HOW TO DO RESEARCH AT THE

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA LIBRARIES

Betty Braaksma,

University of Manitoba Libraries

ICM class, November 10 & 12 2009

Most courses require you to complete essays or assignments using library resources like: books, databases scholarly articles.

ASSUMPTIONS

Many professors assume that you already have the skills that you need to complete your assignments.

WHAT SKILLS? RESEARCH + WRITING

Know how to use the library catalogue Know how to locate books within the library

system Know how to find scholarly journals and

articles Know how to select appropriate information Be effective in:

evaluating interpreting supporting presenting

the results of your research

SURVEY RESULTS1. Finding a book:

Library catalogue – 50% Google – 50%

2. Finding a scholarly article: Google – 100%

3. Identifying a scholarly article: British Journal of Sports Medicine – 25% Canadian College of Naturopathic

Medicine, http://www.ccnm.edu – 75%

EXAMPLE OF AN ASSIGNMENT:

Write a 500 word paper about current research on nanotechnology. You must use at least one book, one scholarly article and one reliable website, and cite them correctly in your bibliography

4 RESEARCH TASKS1. Find a book2. Find a scholarly article3. Find a reliable website4. Record citation information for each

item found

WHAT’S “SCHOLARLY”?

Scholarly publications (books, articles, etc.) are written by experts in a particular field of study, and are usually research-based. The primary audience is experts and students, and as a result the publications are typically much more sophisticated and advanced than articles found in more general sources.

Popular publications aim to inform readers about issues of common interest to the general public and are much more informal in tone and scope, and are written in simpler language.

Adapted from: http://www.library.ubc.ca/hss/instruction/scholpop.pdf

http://lib.mnsu.edu/research/documents/scholarly.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDGJ2CYfY9A

WHAT ABOUT ABOUT WIKIPEDIA?

It’s NOT a scholarly resource, BUT you can (maybe*)

“use Wikipedia to get you started, but don’t simply quote or lift information from it to use in your papers.” http://libweb1.lib.buffalo.edu/blog/students/?p=31

* With your prof’s consent

1. FIND A BOOK

Nanotechnology research

2. FIND A SCHOLARLY/ACADEMIC ARTICLE

HOW TO FIND SCHOLARLY ARTICLES

1. If you know the topic – use the library databases OR Google Scholar

2. If you know the journal name – use the library catalogue (Bison)

3. If you have a citation – use Article Linker

FINDING THE DATABASES

SELECTING GENERAL DATABASES

SELECTING SCIENCE DATABASES

CHOOSING A DATABASE

AUTHENTICATE IF NECESSARY

SEARCHING FOR AN ARTICLE

SELECTING AN ARTICLE

DISPLAYING THE ARTICLE

SEARCHING GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Nanotechnology research

SELECTING AN ARTICLE

GET IT @ UML

USING ARTICLE LINKER

3. CHOOSE A RELIABLE WEBSITE

WHAT IS “RELIABLE”, “SUITABLE”, “APPROVED”?

If you use websites for your research, they should have the same characteristics as scholarly articles.

CONTENT/RELEVANCECURRENCY

AUTHORITY

ACCURACY

AESTHETICS/DESIGN

BIAS/PERSPECTIVE

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4. CITE YOUR SOURCES IN A BIBLIOGRAPHY

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A bibliography is a list of all the sources you used when you did your research. As you read and take notes, you should write down:

• full title• author • place of publication • publisher• date of publication

for each source that you use.

This applies to any source: book, article, website, photograph, video, etc.

This description of your source is called a citation

WHAT’S A BIBLIOGRAPHY?

CITATION STYLES Different professors may require you to use different

citation styles for your bibliography. The common styles are APA and MLA.

APA examples: http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

MLA examples: http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm

Help at U of M: Learning Assistance Centre:

http://www.umanitoba.ca/u1/lac/

EXAMPLE OF A BIBLIOGRAPHYBaker, J. 1992. From Cold War to democratic peace. U.S. Department of State Dispatch, June 29.

Beattie, A. 2008. Necessity pushes out principles. Financial Times, October 14.

Bishop, M., and M. Green. 2008. Philanthrocapitalism: How the rich can save the world. New York: Bloomsbury.

Boyes, R. 2008. Every country for itself as European unity collapses in an attack of jitters. Times, October 6.

Bressand, A. 1983. Mastering the ‘World economy.’ Foreign Affairs, Spring.

Brown, G. 2008. Out of the ashes. Washington Post, October 17.

Bush, G. H.W. 1989. Press conference in response to Berlin Wall events, November 9. http://www.cnn.com/specials/cold.war/episodes/23/documents/bush/.

———. 1992. freedom Support Act, Office of the Press Secretary, April1. http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/b920401.htm.

Bush, G.W. 2001. Address to a joint session of Congress, September 20.

Campbell, K. 2007. Is Iran facing an economic crisis? USIPeace Briefing, May. http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2007/0510_iran_economic_crisis.html.

Casey, T. 2008. The USA Patriot Act: The decline of legitimacy in the age of terrorism. New York: Oxford University Press.

Castañeda, J. 2006. Latin America’s left turn. Foreign Affairs, May–June.

Quirk, James M.1Managing Global Transitions. International Research Journal. 2008, Vol. 6 Issue 4, p341-371, 31phttp://proxy2.lib.umanitoba.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=37246146&site=ehost-live

WHY ARE BIBLIOGRAPHIES NEEDED?1. Courtesy:

All knowledge builds on what has gone before, so you must give credit/respect/recognition to the scholars who preceded you.

2. Proof: You can point to the evidence you used to support your ideas. You know where to find information again, if needed. Your instructor/colleagues can find and assess the information you used.

3. Honesty: Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is considered to be cheating. Academic dishonesty is a punishable offence at all universities.

QUESTIONS?

ASK YOUR LIBRARIAN

Betty Braaksmabetty_braaksma@umanitoba.ca