POLITICAL STUDIES 112.3

LIBRARY RESEARCH SESSION

January 29, 2013

Today’s materials available at:http://libguides.usask.ca/politicalstudies

Courses tab

Today we will ....

Explore the Political Studies Research Guide

Discuss the information cycle & types of information sources

Overcome potential researching roadblocks

Introduce journal articles & demonstrate where & how to find them

Discuss the importance of evaluation of information

Political Studies Research Guide

http://libguides.usask.ca/politicalstudies Great starting point for your research!!!

Research Resources

Variety of research resources, ex: web sites, books, journal articles, encyclopaedias, etc.

Each type of information resource is a valid source in the research process.

Videos: The Information Cycle (serious) The Information Cycle (not-so serious)

You should never use Wikipedia .... True or False?

Too Many Results? Not Enough?

Too many results? Narrow / focus your topic, ex:

Time period Location Specific issue

Not enough results? Brainstorm synonyms, ex:

“compulsory voting” = mandatory voting, obligatory voting , etc.

Expand scope of your topic

Questions #1 and #2

Activity

Library Collections

Catalogue: For finding books & book chapters (print & online) Sample catalogue search

Journal Article Databases: for finding journal articles, newspapers, etc.

Question #3

Activity

Journal Articles

What are journal articles?

How are articles different from books?

Popular & scholarly articles

Where can you search for articles?

Written by academics / experts in the field

Author’s credentials are listed

Bibliography is provided Reviewed by other experts

/peers in the field Intended audience is

professionals, researchers, or students in the field

Authored by journalists / staff writers

Written for the general public

Bibliographies are rarely included

May include advertisements

Academic / Scholarly /

Peer-ReviewedPopular

Question #4

Want to learn more? Check-out these humorous videos:• What is a Scholarly Article• Scholarly vs. Popular

Activity

Searching for Journal Articles

Recommended databases: Academic Search Complete IPSA (International Political Science

Abstracts) CBCA Complete (Canadian content)

Many articles will be full-text, if not, select

Anatomy of a citation:

Questions #5 and #6

Activity

Google & Google Scholar

When to use Google & Google Scholar?

Set your Scholar preferences

Same functionality as

Evaluating Your Sources

Important to evaluate ALL sources of information

Does it pass the CRAAP Test? Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose

Question #7

Activity

Citing Your Sources

We didn’t discuss the importance of keeping track of your sources and citing them properly.

For help with this, visit the Library’s Citation Style Guides page

Need Help .....

Review Political Studies Research Guide

Check-out the Research Paper Planner

Contact: Angie.Gerrard@usask.ca

Mon, Tues, Wed

Ask Us (in-person, email, chat, phone) 7 days a week