ProQuest Research Companion

ProQuest Research Companion is ProQuest’s flagship information literacy product. It was built to help students do more effective scholarly research and to support educators as they teach the core information literacy principles of finding, evaluating, and using information.

Check out this video for a quick overview of the power of a research companion…ProQuest Research Companion.

More than 80 short videos are organized into nine Learning Modules that answer questions like "How do I choose a topic?" "Where do I find information?" and "How do I evaluate sources?" Different kinds of "pre" and "post" assessment questions make the viewing experience more interactive, while allowing educators to measure students’ learning and identify gaps in their understanding.

Using data from Ulrich’s Web and Bowker Books in Print, several interactive tools automate parts of the research process and allow students to focus on the things that interest them most. ProQuest Research Companion is a new cloud-based information literacy solution for student researchers and educators. Aligned both to ACRL Information Literacy and Common Core English Language Arts standards, Research Companion provides a framework and foundation for information literacy instruction.

It easily guides students through the research process and helps them develop their critical thinking and information literacy skills. Studies have shown that today's researchers are unequivocally overwhelmed with too much information and data—throughout all the stages of research process. Developed by writing instructors and librarians, Research Companion combines multimedia-based learning modules and powerful quick-start evaluator tools into one resource.

Provide support to your literacy instruction Learning Modules with Assessment The Learning Modules are organized into easily digestible sections and are structured as nine commonly asked researcher questions which provide a foundation and context for finding, evaluating, and using information. The modules cover such topics as "Where do I start?" to "How do I avoid plagiarism and find my own voice?" to “What's the best way to revise?” They are delivered as a series of visually compelling and inventive videos, or in a full-text, readable format and are written in a conversational style that improves learning outcomes and maximizes retention.

Pre- and post-assessment questions make the viewing experience interactive, while allowing educators to evaluate students' performance and identify gaps in their understanding. Tools Organized as Topic and Search Aids, and Source Evaluation Aid, researchers get right to the information they need. These quick and easy-to-use tools automate the basic parts of the research process by leveraging the power of ProQuest data sources—including Ulrich'sWeb and Books In Print, and the expert ProQuest editorial team.

• The Source Evaluation Aid makes evaluating research resources easy—a simple search box allows the user to type in the title of a periodical or book, or copy and paste a URL, and data results about that source are displayed.
• The Search Aid helps students develop more effective search queries.
• Topic Aid connects students to topic overviews and helps them choose a topic they're really interested in.
• The Revision Aid helps researchers write more clearly and persuasively.

Customization Features

• Editor tool that allows educators to add their own assessment questions and other resources
• All videos are fully embeddable, individually or as part of custom playlists
• Tools are customizable and configurable with library resources
• Full functionality and optimized display on tablets and phones

Harnessing the Power of ProQuest Presented in an easy-to-use and collaborative format, ProQuest Research Companion can be effortlessly incorporated into the student researcher's workflow to get to answers and context quickly. ProQuest Research Companion gives librarians and educators the tools and resources to:

• Prepare high school and community college students for university-level research
• Help undergrad and graduate students produce better papers faster

Learn more, gain a better understanding of how this new information literacy resource can change the way you currently teach information literacy and research skills. Connect with your ProQuest Account Manager to learn more, set up a trial, and request pricing.