ENSC 105: PROCESS, FORM, AND CONVENTION IN PROFESSIONAL GENRES Spring 2012 Jenna Walsh Engineering and Computing Science Librarian, Surrey Campus Library Research Workshop

A few questions we’ll answer …  Where can you find the best places to search for information on your topic?  How can you use one relevant article (or book) to find more useful sources on your topic?  How can you get research help?

The research process a) Choose a research topic b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results e) Write your report

The research process a) Choose a research topic b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results e) Write your report

Choosing a topic The topic you select must:  be related to engineering, science, or some aspect of technology  have an aspect that relates to society, ethics, or the environment  have an associated area of controversy Topic Example: Electronic monitoring of employees

The research process a) Choose a research question b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results e) Write your report

Brainstorm In small groups, brainstorm keywords and concepts that could be used to find information for an informative essay on: Electronic Monitoring of Employees

The research process a) Choose a research question b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results e) Write your report

Search and cycle your search  Don’t worry if you don’t know the best places to search for information on your topic.  The ENSC 105 Research Guide includes a list of key resourcesENSC 105 Research Guide  Efficient and effective research is about using resources wisely.  Cycle your keyword searches using subject headings, references, new keywords, etc.

Where to search for information Background information:  Books†  Including reference books (e.g., encyclopedias)  Websites  Newspaper articles  Magazine articles  Etc. Specific information:  Books†  Scholarly articles  Government reports  Etc. † Note: We have a large collection of electronic books.

Where to search for information Background information:  Books†  Including reference books (e.g., encyclopedias)  Websites  Newspaper articles  Magazine articles  Etc. Specific information:  Books†  Scholarly articles  Government reports  Etc. † Note: We have a large collection of electronic books. What is the difference?

Popular publications  Informs or entertains  Sells products  Aimed at general public  Written by writers (rarely subject experts)  Brief articles  Simple, non-technical language  Rarely cites sources

Scholarly publications  Reports on original research  Written by (and for) academics, researchers  Longer articles  Technical language, jargon  Always cites sources  PEER REVIEWED or REFEREED

Where to search for information Background information:  Books†  Including reference books (e.g., encyclopedias)  Websites  Newspaper articles  Magazine articles  Etc. Specific information:  Books†  Scholarly articles  Government reports  Etc. † Note: We have a large collection of electronic books. What is the difference?

Where to search for information Background information:  Books†  Including reference books (e.g., encyclopedias)  Websites  Newspaper articles  Magazine articles  Etc. Specific information:  Books†  Scholarly articles  Government reports  Etc. † Note: We have a large collection of electronic books.

Considering websites Brainstorm:  How can you tell if a website is authoritative and credible?  How reliable are Wikipedia entries?

Evaluating websites (some questions)  Who is the author?  What are the author’s academic or professional credentials?  Does the author cite his/her sources?  Can you verify the information elsewhere?  What is the purpose of the website?  Who seems to be the website’s intended audience?

Evaluating websites (some questions*)  How current is the information?  How can you tell?  Does the information seem credible based on the other sources you’ve read? *There is a more extensive list of questions included on the ENSC 105 Research Guide.ENSC 105 Research Guide

Where to search for information Background information:  Books†  Including reference books (e.g., encyclopedias)  Websites  Newspaper articles  Magazine articles  Etc. Specific information:  Books†  Scholarly articles  Government reports  Etc. † Note: We have a large collection of electronic books.

Background information  A good place to find background information on your topic is in the ‘Finding background information and books’ section of the ENSC 105 Research Guide.ENSC 105 Research Guide

Finding books (including e-books)  The Library Catalogue or Fast Search.

Finding Articles A few reasons to use databases:  Better for cycling a search  Subject searching vs. keyword searching  There are many subject-specific databases  Not all database articles are included in Fast Search There is a list of key databases listed on the ENSC 105 research guide.ENSC 105 research guide

The research process a) Choose a research question b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results (Reliability, Recency, Relevance) e) Write your report

The research process: a) Choose a research question b) Brainstorm keywords c) Search and cycle your search d) Evaluate your results e) Write your report

Write your paper & cite your sources

APA guides and plagiarism tutorial APA guides Plagiarism tutorial IEEE guides

Writing and avoiding plagiarism  If you don’t know how to correctly cite a document, feel free to ask a librarian for help.  If you want help with writing/structuring your paper or quoting/paraphrasing documents, see the Student Learning Commons. Student Learning Commons Workshops One-to-one appointments Drop-in consultations

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student A’s paper: If a serious violation of public trust occurs, lying is often the result because this action invites concealment (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student A’s paper: If a serious violation of public trust occurs, lying is often the result because this action invites concealment (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student B’s paper: Organizations often feel compelled to lie about their actions when they are discovered to have taken advantage of the public (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Avoiding plagiarism  If you include any ideas or sentences in your paper that come from elsewhere (e.g., articles, books, websites), you need to acknowledge those sources.  Citing a document incorrectly is always better than not citing it.  Leave yourself time to cite your sources.

Getting help

 Ask anyone at the reference desk in any of the three campus libraries  Use our Ask a Librarian services (via the Library home page) to contact a librarian (by phone, IM, or ).Ask a Librarian  Contact : Jenna Walsh Class? Due Date? Where have you searched? How have you searched? Found anything close to what you need?

A few questions we covered …  Where can you find the best places to search for information on your topic?  How can you use one relevant article (or book) to find more useful sources on your topic?  How can you get research help?