SSW Social Policy 1 -Research Methods: Sources

Library Instruction http://library.centennialcollege.ca/ SSW Social Policy 1 P. Martinez 2009 Sept 30 l dobson SSW Social Policy 1 -Research Methods: Sources BOOKS & ENCYCLOPEDIAS on the shelf (also journals in paper format & videos & DVDs) Use Library Catalogues e.g. Centennial College Library Catalogue http://library.centennialcollege.ca/library/findbooks Tips: Encyclopedias vary some are general, like World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Americana, Encyclopedia Britannica - and some focus on specific topics; e.g. Encyclopedia of Disability, Encyclopedia of Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity, SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, etc. When looking for books on your topic, start by looking for exactly what you want (the specific topic). If you do not find much, try for books generally in the field - you may find books that contain chapters or sections on your specific topic (once you explore the book on the shelf); example: searching for books on disabilities and policy and Canada if you do not find enough, do other more general searches such as social and policy and Canada. Sample search in Centennial library catalogue: ELECTRONIC DATABASES Ways to Access the Libraries e-resources Centennial Libraries offer approximately 80 electronic resources to the College community. These e-resources are licensed databases that provide reliable, scholarly, commercial free information. Most focus on journal and newspaper articles, but there are other special databases as well (Encyclopedia Britannic Online, Credo Reference dictionaries, and various professional databases.) Most are available 24/7, and require logon if off-campus. They are a useful alternative & complement to the Internet continued on page 2.. 1

Go to the homepage http://library.centennialcollege.ca/ Click on LIBRARY & RESEARCH blue bar and select Find articles and journals Your starting point You have a subject or topic you want to explore (the most popular way of searching) You want a specific type of resource (e.g. newspapers, e- books, reference e-books, scholarly journals, videos, etc. You want to search a particular database that you are already familiar with; e.g. ESTAT (a Statistics Canada database), Canadian Reference Centre, Academic Search Premier, Lexis Nexis Academic, etc. You want to see if the library holds full text coverage of a specific journal or newspaper; e.g. Canadian-American Public Policy, Canadian Ethnic Studies, Canadian Foreign Policy, Canadian Political Science Review, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, etc. You want to search as many databases as possible You are not sure where to start Your selection E-resources by Subject Under SOCIAL SCIENCES select your field(s) of interest, scan the databases listed along with their brief descriptions and make your selection. E-resources by Type E-resources by Title Full Text Journal List. Type in the name of the journal to find out if the Library carries it full text, and if so, in what format (i.e. electronic or paper copy) BIGsearch. (Note: there are some limitations: not all databases can be searched through this engine; and it cannot recognize a locked in phrases (e.g. government policy will be searched as two separate words, not as a phrase.) Popular e-resources. Most databases listed here (with the exception of CredoReference) are multidisciplinary. LIMITS Limits not only reduce the number of records displayed, they also provide a useful way to add focus or relevancy to your results. Limit to full text Limit to peer reviewed records and/or academic records that have references (footnotes and endnotes are a sign of scholarliness). This is for scholarly articles. Specify fields in which your search terms need to appear; e.g. author field, title field, subject field, abstract field, etc. (Title & subject fields are particularly powerful. ) Tip: check your terms in the Thesaurus (also known as Subjects or Topics) in the database you are using to ensure that your term or phrase is included as a subject term in the Subject Field.) Combine many terms with the AND operator the more terms you ask the database search tool to combine, the fewer records you will get. Tip: Some databases allow you to add a row if you want to combine another term(s). If this option is not given, simply use the rows provided and double up. Example: disabilities AND (children or youth or infants) Ways to Limit & Expand Your Searches EXPANDERS If you want to be thorough, and certainly if you are not getting the results you want, use expanders to seek out more records on your topic. Search all fields or large fields (e.g. all text ). Examples of fields: title, subject, author, abstract (summary), all text, etc. Collect terms that relate in some way to the same concept with the OR operator the more terms you string together the more records you