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Explorations 160

Explorations 160. Research Paper Survival Workshop Holly Hendrigan Liaison Librarian, Explorations 10 February 2010. Today’s workshop. 1. Developing your topic

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Explorations 160

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  1. Explorations 160 Research Paper Survival Workshop Holly Hendrigan Liaison Librarian, Explorations 10 February 2010

  2. Today’s workshop 1. Developing your topic 2. Finding background information 3. Using the catalogue to find books and media4. Searching indexes to find periodical articles 6. Peer reviewed journals7. Citing what you find, and how to avoid plagiarism

  3. Developing your topic • Pay very close attention to the words used in the essay topic • Identify the main concepts • Greek tragic theatre is often said to be “cathartic.”   Create an argument about the cathartic function of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.   Use three scholarly sources, of which at least one makes reference to the social function of the theatre in Ancient Greece.

  4. Conceptualize your topic • Greek tragedy • Catharsis • Sophocles • Oedipus Rex • Social function of theatre

  5. Use Boolean logic AND : connects concepts Oedipus Rex AND catharsis • LIMITS your search OR : searches for additional related terms (Sophocles OR Greek theatre) • EXPANDS your search NOT : eliminates certain terms Oedipus NOTAntigone • TARGETS your search

  6. Putting it together • In a perfect information world: • Sophocles AND “oedipusrex” AND catharsis AND greek tragedy AND “social function of theatre” • …from one source • In the imperfect information world we live in: researchers need to search different places, and synthesize results

  7. Finding background information • Enables understanding of the assignment, the text, and criticism of the text • Eg, What’s catharsis? What’s a leit-motif? What’s an “official” definition of a parody? • SFU Library Research guides: Background information • Routledge dictionary of literary terms

  8. Using the catalogue • Tip: keyword searching is a blunt instrument • Keywords include the fields: author, title, subject, table of contents, notes. • Recall vs relevance: high recall (many titles) is usually at the expense of high relevance (useful titles)

  9. Keyword search: greek theatre social

  10. Using indexes • Gale Literary Database • See also EXPL 160 Research Guides: Books and Articles

  11. News sources • Provide context and information • Use sparingly (not peer reviewed) • Sometimes, they’re all that is available • Sometimes, they lead you to experts who might have written something scholarly

  12. Cited reference searching • Following bibliographies of relevant articles can be very efficient • Forward and backward span • Web of Science: only indexes the most highly regarded journals

  13. Peer Reviewed journals • A journal is refereed or peer reviewed if its articles have been evaluated by experts before publication. The experts advise the journal's editor for or against publication of the articles. Peer review insures that the research described in a journal's articles is sound and of high quality.

  14. Citing what you find • MLA Bibliography used to structure your citations • Give credit where it is due, whether you’re quoting or paraphrasing • Take the Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism tutorial if you’re unsure • See EXPL 160 assignment guide for links

  15. Summary 1. Developing your topic / devising your search strategy 2. Finding background information 3. Using the catalogue to find books 4. Searching indexes to find articles 6. Peer reviewed journals7. Citing what you find, and how to avoid plagiarism

  16. Questions? More help • Me: hah1@sfu.ca • Surrey reference desk open 10-6 • Ask Us form on guide: phone, e-mail, chat

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