PPAS 3190: Introduction to Library Research Timothy Bristow – Scott Library Political Science & Public Policy Librarian

Class Goals: Learn how to construct an effective keyword search Learn how to use the Library Catalogue, Periodical Indexes, and Government sites to find relevant information Discuss ways to think critically about your research sources Prepare you to work on your Research Paper Proposal

Devising a Topic: Ideas for essay topics can come from course readings, lectures, class discussion, news events, etc. Effective topics are often expressed in the form of a research question that you would like to answer You may need to alter the scope of your topic to ensure your work is focused and manageable

Keyword Searching: 1.Prepare your search by writing out your research question and then identifying the key concepts 2.The same concept can often be expressed in multiple ways, so consider alternative keywords: synonyms 3.Construct your search using language that the database understands to get the best possible results: syntax 4.Search, examine the results, and modify your search

How has Canadian policy on climate change developed over the past two decades? QUESTION:

Library Catalogue: The Library Catalogue is a database containing records for materials in all York Libraries Use the Catalogue to find books, government reports, and other government documents – not journal articles Advanced Search will give you more control and often better results when searching for a topic

Periodical Indexes: Periodical Indexes are databases that contain records of journal articles in a particular subject area Use the Library’s online Subject Guides and the PPAS 3190 Course Guide to identify useful indexes The indexes contain records for many articles that we have at York and for some that we don’t

Government Web Sites: A large amount of government information is now made freely available online Reports, policy papers, and other documents can often be found on the site of the relevant government ministry Materials are not always easy to find – consult the PPAS 3190 Course Guide for useful starting points

Thinking Critically: 1 Authority: Who is responsible for producing the source? Is the author or publisher affiliated with an organization? Audience: What is the intended audience of the source? E.g. researchers, students, the general public Purpose: Why was the source created, what is its purpose? E.g. to present research, set policy, inform, entertain, persuade

Thinking Critically: 2 Perspective: Does the source express a particular political or institutional perspective? Currency: When was the source created? Is the information still relevant? Validity: Are the author’s claims supported by evidence and research? Does the research method seem sound?

Getting Help: Visit the Research Questions Desk at the Scott Library Ask a question online with askON Consult the PPAS 3190 Course Guide