are likely to get. Example: the keyword string, poverty or poor or homeless or homelessness will yield more results than just poverty. Check your terminology in the Thesaurus (also known as Subjects or Topics) provided in each database. If you include the terms listed there you are likely to get more and higher relevancy as well. Words & phrases that are listed in the thesaurus are, in fact, subject terms; and you can confidently do searches with them limited to the subject field. Use truncation (also called wildcards ) to get more; e.g. If you want to search for records that include Canadian content, you might type canad*. This tells the search tool will include all words that start with that stem Canada, Canadian, canadiana, Canadians, etc. (NB. Most databases use the asterisk (*) to truncate. Ovid databases use the question mark (?). Check the help screens in each database for other ways to truncate. 2

Type of publication (e.g. articles, periodicals, newspapers) Lock in phrases using quotation marks; e.g. conversation begins. This will ensure that any records displayed with have that exact phrase (and not just the two words separately in the record). Limit to publications that have images Limit to date of publication (Note: records in databases are sorted by automatically by date, most recent listed first.) You can limit with search preferences; e.g. You may want the records to be displayed in title format only. This quickens your scanning, at the expense of more detailed description. Limit to review articles. Tip: recommend you check the thesaurus for exact terminology - or search all possibilities; e.g. Reviews or book reviews or book review or literature review, etc. Limit to articles that report on original research. If you are using a commonly used search term like the surname, Brown, when you are looking for a particular author, you will get a lot of records you do not want. Add another term to help identify the Brown you want; e.g. Ian Brown, or Brown and journalist Search multiple databases at one time. From the Find articles & journals Library webpage, select a Vendor Aggregator such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Gale or OVID. (Alternatively, if you are already in one of the databases provided by these vendors, simply click on the search page Choose databases (sometimes phrased Select databases, or Multiple databases ) and select the databases you want to search together from the list provided. Search using all variations of spelling e.g. behaviour or behavior (British or American spellings). Tip: truncation is useful here e.g. behavior* Do several searches. When you do find a record that is on topic, have a look at the subject headings (also called descriptors) and also the terms used in the title and abstract you may find some new words that will be useful for additional searches. Sometimes you search for the opposite of your topic and get results; e.g. When looking for articles on conflict between children, you might include the word, friendship along with the word, conflict. Managing Your Searches & Results PRINT, SAVE, EMAIL: Articles/records: Virtually all databases allow you to select/tag/add/mark the records you want to keep, and then transfer them to Folder/My research/marked items page, and then print, save, or email them (full text or citation only) in a document style you choose. Search strategy: Standard options: If you want also to save your search strategy, you can print the search page, or Create a folder, then select and copy the search page, then paste it into your folder. You can also select/copy/paste into an email to yourself. Simply record it on paper (handwriting or typed). EXPORT: Articles/records: They usually allow you also to export citations (i.e. just the record, not the full text) to RefWorks (a program provided by the Library to help researchers manage their bibliographies. Ask the staff about RefWorks if you want to learn about this program and set up an account.) Search strategy: RefWorks does not handle search strategies. Use standard options as listed above. Sign in to My EBSCOhost You can create a personal EBSCOhost account for managing your articles/records and search strategies. Articles/records: EBSCO has recently introduced an option to create an EBSCOhost account. You can select and save records which will be held until you choose to delete them. EBSCO has only two sort methods: title and date saved. Therefore, you may want to transfer your articles/records on an ongoing basis to a folder in order to keep things clear. MyEBSCOhost accounts are particularly useful when you have incomplete searches that you are not ready to print, save, or email you can log into your EBSCO account and pick up where you left off. 3

