Political Studies 111 / 112

Library Research Session

Fall 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

Are you asking yourself any of these questions?

• How do I search for books in the library catalogue and then find them on the shelf?

• What is a journal article and how do I find them?

• Is there something that can search the catalogue and journal article databases at the same time?

• I’m getting too many / not enough results? What can I do?

• Why can’t I just use Google?

• Why do I have to reference / cite the sources I use in my research?

• How much time do I need to give myself to research and write my research paper?

• Is writing at the university level different than at a high school level? Can I get help with this?

New to Campus?

Political Studies Research Guide

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

How Information Becomes “Research”

•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)

Wikipedia

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

▫Using Wikipedia for Academic Research (video)

▫The Office (Wikipedia) (video)

Google & Google Scholar•When to use Google & Google Scholar?

•Set your Scholar preferences

Same functionality as

Tools For Your Toolkit

1. Research Paper Planner

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

Activity#1: Think / Pair / Share

Scenario: You are writing a research paper on regulating the use of cell phones while driving and you are having some problems finding relevant articles on the topic.

Question #1:Brainstorm some keywords / synonyms you could use to search this topic.  

Question#2: Say you were getting too many results, how might you narrow-down your results?

Tools For Your Toolkit

1. Research Paper Planner

2. Thinking Tool: Choosing a Topic & Search Terms

Library Collections

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

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

•USearch: for finding books, articles, government publications, etc.

Activity #2What is the call number & locations for these books:1. The European Union and the Arab Spring:

Promoting democracy and human rights in the Middle East

2. The democratic dilemma : reforming the Canadian Senate

3. Hot spots : American foreign policy in a post-human-rights world

Need help deciphering a call number (video)?

Journal Articles

•What are journal articles?

•How are articles different from books?

•Popular & scholarly articles

•Where can you search for articles?

Academic / Scholarly / Peer-Reviewed

Popular

• 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

Activity #3

Which characteristics apply to each type of journal?

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 Journal Article Citation

Smets, Kaat. “A Widening Generational Divide? The Age Gap in Voter Turnout Through Time and Space.” Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties 22, no.4 (2012): 407-430.

Journal Article Author(s)

Journal Article Title

Journal Name Volume, Issue, Year, & Page

Range

USearch

• Single search option for books, articles, etc.

• Not comprehensive but a good starting point

• Good tool for finding a citation

• Search tips:Use the Advanced Search

Use quotations marks around phrases “voter turnout”

Limiters on the results page can narrow results

USearch Demo

Activity #4Using USearch ....

1. Find one article on “voter turnout” AND “low income”. Limit to peer-reviewed articles, published after 2005.

2. Verify if the University Library has online / full-text access to this article:

Richmond, Ted and John Shields. "NGO-Government Relations and Immigrant Services: Contradictions and Challenges." Journal of International Migration and Integration 6, no. 3-4 (2005): 513-526.

Evaluating Your Sources

• Important to evaluate ALL sources of information

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

• It is not usually black / white (OR good / bad )

Citing Your Sources

•It is important to keep track of your sources and citing them properly.

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

Tools For Your Toolkit

1. Research Paper Planner

2. Thinking Tool: Choosing a Topic & Search Terms

3. Library PALs

4. ULC Writing Help

Need Help .....

•Review Political Studies Research Guide

•Check-out the tools in your toolkit

•Contact:▫Angie.Gerrard@usask.ca

Mon, Tues, Wed

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