1. Finding and Evaluating Resources
Helen Power
September 2018

2. Agenda Publication timelines Evaluating resources
Effectively searching Google
Finding relevant resources in databases

3. Activity: Publication timelines
In pairs, look at these publication types and order them from quickest to be published to the longest to be published
Scholarly book
Scholarly journal
Trade or professional journal
Tweet
Newspaper article
Magazine article
Reference Materials

4. Information Timeline Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

5. Evaluating Resources Apply the CRAAP test
However, it’s much more complicated than yes or no
Currency
When was it published? When was it last updated? Does your topic need more recent information?
A tweet?
A journal article?

6. Does this resource answer your question? What are you using this for?
Relevance
Does this resource answer your question? What are you using this for?
Entertainment? Then use the tweet!
For a school paper?
To understand popular opinion of a topic?

7. Authority Who is the author/publisher? What are their credentials?
Newspapers?
Journal articles?
Professional organizations?

8. Accuracy
Where is the information from? Are arguments supported? Is the source peer reviewed?
Considering language used. Is it biased?
Simple grammatical errors?

9. Purpose
Is it meant to educate, to sell something, to entertain? Is the information fact or opinion?
Consider political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional and personal biases

10. CRAAP Test Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose
When was it published? When was it last updated? Does your topic need more recent information?
Relevance
Does this resource answer your question? What is your purpose for using it?
Authority
Who is the author/publisher? What are their credentials?
Accuracy
Where is the information from? Are arguments supported? Is the source peer reviewed?
Purpose
Is it meant to educate, to sell something, to entertain? Is there bias? Is the information fact or opinion?

11. Activity: Evaluate this
Two scenarios:
You’re working on an assignment, and you’re trying to decide if this is a good resource to cite in your paper.
You’re arguing with your friend about whether or not medical cannabis can be prescribed to children. Is this a good resource to support your argument?
Apply the CRAAP criteria to evaluate this resource: kids/ OR

12. Activity: take up Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose
July Very current.
Relevance
Using it to settle an argument/personal – this is a great resource! If for an assignment… you may have to use it if it’s the only thing on your topic.
Authority
Reporter, but she interviewed the expert. Expert opinion…
Accuracy
Not peer reviewed. Consulted an expert
Purpose
Meant to educate the general public. Newspapers may be biased.

13. Next steps? Check to see if you can find the original paper
See if the results are misinterpreted/biased
If no scholarly article published…

14. Google!

15. Using Google Google is great for when you don’t know your keywords
Google is great for finding grey literature
Publications by professional organizations, theses, etc.

16. Google Tips “ “ – quotation marks to search exact phrases
site: function lets you search a website
Ex. site:uwindsor.ca nursing
link: results that link to that page
Ex. link: cannabis-for-kids/
related: results are webpages that are related to the one you searched
Ex. related:

17. Google Tips continued
intitle: search one word in the title with other keywords
Ex. children Ontario intitle:cannabis
allintitle: function searches all the words in the title
Ex. prescribing allintitle:children cannabis
filetype: lets you search for a specific filetype
Ex. Uwindsor timetable 2018 filetype:pdf

18. Activity
Find all mentions of the keyword “Cannabis” on the RNAO website
Find the PDF statement RNAO released about Bill 174
Find webpages that are considered “related” to the RNAO website

19. Activity Answers site:rnao.org cannabis
filetype:pdf site:rnao.org “bill 174”
related:

21. Searching databases!

22. Boolean Operators, anyone?
AND
Used between concepts when you want all the concepts in your search results
Ex: cannabis AND children OR
Used between synonyms, related terms
Ex: cannabis OR “medical marijuana” *
Used to represent 0 or more letters at the end of a word
Ex: child*

23. Example search
(Child* OR pediatric* OR paediatric) AND (cannabis OR “medical marijuana”) AND (prescrib* OR prescription*)
leddy.uwindsor.ca

24. Activity: Search for your research topic!
Ask me questions. Now’s your chance!