HELP: For saving searches: Go to: EBSCOhost help screen Saving Searches - available in all EBSCO databases. Retrieved 2009 09 16) For My EBSCOhost account: Go to EBSCOhost help screen My EBSCOhost - available in all EBSCO databases. Retrieved 2009 09 16) ALERTS: Alert email icon RSS feed icon Most databases also allow you to set up an account so that you can receive by email or RSS feed newly added records based on the profile you establish; e.g. you may want to receive all new articles that discuss autism in Ontario. SHARING RESULTS WITH MULTIPLE USERS: Stable or Persistent Links These can normally be found when clicking on the title of a record to get citation information & are provided to allow legal sharing of e-resource records to multiple users. Canadian copyright law prohibits the posting of electronic versions of copyright-protected documents (this includes articles/reports in the E-resources as well as scanned copies of print publications) on Internet site, even if the site is password protected. Stable links are legal & provide an easy, direct route to articles when sharing with more than one other person. If you have questions or need some help, please consult a Librarian. APA Style: Where to Get Help Internet sites: Most college and university websites offer help with documentation styles. Go to their homepage and look for style guide information. You can also simply use a Google search using keywords for the specific help you need; e.g. apa style works cited book reprint. (This method is especially useful when you have an unusual source that is not normally addressed). APA also has a website with a section on online sources that is helpful. APA Style. http://www.apa.org. Also: Centennial College Libraries Research & Writing Help (APA, MLA) http://.centennialcollege.ca//researchhelp/ Centennial College Annotated Bibliographies (APA style) http://.centennialcollege.ca//subjectguides University of Toronto. http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/documentation Research & documentation online (Bedford St Martins) http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ Citation Machines: Some Internet sites offer interactive style guide help you enter information about your source and the citation machine formats it for you. Normally, only the very BASIC sources are covered. You are advised to check the results for accuracy, using the official rules, before you submit your work. (The quality of your work is your responsibility.) See Tools to Help Format Your Citations - Centennial Libraries: http://.centennialcollege.ca//researchhelp/apastyle/. Books: Search the catalogue, or ask the staff at the desk. Some titles: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (5 th ed.)(2003). BF76.7.P83 2001. Multiple copies. This is the official and most authoritative and complete - source for APA style. APA style guide to electronic references. (c2007). PN171.F56.A63 2007 Concise rules of APA style (c2005). BF76.7.C66 2005 Newspaper Sources at Centennial College Libraries (paper & electronic formats) Tip #1: If you know the newspaper you want to search (e.g. Toronto Star), you can use the Libraries FULL TEXT JOURNAL LIST to see which databases contain articles from that newspaper, and whether the Libraries hold paper copies. http://library.centennialcollege.ca/library/findarticles FULL TEXT JOURNAL LIST Find print and electronic journals, magazines and newspapers by title or ISSN Title begins w ith Toronto Star Search Tip #2: To find out what databases include newspaper articles, search the Libraries e-resources by Type (newspapers) to get a list of databases that hold newspaper articles http://library.centennialcollege.ca/library/findarticles E-Resources by Type Audio Books Images Magazines Newspapers Reference Books Scholarly Journals Video 4

Sample basic search in - a database specializing in news & newspapers: STATISTICS CANADA For online help at Centennial: Libraries website Research & Writing Help - Library Classes General Statistics Canada & ESTAT Statistics Canada website http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html At Statistics Canada, our goal is to provide the best and most reliable information possible on our society, our economy, our environment and other dimensions of our country. Chief Statistician of Canada on the Statistics Canada website ESTAT This is a database offered through Centennial Libraries. It is a subset of Statistics Canada databases and includes some tables not available for free on the Internet. Go to the find articles & journals page on Centennial Libraries website and select E-Resources: - Then select ESTAT. Canada. Department of Justice Ontario e-laws City of Toronto Statistics Canada How Canadians Govern Themselves THE INTERNET Some useful websites for research proposal assignment Federal legislation full text http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/index.html Ontario legislation full text http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/index.html Toronto Municipal Code (legislation full text) http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/index.htm