The Library conducts training sessions in Information Literacy Skills for its users. This session engages the users in learning: Information Literacy Skills, how to access the print and e-resources availed by the library, referencing methods using reference management tools, and academic integrity for instance use of anti-plagiarism software for effective academic writing. This program is provided in the following ways;
- Teaching information IL during communication skills classes/ Integration of IL content in communications skills lectures
- Scheduled students training,
- Print and electronic guides
- Use of web bulletins
- Online inquiries such as Ask Librarian | Frequently asked questions | LiveChat
Information Literacy Schedule
| SN | Target Group | Proposed dates |
| 1 | Trimester New Students | May 2024 |
| 2 | Postgraduates | May 2024 |
| 3 | Undergradute 1st Year | September/October 2024 |
| 4 | Law students | September 2024 |
Library Guidelines and Policies
Follow the links below to download the corresponding library guide/policy
Information on Plagiarism and Referencing
Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting other people’s ideas, works, or statements as their own from an academic perspective. It happens with students, researchers, and other scholars when they present research reports, assignments, and papers as their own when it is not the case.
Temptation to plagiarism
There is great temptation to copy-paste other people’s works due to:-
- Availability of easy to use word processing software e.g Microsoft word
- Access to the internet and availability to electronic information i.e google resources, e-books, and e-journals.
- Improved technology, scanners, copiers, and digital cameras.
“Failure to acknowledge sources of information appropriately amounts to plagiarism”
Referencing
Acknowledging and Supporting your ideas during Research
Academic writing relies on more than just the ideas and experiences of one author. It also uses the ideas and research of other sources such as books, journal articles, websites, etc. These other sources may be used to support the author’s ideas, or the author may be discussing, analyzing, or critiquing other sources.
Referencing is used to tell the reader where ideas from other sources have been used in an assignment. There are many reasons why it is important to reference sources correctly:
- It shows the reader how your argument relates to the entire perspective on a situation or issue
- It properly credits the originators of ideas, theories, and research findings
- It shows the reader that you can find and use sources to create a solid argument.
There are two elements used in referencing:
- A citation inside the body of the assignment
- An entry in a reference list or bibliography at the end of the assignment
1. Citing
Mentioning the work of others in your own work.
e.g The more involved or consulted people are, the greater will be their commitment in its
implementation and sustenance of the projects. (Mulwa, 2002).
In this example, “(Mulwa, 2002)” tells the reader that this information has come from a source written by Mulwa, which was published in 2002. This is a signpost, pointing the reader to the reference list.
2. Referencing
The reference list is a list of all the sources used (and cited) in an assignment. It is usually alphabetized according to the names of the authors. Each entry in the reference list contains detailed information about one source. This can include the author’s name, the year of publication, the title of the source, and other publication details. For example:
Khan, M. (1993). Managing Project Sustainability: Key Concepts and Issues in Development
Administration in Asia-Pacific. Journal of Rural Development. , Dhaka CIRDAP. Spring Issue
Khan, M., et.al. (1992). Sustainability of Social Sector Projects: The Asian Experience. Washington DC:
The World Bank
Korten D. C., (1980). Community Organization and Rural Development: A Learning Process Approach.
Public Administration Review
Lusthaus G. and Adrien M., (1999). Enhancing Organizational Performance: A Tool for Self Assessment.
Mintzberg H. and Quinn B. J., (1996). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts and Cases. Third Edition,
New Jersey: Prentice Hall International
Mulwa F., (2002). Management of Community Based Organization. Nairobi: Olives Publishers
Referencing styles
Referencing is a formal system: there are rules and standards to follow when formatting citations and references. Many students find referencing quite intimidating at first. Like any skill, it takes time and patience to learn.
The examples above use APA style, a format created by the American Psychological Association. It is the most common referencing style used at the University of Embu.
Other styles include MLA style, Oxford style, Harvard style, and Chicago style.
Referencing tools
The following are the recommended software and tools that help with creating or managing references.
| Mendeley | is a reference manager and academic social network. It is also a free pdf manager, take your own fully searchable library in seconds, cite as you write, and read and annotate your PDFs on any device | Mendeley Quick Start Guide |
| Zotero | Zotero helps to collect, organize, cite, and share research sources. You can add PDFs, images, audio and video files, snapshots of web pages, and really anything else. Zotero automatically indexes the full-text content of your library, enabling you to find exactly what you’re looking for with just a few keystrokes. | Zotero Quick Start Guide |
N/B Failure to properly acknowledge sources is called plagiarism, and it can carry significant academic penalties.
Publishing a paper in a suitable Journal
There are thousands of active research journals making journal selection intimidating to authors. Choosing the right one can involve the tedious process of researching the scope of the journals you are interested in. Fortunately, the process has been made easier by online research tools such as: