BUS 360: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FALL 2015 Ania Dymarz Business Librarian, SFU Surrey

THE RESEARCH PROCESS: a) Choose a research question b) Think of some sub-questions c) Identify likely publishers d) Search and cycle your search e) Evaluate your results f) Write your report

WHO MIGHT PUBLISH THE INFORMATION YOU WANT?

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE

INFORMATION QUALITY For your report, you may have difficulty finding useful scholarly articles, so you will have to evaluate every fact and opinion that you find. These are the characteristics you should look for in any type of information…

INFORMATION QUALITY: THE “3 RS” Reliability Is the source credible? Recency How current is the information? Relevance Does it apply to your topic?

RELIABILITY When you cite a scholarly article, you seldom need to evaluate the article’s reliability. The peer review process does most of the work for you. All types of sources Documentation = Bibliography + methodology Authority = Author info Completeness = Length Purpose = Language + images

RELEVANCE Transferability: How well does the information you've found transfer to your case? Geography Example: Is the study you’ve found from Japan still relevant to your topic? Industry Example: Is the industry you have found information for relevant to the one you are focusing on? Scalability Example: Is information about Starbucks relevant to a small coffee shop in Surrey?

ACTIVITY: EVALUATE… authority documentation completeness purpose reliability geography industry scalability relevancerecency …OF THE ARTICLE ON THE BACK OF YOUR HANDOUT

INFORMATION QUALITY Remember: Decisions will be made based on the report and recommendations that you deliver. You might not find many facts/opinions that meet the 3Rs perfectly. Try to anticipate (and answer) the questions that your audience will have about the information you’ve included. If you notice something, assume that they will notice it. If it’s relevant, briefly explain your rationale for including it.

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, , text).Ask a Librarian Contact : Ania Dymarz