CMNS 110: Term paper research Sylvia Roberts, CMNS librarian: sroberts@sfu.ca

Sources to support term paper discussion 6 academic sources required 1-2 of these must come from your course textbook Due March 28 – assignment calculator

What are scholarly / academic resources? Facilitate scholarly communication between members of a particular academic discipline and/or the public Written by scholars (such as your professors) who’ve developed disciplinary expertise through years of study and specialized research – PhD and a successful record of research are usually minimum qualifications

Scholarly publications include: Results can be published as conference proceedings, articles, as chapters in books or entire books SFU Library collects scholarly materials in disciplines for SFU programs, both print & electronic – sometimes both EXERCISE: Who has searched for scholarly sources of publications – used them as course readings Take 1 minute to think about how you could tell these were academic sources – what were some of their characteristics? Now take 2 minutes to share these thoughts with the person sitting next to you Please volunteer some thoughts on how to recognize academic/scholarly publications? BOOKS JOURNAL ARTICLES CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Scholarly publications: Characteristics Author(s) is an expert in the field, affiliated with university or research institution Experts vet the quality of the publication (editors, peer-review) Extensive research and analysis written in formal academic style Plain looking: charts, graphs, and illustrations that add meaning to the text rather than photographs and advertising Starts with a literature review of relevant research and theory to provide a context and rationale for their research In-text citations and reference list (APA style) or footnotes/endnote and bibliography Relevant literature is cited in in-text citations and reference list (APA style) or footnotes/endnote and bibliography

Scholarly publications: Characteristics Academic articles are published in peer-reviewed journals New Media & Society, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Children & Media Peer review in 3 minutes Often include an abstract that summarizes research methodology and findings Scholarly books are published by specialized academic publishers Oxford University Press, Sage Publications, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Can be one topic or a collection of chapters on related topics Peer-reviewed or refereed journals have an editorial board of subject experts who review and evaluate submitted articles before accepting them for publication. Also known as scholarly journal, or academic journal, or refereed journal. The majority of scholarly journals go through the peer-review process Peer review is a central concept for most academic publishing; other scholars in a field must find a work sufficiently high in quality for it to merit publication

How to recognize a scholarly journal article The main purpose of a scholarly journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world. Articles are written by a scholar in the field, usually with a PhD. Author affiliations are listed, usually at the bottom of the first page or at the end of the article--universities, research institutions, think tanks, and the like. Often have an abstract and generally have a sober, serious look. Often contain many graphs and charts but few pictures that don’t add meaning. ALWAYS cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies, generally lengthy and cite other scholarly writings. The language of scholarly journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes some technical background on the part of the reader.

How to recognize a scholarly book

Topic selection and analysis Sample topics are a framework for staring research Write your research topic as a question that you will attempt to answer Review course readings to find relevant support Get an overview of topic from background sources Identify your main search concepts: these will be your search terms Consider alternate search terms (broader, narrower, related) Assess sources to be sure they’re scholarly and relevant – PERFECT MATCH not needed Read and interpret information in sources BEFORE forming an opinion Skim reference lists for additional sources Create outline for argument, citing sources for each point

Written communication Essay topic example: TOPIC: Written communication RESEARCH QUESTION: How will removing cursive handwriting from primary school curriculum affect learning in the future? THESIS STATEMENT? Start by considering what has interested you in your course readings, lectures or tutorial discussions – can you explore further? Has something in your life inspired research questions? Can use background reading sources listed on the CMNS 110 to get an overview of the topic Don’t make up your mind before doing your research – can develop questions to answer

Written communication Essay topic example: TOPIC: Written communication RESEARCH QUESTION: How will removing cursive handwriting from primary school curriculum affect learning in the future? THESIS STATEMENT? Start by considering what has interested you in your course readings, lectures or tutorial discussions – can you explore further? Has something in your life inspired research questions? Can use background reading sources listed on the CMNS 110 to get an overview of the topic Don’t make up your mind before doing your research – can develop questions to answer

How to find scholarly sources? Catalogue search for print & online materials available to SFU students (books, chapters, peer- reviewed articles, news, media) in all subject areas Article databases usually discipline specific, focused on research literature

Read the abstract to decide whether the article is on topic

Skim the reference list of useful articles for additional sources

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