ENSC 105W:
PROCESS, FORM AND CONVENTION IN
PROFESSIONAL GENRES
Library Research Workshop*
*There will be a test
Getting started with library research…
What library services are available to you?
 Borrow
books, movies, and laptops
 Online access to journal articles
 Book study rooms
 Come in for help!
Starting your research

Background Information
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Textbooks, reference books,
encyclopedias
Specific information

Books, journal articles, websites
Where is the best place to
search for information
on your topic?
The SFU Library website!
Research guides
Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start your
search for information about your topic.
Where to search for information
Background information:
 Books and ebooks
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Including reference books
(e.g., encyclopedias)
Websites
Newspaper articles
Magazine articles
Specific information:
 Books and ebooks
 Scholarly articles
 Government reports
(e.g., Canadian Public Policy
collection)

Statistical Information
(e.g., Statistics Canada)
Background information

What are they?
Encyclopaedias
 Statistics
 Atlases
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Excellent place to start
 Provide
facts about your subject
 Summarize the topic or issue
 Provide suggested reading
Searching on the Library website
“Library Search” will bring you
back journal articles,
newspaper articles, books,
media, as well as any library
guides and SFU faculty and
staff published material.
To search for books and
media, use “Catalogue”.
Finding books – Call numbers
Question #1 on handout

“Find a book on your topic, or choose from the
examples provided on the reverse side of the
page…”
Where to search for information
Background information:
 Books and ebooks



Including reference books
(e.g., encyclopedias)
Websites
Newspaper articles
(e.g., Canadian Newsstand)

Specific information:
 Books and ebooks
 Scholarly articles*
 Government reports
 Statistical Information
What is the difference?
Magazine articles
* most frequently required source for
academic papers
Definition of a scholarly article:

Articles in scholarly journals are peer-reviewed
“Peer-reviewed journals are publications that include only
those articles that have been reviewed and/or qualified
by a selected panel of acknowledged experts in the field
of study covered by the journal” --EBSCO

Can also be called “academic articles” or “scholarly
articles”.
Scholarly publications

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
PEER REVIEWED or
REFEREED
Written by academics for
academics
Narrow topic
8 – 30 pages long
Technical language, jargon
Sources are always cited
Little to no advertising
Great for supporting the thesis
of your paper!
Popular publications
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Informs or entertains
Sells products
Aimed at general public
Written by reports or
journalists
Brief articles
Simple, non-technical
language
Rarely cites sources
Searching for articles
On the Library homepage,
locate “Top links” and then
“Article databases” to start
your research.
There are many subject-specific
databases subscribed to by the
library.
A few reasons to use academic
databases:
 Subject searching rather than
keyword searching;
 Helpful, reliable search limiters
 Subject specific!
Multi-disciplinary database:
Academic Search Complete
article
Questions #2 & #3 on handout


“Find a peer reviewed journal article on your
topic…”
“Email yourself a copy of a full text, peer reviewed
article from Academic Search Complete”
Where to search for information
Background information:
 Books and ebooks




Including reference books
(e.g., encyclopedias)
Websites
Newspaper articles
Magazine articles
Specific information:
 Books and ebooks
 Scholarly articles
 Government reports
 Statistical information
To Google or not to Google?
What’s the deal with Wikipedia?
PROS
CONS
easy to use
authority of authors
convenient
inaccuracy of information
contains a lot of information
missing subjects
covers a lot of subjects
depth and/or quality of entries
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s work or ideas
without acknowledging them. Often it is done
unintentionally, and can be avoided.
Using proper citations prevents unintentional plagiarism.
Unsure? Take the Library’s Plagiarism Tutorial to learn how
you can avoid it!
Why are citations so important
Acknowledges that you have borrowed information from other
authors and protects you from committing plagiarism.
 Allows your readers to easily locate the sources you have used.

Caption: ME 109 Thief © Nina Paley, CC BY-SA 3.0
Example of citations (APA)
“References” Page
Terry, P., Doumas, M., Desai, R. I., & Wing, A. M. (2009). Dissociations
between motor timing, motor coordination, and time perception after the
administration of alcohol or caffeine. Psychopharmacology, 202(4), 719729. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1352-z
In Text Citation – 2 ways
At the end of the quote:
“Quoted text” (Terry, 2009, p. 721).
If the author is introduced in the paragraph:
According to Terry (2009), “quoted text” (p. 722).
Article Citations
Authors
Publication date
Article Title
Ledger, W., Wiebinga, C., Anderson, P., Irwin, D., Holman, A., &
Lloyd, A. (2009). Costs and outcomes associated with IVF using
recombinant FSH. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 19(3), 337342. Retrieved from http://www.rbmonline.com/
Journal Title
URL
Volume/Issue
Pages
Citation help
APA guides and plagiarism tutorial
Getting help


Ask anyone at the Reference and Information Help
desk in any of the three campus libraries.
Use our Ask a Librarian services (via the Library
home page) to contact a librarian.
Question #4 on handout

“What are two (2) ways you get help from a
librarian?
Thank you!