See table below http://www2.parl.gc.ca/sites/lop/aboutparliament/forsey/index-e.asp 211 Toronto A fully searchable, bilingual point of access to over 60,000 community, social, health and related government programs and services in Ontario. (Source: http://www.211toronto.ca/splash.jsp ) Ontario Government websites http://www.ontario.ca/en/residents/index.htm Government of Canada websites http://canada.gc.ca/home.html City of Toronto website http://www.toronto.ca/ Google Scholar Peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations. (Source: http://scholar.google.ca/intl/en/scholar/about.html ) Centennial College Libraries e-journal articles are included and tagged - in Google Scholar. York University Libraries Statistics Subject Guide: http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/librarydataservices/subjectguides/ Canadian Encyclopedia Online The full text of The Canadian Encyclopedia and its related resources has been made available online by the Historica Foundation as a public service since 1999.the most 5

Librarians Index to the Internet comprehensive, objective and accurate source of information on Canada for students, readers and scholars across Canada and throughout the world. (Source: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?pgnm=tcesubjects&params=a1 ) Librarians' Internet Index (LII) is a publicly-funded website and weekly newsletter serving California, the nation, and the world. Features dozens of high-quality websites carefully selected, described, and organized by our team of librarians. (Source: http://lii.org/ ) EVALUATING THE INTERNET: Recommended sources: Toronto Public Library. Research ate my brain: the panic-proof guide to surviving homework. (c2005) Toronto: Annick Press. (See chapter on evaluating the Internet). Wolfgram Memorial Library (Widener University, Chester, PA) - Evaluate web pages tutorial. http://www3.widener.edu/academics/libraries/wolfgram_memorial_library/evaluate_web_pages/659/. UC Berkeley - Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial - Evaluating Web Pages http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/teachinglib/guides/internet/evaluate.html Cornell University - Evaluating websites: Criteria and tools http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html Google Directory - Web Site Evaluation http://www.google.com/top/reference/education/instructional_technology/evaluation/web_site_evaluation/ Arendt, J. (2008, April). Imperfect Tools: Google Scholar vs. Traditional Commercial Library Databases. Against the Grain, 20(2), 26-30. Retrieved October 10, 2008, from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (EBSCO) database. SOURCES ON QUANTATIVE & QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS For books: search the LRC library catalogue online, using keywords e.g. quantitative research; e.g. qualitative research; e.g. research methodology; e.g. social sciences research; e.g. questionnaires; e.g. social surveys; e.g. interviewing. (You may want to limit your search to the subject or title field to get greater relevancy, or limit to Ashtonbee campus for convenience.) Some titles held at Ashtonbee Campus Library: Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires: theory and practice in social research / William Foddy. (1993) Introduction to quantitative research methods: an investigative approach / Mark Balnaves and Peter Caputi. (2001) Research decisions: quantitative and qualitative perspectives / Ted Palys. (2003) Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches / John W. Creswell. (2003) SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods, edited by Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, Tim Futing Liao. 3 vol. (2004) Science and technology research: writing strategies for students / Tina M. Neville, Deborah B. Henry, Bruce D. Neville. (2002) Internet site: Research Process [pages created by Marion Joppe, University of Guelph] http://www.htm.uoguelph.ca/pagefiles/mjresearch/researchprocess/home.html (Retrieved 21 Sep 2009) Two e-resource journal articles: Onwuegbuzie, A., & Leech, N. (2005, December). On Becoming a Pragmatic Researcher: The Importance of Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(5), 375-387. Retrieved October 27, 2008, Academic Search Premier database (EBSCO) Shields, L., & Twycross, A. (2008, June). Sampling in quantitative research. Paediatric Nursing, 20(5), 37-37. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database (EBSCO). CRITICAL THINKING Use critical thinking skills always and especially when searching websites on the Internet quality varies widely Two recommended sources: Memering, D., Palmer, W. Discovering arguments: an introduction to critical thinking and writing, with readings. (c2006). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Ruggiero, V.R. Becoming a critical thinker (2006). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 6