Finding and using information for Political Science classes Librarian: Julie Higbee Office on 2 nd Floor in library (706) Plan for this class: 1.Types of information used in political science 2.Ways to evaluate resources 3.Specific Resources: CQ Researcher & Academic Search Complete 4.APA Tools: Tour of RefWorks, OWL APA site

News, Current Events: Newspapers, magazines, TV news Books, Encyclopedias Academic/Professional Journals Reports: Think Tanks, Advocacy Groups, etc. Government Information: Agencies, Institutes, Elected Officials Statistics from census, other govt and research agencies ___________ Blogs and personal websites, social media Primary sources: Meeting transcripts, diplomatic notes, political advertisements, etc. What types of info will I see in political science? (& in life)

Life of Information Event News in newspapers, TV, news websites [informal: blogs, personal websites, social media] Raw data: Statistics, transcripts of meetings, election numbers, research results, etc. Later Magazine articles Government, NGO, and Research Organization reports Academic/Professional Journal articles Even later Academic/Professional Journal articles (continuing) Books – incorporates elements from above Encyclopedias – Synthesizes information from above

What type of source?

It’ll look something like this in a database… More on this later!

What type of source?

What type of source?

News Encyclopedia Research Organization Report Advocacy Groups Commercial Identify types of sources in a Google search

To evaluate sources…Use the CRAAP test C Currency When was site/info last updated? Is this current enough for my purposes? R Relevance Is this at the level I need for my question/project? How in-depth is discussion of the topic? Intended audience? A Authority Who is the owner/sponsor of the website? Qualifications? Is there contact information provided? P Point of View / Purpose What is the purpose of the information? to inform? sell? entertain? persuade? Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? A Accuracy Any blatant errors – typos, etc.? References provided? Written in a professional manner?

First things: Look for About page Look for Date (of article, or last updated for site) If you can’t find this info, there might be a problem with using the site for your paper!

Google is awesome, but it will only get you so far… Lots of results …but lots gets lost in the pages and pages…. Some information is not available on the open internet: Most books Most journals Many magazines Some back issues Image: Pretty iceberg (2008), by calumoho, Flickr Creative Commons,

A search in Google…

Same search in library catalog: > See Books & NGCSUwww.northgeorgia.edu/library

Same search in library database, Academic Search Complete > Articles and Databases

Three-pronged research approach Library catalog for books Library databases for articles – Journals, Newspapers, Magazines Open Internet (Google, etc) for news, government info, non- fee information, etc.

Start at library website:

Library website, > Articles & Databases pagewww.northgeorgia.edu/library

Generating Keywords Browse background material to get an idea of main topics/concerns and language within topic. – Encyclopedias (see one below) – General internet search – Library Databases: CQ Researcher, Oxford Reference Online [ > Articles & Databases link (left) > first letter (C, O)] – Library e-book: Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues (2011, 4 Volumes) =nlebk&AN=353518&site=ehost-live =nlebk&AN=353518&site=ehost-live

Library Database: Academic Search Complete. Find scholarly journal articles, magazines, and more here. /librarywww.northgeorgia.edu /library > Articles & Databases (on left) > Link in middle of page

APA format Google “OWL APA” Blair, A. (2010). Too much to know. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Bargh, J. A., & Thein, R. D. (1985). Individual construct accessibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(5),

RefWorks: Tool for formatting in APA, MLA, and other formats

Get Help With RefWorks: Click Help > Tutorials within RefWorks See handout posted in your online classroom Library Website > How Do I (on left) > RefWorkswww.northgeorgia.edu/library General research help: Library Information Desk Hours: 9am-9pm M-Th, 9am-5pm F, 11am-4pm Sat, 2pm-9pm Sun Phone: (706) Text: (706) Contact me (Julie Higbee, Librarian): (706) Office: 2 nd floor of library, room 268 Research Guide for Political Science: OR > Research Guides > School of Arts & Letters > Political Sciencewww.northgeorgia.edu/library