Title Text
HIST 2P76
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, due April 5
- Search tools for secondary research
- Search strategy and techniques
- Primary source collections
- Evaluating web resources
- Managing your sources
Today:
Activity
Find two good books on the history of eugenics in Canada
Be prepared to demonstrate and explain your process
Broadest search
Get to know the filters
Ask Button for help
Books and ebooks
Good way to find related books
Subject-specific search engines
Find under "Research" tab
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
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America: History and Life
- history of North America
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JSTOR
- multidisciplinary
Search Strategy
1. Search techniques and keywords
2. Finding related items with subject headings
Activity
Go to America: History and Life (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. colonial america VS "colonial america"
2. america VS america*
3. indigenous OR native VS indigenous AND native
Techniques
- Use quotation marks for phrase searches: “colonial america”
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Use truncation for variant word endings: child* retrieves child, children, childhood, childlike, childish
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Use OR for synonyms: indigenous OR native
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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
History Research Guide > Primary Sources
Primary Source Databases - example
Research topic:
Public reaction in Britain to the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species
What types of primary sources could I use to research this?
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
Compare and contrast these two sites:
Be prepared to discuss the differences you find
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?
HIST 2P76
By jdingle
