Skip to Main Content

Sacred Heart Catholic High School Library Visit: Home

Subject Guide

Profile Photo
John Dupuis
Contact:
Steacie Science and Engineering Library, room 102H
Social: Twitter Page

Can't find what you are looking for? Need help?

Introduction

 

 

What kinds of document do scientists and engineers use

  • Peer review: researchers validating each others work before publication
  • Kinds of documents:
    • patents: government granted license to an invention
    • standards: agreed upon methodology: ie 802.11
    • journals: research results presented in a periodical/magazine. Peer reviewed.
    • trade literature: discipline-specific magazines. Not Peer Reviewed.
    • popular press: regular newspapers, magazines, websites. Not peer reviewed.
    • conference proceedings: research results presented at a meeting. Often peer reviewed, but not always.
    • technical report: description of a solution to a specific problem. Not peer reviewed.
    • books
      • reference: encyclopedias, tables, data collections, properties
      • manuals: lab methods, programming languages, operating systems
      • monographs: general topics
    • technical specifications: how a system, device or component works, ie circuit diagrams, software package

 

(Flow of Scientific Information, University of Waterloo, 2007)

Topics & Keywords

My research topic: Doing groundwater remediation on an old gas station site being converted into condos

 

How to generate keywords & genergal knowledge? Try wikipedia!

How to think about Wikipedia and research?

  • Good place to start, not a good place to finish 
  • Source of general knowledge & vocabulary
  • Can also find links to good sources

 

Some useful search term combinations are below. Make sure you divide into main concepts & synonyms for better searching. Try and make sure you search on all the various permutations and combinations.

  • gas station AND remediation
  • benzene and remediation
  • and more...

 

Academic Integrity & Plagiarism

 

 

 

PARCA Test

PARCA Test

Evaluating information sources is critical to the process of academic research. The following are important considerations when looking at potential resources to see in what way they might be useful (or not) for your research. (source)

  • Purpose:
    • Why does this resource exist? 
    • What is the purpose? Is it to teach, sell, promote, entertain?
    • Do the author(s) make their intentions clear? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, or personal biases?
    • Is the information provided by the resource fact, opinion?
    • Does it have a variety of viewpoints and arguments? Do your sources reflect different genders, ages, ethnic groups, languages, nationalities, disciplines, etc.?

 

  • Authority:
    • Who wrote/produced/published the resource?
    • Is the source published by an academic publisher or a reputable organization?
    • Is an author clearly identified? What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
    • Is the author qualified to write on the topic? Degrees, professional designations, professional accomplishments and experience are indicators of qualifications.
    • If it is a website, does the url reveal anything about the source (.com, .gov, .edu, .org)?

 

  • Relevance:
    • Does the resource meet your needs? 
    • Is the information related to your topic? 
    • Does it support your viewpoint or provide an alternate one?
    • Is the information and discussion at an appropriate level? Who is the intended audience (general population, scholars, practitioners etc.)?

 

  • Currency:
    • How current is the resource?
    • When was the resource published or posted? 
    • Is this the most current version of this information available? 
    • Has the information been revised / updated? Is there proof of last update, publication date?
    • Is currency of information a concern for your topic?

 

  • Accuracy:
    • Is the information in the resource reliable?
    • Are the author’s claims supported by evidence?
    • Has the content been reviewed by other experts? Is it a peer-reviewed resource?
    • Are the language and tone biased?
    • Are there spelling or grammatical errors?

How to Identify a Scholarly Article

1. Is it written by a scholar?

Look for clues that indicate the author(s) is a scholar/researcher

  • What degrees do they have, where do they work

2. What is it about? Who's the intended audience?

Check if the purpose of the article is to provide original research that further our understanding about a topic:

  • Is the content highly technical and aimed at a professional or scholarly audience? 

  • Does the article represent an account of original research done by the authors of the article

3. How is it structured?

Look at the length, formatting, and headings/sections inside the article:

  • Does it have a clear structure that indicates a scientific research study? Typical sections include Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.

  • Is it lengthy (more than 5 pages)?

4. How is it written?

Review the language, tone, and point of view of the article:

  • Is the language formal and technical with lots of highly technical jargon?

  • Would the general public be able to understand the article?

  • Does it have an extensive list of references?

5. What's the publication type?

Look for clues that tell you the article is published inside of an academic/scholarly journal:

  • Go to the website or description and read the "About" or "Aims and Scope" sections. Is the primary purpose to publish new knowledge and original research (scholarly), provide news and information relevant to professional practice (trade), or entertain, persuade, and inform (popular)?

Adapted from: How to Find Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles / Bow Valley College 

 

Link

Main Information Resources

These are the main information resources we'll be looking at today:

Finding Articles & Other Information

Need help?

Can't find what you're looking for? Need help with your research? 

Book a free appointment with one of our research specialists.

Visit a research/reference desk at one of the libraries.

Chat online with a research specialist.