Research & Resources @ The Library

Prepared for Political Science 100Dr. Claudia Schaler

September 26, 2013Suzanne van den Hoogen, MLIS

Outline• A Virtual Tour of the Library Website• Finding Information• Evaluating Information• Plagiarism• Paraphrasing• Citation Sources• Ask a Librarian!

Student ID = Library Card

http://www.google.ca/

Virtual Tour: Exploring the Library websitelibrary.stfx.ca

Subject Research Guides

• Find Books• Find Articles• Google Scholar• Data & Gov Docs • Writing & Citing• Liaison Librarians• Help

How to find Articles @ the Library

Evaluating Information

• Accuracy• Authority• Currency• Bias

HOW CAN I REMEMBER WHICH QUESTIONS TO ASK?

Currency How recent is the information? Can you locate a date when the resource was written/created/updated? Based on your topic, is this current enough? Why might the date matter for your topic? Reliability What kind of information is included in the resource? Is the content primarily opinion? Is the information balanced or biased? Does the author provide citations & references for data?Authority Can you determine who the author/creator is? What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience)? Who is the publisher or sponsor of the work/site? Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?Purpose / Point of View What’s the intent of the article (to persuade you, to sell something)? For Web resources, what is the domain (.edu, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view? Are there ads on the Web site? How do they relate to the topic? Is the author presenting fact or opinion?

C

AR

PBased on the original CRAP TEST created by Librarian Molly Beestrum, Dominican UniversityLOEX (Library Orientation Exchange) wiki (2008). The CRAP test. Retrieved from http://loex2008collaborate.pbworks.com/w/page/18686701/The%20CRAP%20Test

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

Popular• Magazines• Written by journalists, students,

popular authors, or no author listed• Flashy covers• Advertisements• Brief articles• Trade Journals: Business, Finance,

Industry (Written by experts, but may not be peer reviewed)

• Newspapers

Scholarly• Journals• Written by experts• Evaluated by experts: “Peer Reviewed”• Authoritative Source• Usually include:

– Credentials of the Author– Abstract– Bibliography– Specialized vocabulary– Reference List

What is Plagiarism?

“Plagiarism is the use of someone else's words, ideas, or creative works without a proper citation. This misrepresentation of another's work as your own is an act of academic dishonesty, and as such is subject to academic discipline.”

Angus L. Macdonald Library. Retrieved from http://sites.stfx.ca/library/plagiarism on Septemer 15, 2013

Examples of Plagiarism? Quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing text without proper

acknowledgement

Paraphrasing too closely (e.g., changing only a few words or simply rearranging the text)

Downloading all or part of a paper, journal article, or book from the Web or a library database and presenting it as one's own work

Plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty, including cheating, tampering, and falsification, are subject to academic discipline.

Paraphrasing•Read the original text until you grasp its meaning; then set it aside.

•Using your memory, write down the main points or concepts. Do not copy the text verbatim.

•Change the structure of the text by varying the opening, changing the order of sentences, lengthening or shortening sentences, etc.

•Replace keywords within the sentences with synonyms or phrases with similar meanings.

•Check your notes against the original to ensure you have not accidentally plagiarized.

StFX Step-by-Step Research Guide Retrieved from http://stfx.libguides.com/aecontent.php?pid=480283&sid=3935208 on September 12, 2013.

Citation Guides & Resources

Z253 U69 2010  

LB2369 T8 2007  

Image Source: http://robcrispe.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/info_overload.jpg

Ask a Librarian: We’re here to help you

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QUESTIONS ?

Thank You!Suzanne van den Hoogensvandenh@stfx.ca867-4535

Liaison Librarian for: •Aboriginal Studies•Anthropology•Political Science•Psychology•Sociology