IAT 309W Library Research Workshop

1. IAT 309WLibrary Research Workshop Shane Plante SIAT Librarian shane@sfu.ca

2. The plan • Finding your topic • Researching your topic • Evaluating your sources with the 3 Rs • Citing your sources • Getting help • Questions (at any time)

4. finding your topic

5. finding a topic These two elements are the foundation of your research topic

6. writing a research question • Are bananas the perfect fruit? • Not a possible IAT 309W topic. • Why? • It lacks an issue or a problem. • Not argument-worthy. Who cares? • Should grocery stores in BC only be permitted to sell • BC-grown fruits and vegetables? • A possible IAT 309W topic. • Why? • It has an issue or a problem. (e.g., sustainability) • Argument-worthy. It’s a question worth asking.

7. finding a topic general topic  specific topic background sources • examples: • encyclopedias • handbooks • books

8. Sample encyclopedia entry: And a sample book:

9. finding a topic something tangible  research topic kernel Should motion gaming be incorporated into Physical Education programs in Canadian schools? http://www.flickr.com/photos/auxo/5817183192/

10. finding a topic news sources  research topic Should employees be allowed to outsource their own jobs? Quan, K. (2013, January 17). Developer outsources job to China so he can watch cat videos. Time. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/

11. finding a topic keep your eyes open  research topic Should universities in BC begin providing students with stand-up/sit-down desks? Photo taken of improvised stand-up desk in Fraser Library. Not advised!

12. finding a topic try to be Goldilocksian - not too narrow - not too general

13. finding a topic Tip: In general, you can only cover one idea per paragraph. This can help to determine if your topic is too broad.

14. finding a topic Do you think these topics are too broad, too narrow, or just right for an 8 page research paper? Should unhealthy foods be required to carry a warning label? Should sodas 16 oz. or more be required to carry a warning label in Canada? Should stores be banned from selling large sodas? Should 7-Elevens in Surrey be required to include a warning label on their Big Gulps?

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17. researching your topic

18. before researching your topic • Spend some time brainstorming the following: • - What information would you like to find? • - What are some good words for searching? • (+ gather new words as you go) • - What are some good places to search?

19. researching your topic Sample topic: Should sodas 16 oz. or more be required to carry a warning label in Canada? Who would be likely to collect and publish information on this topic? What could you do if you can’t find the exact articles and information you want on your topic? This will often be the case for more original topics. But: risk + reward

20. researching your topic • Tips on finding • good places to search • great starting place: IAT 309W research guide

21. IAT 309W research guide

22. anatomy of a database Sort results Search boxes “Add to folder” button allows you to email articles and APA citations to yourself Results “Where can I get this?” link finds full-text for articles not included in the database Here, you can limit to scholarly journals; refine your results by date, subject heading, geography, etc.

23. researching your topic • Finding scholarly sources • where to search • how to identify them

24. evaluating your sources (with the 3Rs)

25. Identifying scholarly sources

26. Evaluating information sources (scholarly and non-scholarly)

27. The ThreeRs: Evaluating your sources Recency • Are you including the most recent research about your topic? • Would an historical perspective be useful? Relevance • How closely does it relate to your topic? • E.g., If you’ve found information that differs in culture/size/etc from your topic, is it still relevant? Reliability • Who is the author • What is the author’s expertise? • What is the purpose of the document? • Type of source? (scholarly, popular, government, etc.)

28. evaluating your sources

29. citing your sources

30. What information don’t you need to cite? What information doyou need to cite?

31. Image credits All icons used were published with CC-BY licenses or are in the public domain. They all come from The Noun Project: thenounproject.com In order of appearance: Leafby Peter Silk Treeby Alberto Guerra Quintanilla Lungsby chrisdawson Brain Machine Interfaceby HYPERMORGEN Airplaneby Dmitry Baranovskiy Binocularsby Luis Prado Banana by James Keuning Pear by James Keuning Tornado by Adam Whitcroft Handby Dmitry Baranovskiy Bear is in the public domain Map by Alessandro Suraci Resize by David Swanson Sodaby Christopher Anderson Cigarettes by Julia Soderberg Poison by Robert Leonardo Worker by Juan Pablo Bravo Pencil by Monika Ciapala Gymnast by James Keuning Scalpel by Danny Sturgess Finger Print by Diego Naive Add Time by Arthur Shlain Target by James Keuning Okay by Stephanie Wauters Warning by Stefan Parnarov Network by Mister Pixel Signpost by Juan Pablo Bravo User Help by Murali Krishna Idea Exchange by Luis Prado

32. citing your sources

33. getting help

34. How canthe library help? • Helping you to find background sources? Yes! • Helping you to find articles? Yes! • Helping you to evaluate sources? Yes! • Helping you to find APA style examples? Yes! • Helping you with structuring, paraphrasing, and becoming a better writer? Yes!* *see the Student Learning Commons

35. I’m happy to meet with you in a one-to-one appointment or you can visit one of our reference desks (Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver) If you want to meet with me, please: - Arrive prepared: - bring topic(s) - bring questions - Plan ahead: - please contact me (at least) a few days before you’d like to meet - there are 40 of you + only 1 of me research consultations

36. ask a librarian Or contact me directly: Shane Plante (shane@sfu.ca) SIAT Librarian