Title Text
HIST 2P75
Library Workshop
Me, your librarian
Finding and evaluating information
John Dingle
Help with....
Refining a research topic
Managing and citing sources
- 2000-2500 words
-
8+ sources
- Book, journal article, primary source
- Be judicious in the use of web resources
Research Paper
- Library search tools
- Search strategy and techniques
- Primary sources
- Evaluating and navigating web resources
- Managing your sources
Today:
Library Search Tools
Broadest search
Get to know the filters
Ask Button for help
Books and ebooks
Good way to find related books
Subject-specific search engines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Journal articles
Books
Book chapters
Dissertations
Conferences
Coverage: all time periods
Limited to:
2 simultaneous users
Other Databases
-
Historical Abstracts
- world history
-
America: History and Life
- history of North America
-
JSTOR
- multidisciplinary
-
Early English Books Online (EEBO)
- digitized printed works from 1473 - 1700
-
ARTStor
- digitized images
Activity
Start at the library homepage: brocku.ca/library
Get to the list of all the "History" databases
Identify at least 1 more database that is relevant to this course
Search Strategy
1. Search techniques and keywords
2. Finding related items with subject headings
Activity
Go to JSTOR (hint: it's a "database")
With a partner, compare the results of each pair of searches.
Which returns more results? Can you explain the difference?
1. middle ages VS "middle ages"
2. islam VS islam*
3. indigenous OR native VS indigenous AND native
Techniques
- Use quotation marks for phrase searches: “early modern”
-
Use truncation for variant word endings: arab* retrieves arab, arabs, arabic, arabian
-
Use OR for synonyms: indigenous OR native
-
Use AND to combine two different concepts: slaves AND missionaries
Subject Headings
Subject headings are a powerful way to find related items
Primary sources
- Published collections
- Primary source databases
Primary sources
Add one of the following terms to your search in SuperSearch or the catalogue. They work best when you add them to a "subject" box:
- personal narratives
- sources ***
- diaries
- letters
- correspondence
- interviews
Primary sources
Primary Source Databases
Activity
Go to EEBO
Find this book: Edward Topsell, The history of four-footed beasts and serpents…
Find an animal mentioned in Topsell
Find another book which mentions the same animal published AFTER Topsell's book
Break
Please be back in 10 minutes
Evaluating Websites
Purpose
Why does this resource exist?
Authority
Who wrote/produced/published it?
Currency
How current is it?
Evidence
Are the author’s claims supported by evidence?
Based on York University SPARK handout: yorku.ca/spark/books_journals_more/PARCA%20Test_Final.pdf
Evaluating Websites - samples
Activity
Download the website evaluation activity here:
bit.ly/2Sd9POj
Complete individually, then compare with a partner. Discuss any differences in your analysis.
Navigating Websites
- Look for navigation cues - edges of screen
- Search on large pages - CTRL-F, Command-F
- Be flexible
- Use the browser URL, especially for older sites
Activity
Follow the instructions for your group here:
1 - bit.ly/2RqQzsk
2 - bit.ly/2RTwvnl
3 - bit.ly/2CL0zac
Be prepared to demonstrate your process in front of the class.
Managing your sources
Zotero
- Add sources as you find them
- Store, organize, take notes on them
- Generate and format citations in Chicago style
Research Guide
Research Help
Thank you!
Questions?