School librarians:
- Teachers instruct students to use citation tools
- Problem - students don't often understand WHY they are using citations or what the different parts of citations are, They iust copy from the tool. School librarians are trying to address this through instruction about the components of citations and the reasons for different citation styles (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago)
- High school teachers often don't teach citation at all, so it can be difficult to explain the differences between the various styles.
- Many differences in how high school students are taught citation in the classroom, so addressing the reasons for citation is the most important part of instruction.
- Noodle Tools and Google Docs Citation Tool are the two most common tools used in high school.
- This is a clear step-by-step guide for using the Google Docs tool.
- Many find the Google Docs tool easier to use than Noodle Tools
- With Noodle Tools, teachers can give feedback throughout the process, which is especially helpful in navigating AI.
- Google Docs citation tool does not have many options, but at least it gets students to think about citations.
- Google tool does not work as well as Noodle Tools with specific types of documents. It is good for general sources.
- Noodle Tools works well for citing information obtained through generative AI.
- Should students cite AI results? How about Wikipedia? Some librarians and teachers instruct students to use AI and Wikipedia to start their searches, but to cite the actual sources linked to AI and Wikipedia.
- Students need to be reminded often that they must check the citations made with any of the tools to make sure the citations are accurate and in the correct format.
- Generative AI is not producing correct citations. If used, students must check the citations closely.
- Students think Google is a source. High school librarians are working hard to combat that.
- Need more scaffolding so students retain citation instruction. Difficult to get buy-in from teachers outside of English.
College librarians:
- Find that students have trouble reading citations.
- Do not see students often for instruction, so can't teach about citations in depth.
- Important for high school teachers and librarians to introduce students to the idea that there are different citation styles so students are not surprised when different professors expect different styles. Professors vary in what sorts of styles they use and whether they are sticklers about format.
- Higher ed does not have Noodle Tools, and students struggle without it when they first come to college.
- Union College uses RefWorks
- Zotero is a free tool similar to RefWorks. Stony Brook University Libraries has a LibGuide on Zotero. Zotero does not teach the elements of citations.
- By the time they come to college, students usually understand that Google is not a source.
- Emphasize that citation helps you join the scholarly community. It helps to show how information is connected.
How can public librarians support students, school librarians, and teachers?
- Make space for teens separate from younger kids and adults.
- Work with the school district to add the public library as a bus stop after school (with parent permission).
- Be a place where students can ask questions without worrying about grades.
- Reinforce ethical use of sources and citation, plagiarism education, with visuals - posters, bookmarks handouts:
- Connect with high school librarians to find out what types of projects students are doing in school.
Plagiarism tools
- Turnitin has a large margin of error. Many schools no longer use it because it is so unreliable. The company also requires a school to purchase it for the whole school building, so it is unaffordable if a teacher or librarian only wants to use it for a small group.
- Some high school teachers use Brisk, which is a Chrome extension. Brisk shows draft history, how long it took student to write each section, where they cut and pasted, etc. Can't identify definitively what a student did, but it is a good place to start a conversation or to see where issues are. It is time-consuming, so teachers mainly use it when there is a problem or concern. Teachers do not advertise to students that they are using Brisk.
- The Pirates of Plagiarism is a book that can be used with elementary school students to teach the concept.
Recently approved guidelines for New York State graduates: Portrait of a Graduate. It includes multiple pathways to graduate. How will colleges deal with this? Will some paths make it difficult for students to go to college? College admissions may be changing greatly in the future.
