Intro to Library Research

September 2024

CS 3997 - Professional Practice

Hi, I'm Catherine

• Computer Science Librarian
• Open Scholarship Librarian
• Your Liaison!

Why Library Resources?

The Agenda

1. Discussion on ChatGPT/Generative AI
2. Why you need sources
3. Plagiarism 
4. Types of sources
5. Where to search?
6. How to read an academic paper
7. How to incorporate references

After this session, you will be able to...

•  Identify disciplines that may conduct research about your chosen topic
• Search for resources via library research databases
• Read and evaluate resources, and incorporate relevant resources into your papers

First: ChatGPT 

I am not the expert on LLMs

But your professor Paul Cook is!

"It's just always predicting the next word. You give it some context, it can predict the next word. But it can predict, you know, many next words. That's really what ChatGPT is doing. You provide some input to the model, some text, something that you write, and it generates a response."

Paul Cook in From instant essays to phishing scams, ChatGPT has experts on edge, (CBC, 2023)

ChatGPT doesn't

• Always provide the correct answer
• Provide sources to indicate where information is coming from (therefore, you can't properly attribute)
• Disclose when information is fabricated or false

Finding Information...

... and hallucinations

ChatGPT won't provide references, but WE should

Why do we need references?

• To communicate the difference between opinions/findings of other people, and ourselves
• To properly acknowledge the work that others have done
• To allow for readers to seek out the original information for themselves

When do we need to reference?

• When you're including someone else's ideas
  • Paraphrasing
  • Directly quoting
• Particularly information that is not common knowledge
• In the text, and in the reference list

In text:

One major issue in the Canadian healthcare system is the growing strain on the system due to an aging population, which increases the demand for medical services and long-term care (Smith & Johnson, 2022).

One major issue in the Canadian healthcare system is the growing strain on the system due to an aging population, which increases the demand for medical services and long-term care [1]

OR

In reference list: 

Smith, J., & Johnson, A. (2022). Challenges facing Canada's healthcare system in the 21st century. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 17(1). https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=xAoEXQL5QrVM2K9I

(or an alternative). Think: will my professor be able to find the resource based on the information I provide?

For Computer Science:

ACM or IEEE reference styles

Let's play: Does this need a reference?

1. "The average American makes $45 000 a year

2. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Planet Earth

3. "SQL (Structured Query Language) is used for managing and querying relational databases."

4. Experts estimate that 34% of white collar jobs could be eliminated by Generative AI

A note on plagerism 

Avoid:

• Omitting references when they are needed
• Not identifying direct quotations, with the use of quotation marks
• Insufficiently paraphrasing
• Copying a classmate, or an output from ChatGPT/another Generative AI

Types of Sources:

1. Reports (government, industry)

2. Conference outputs (posters, abstracts, proceedings, papers) ** particularly common in CS

3. Journal Articles (reviews, methodological contributions, case studies, letters)

1. Reports (government, industry)

2. Conference outputs (posters, abstracts, proceedings, papers) 

3. Journal Articles (reviews, methodological contributions, case studies, letters)

Each of these types may or may not be peer-reviewed (meaning vetted and critiqued by other experts in the field). For your assignment, you'll need to locate specifically journal articles/conference outputs

Where to Search?

Where to Search?

Library Databases!

The bad news:

These databases all have unique syntax, interfaces and controlled vocabulary

The good news:

As CS students, you'll be able to use them no problem

It's all about Boolean logic!

Your topic: Should AI be used in emergency rooms for triage?

Your topic: Should AI be used in emergency rooms for triage?

Synonyms

Databases

1. Scopus

2. IEEE

3. ACM

4. Academic Search Premier

Research Guides

Which other discipline(s) might be writing about this topic?

Mini Activity

Your topic is, should computers/iPads/phones be used in K-12 classrooms?

Your task: Using research guides, identify other discipline(s) and databases that you could search to support your argument

How to read an academic paper

Don't just start at the beginning and read the full paper when deciding whether to include, start by 'previewing' and then spend some time working your way through.

Then take multiple passes through the paper to see if it's relevant to you

How to Incorporate Academic References

1. Supporting or confirming what we already know
2. Adding to our knowledge
3. Challenging our ideas
4. Using relevant quotes to support our thinking

Final tips:

• Manage references with Zotero, or by saving DOIs in a spreadsheet
• Start early, do a brief scan BEFORE you pick your topic, and don't start writing without reviewing the literature
• Use the Writing Centre!

You don't have to do it alone! I'm here to help.

Questions?

Exit ticket:

Find an article using Scopus, IEEE, ACM or Academic Search Premier, and load the full article