to avoid Plagiarism (6.37)
- How to cite & reference using:
- APA style, 7th ed (4:26)
- Chicago (7:03)
- Harvard style (3:58)
- IHS style (7.57)
- MHRA style (with footnotes) (8:45)
- MHRA style (author - date system) (6.06)
- MLA style (6.11)
- OSCOLA style (7.30)
- Vancouver style (5.14)
Online Guide
CiteThemRight - Online style guide which shows how to format references and citations for many different sources (books, e-books, online articles, websites, etc.) in a number of styles including Harvard, APA 6th and 7th editions,Chicago, IEEE, MHRA, MLA, and OSCOLA.