1. Library Research Workshop
CMPT 105W
Library Research Workshop
Alison Moore
Applied Sciences Librarian,
SFU Surrey

2. The plan Finding your topic Researching your topic
Evaluating your sources
Getting help
Questions (at any time)

3. finding your topic

4. Finding your topic
You will be writing two different papers about the same applied science topic.
An informative paper
A persuasive paper
The topic must have
“a significant social, environmental, or ethical dimension”
“an area of controversy associated with it”

5. Finding your topic
Would any of these work for both an informative and a persuasive paper on an applied science topic?
3D TVs
School uniforms
Depictions of gender in Mad Max: Fury Road
Electronic employee monitoring
Don’t forget that it must have
“a significant social, environmental, or ethical dimension”
“an area of controversy associated with it”

6. Finding your topic A few places to find a topic: Background sources
Encyclopedias / handbooks
Textbooks
Books
News sources

7. researching your topic

8. CMPT 105W: Research guide

9. Researching your topic
Sample research question: Should employers be allowed to electronically monitor employees?

10. Researching your topic
Two keys to finding what you want:
Good words to use for your search
Good places to search

11. Researching your topic
Two keys to finding what you want:
Good words to use for your search
Good places to search
Q: What are some search words and related concepts for this sample topic?
Electronic employee monitoring

12. Researching your topic
Two keys to finding what you want:
Good words to use for your search
Good places to search
You want to find authoritative sources to support your work.
Based on the results you can see in screenshots, rank the places to search on your handout.
Why did you rank them in this order?

13. Researching your topic
Where did the search results come from?
Google Scholar
Google
Fast Search
Academic Search Premier

14. Researching your topic
journal articles
books summarize recent research
textbooks, reference books, encyclopedias

15. Finding background information

16. SFU Library’s homepage search options:
Library Search
Fast Search
Catalogue
{ always access through SFU Library }

17. Evaluating your sources
You’ll want to find authoritative sources on your topic.
Are either of the articles on your sheet scholarly articles?
How can you tell?
How can you use one scholarly article to find additional relevant sources?

18. Evaluating your sources
Popular
Scholarly
Author
No affiliation provided
Affiliated with an academic / research institution
Abstract No
Yes
Length
Short
Long
Images
For aesthetic appeal
Research findings displayed as graphs, charts, etc.
Language
Easy to understand
Elevated, specialized
Citations
None at all, or very few
Yes, many
Review
Editor
Peer-reviewed

19. Citing sources What information don’t you need to cite?
What information do you need to cite?

20. Image credits In order of appearance:
All icons used were published with CC-BY licenses or are in the public domain. They all come from The Noun Project: thenounproject.com
In order of appearance:
Gears by Mark Shorter Stethoscope by Olivier Guin Thinking by Timothy Dilich Curious by Stephen Borengasser Glasses by Cor Tiemens Surveillance by Luis Prado Map by Michelle Ann Fishing Hook by Laurent Canivet Russian Doll by Dmitriy Lagunov Network by Mister Pixel Signpost by Juan Pablo Bravo Juggle by AnsteyDesign

21. Also on CMPT 105W research guide
Citing your sources
Links to IEEE and APA guides
Presentation resources
Link to SFU Library’s “Business Presentations” page, which includes a variety of excellent resources
Avoiding plagiarism tutorial
Link to SFU Library’s “Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism” online tutorial

22. Getting help The library provides many ways to get help:
- In-person at the reference desk
- Telephone -
- IM
- Text message
- Student Learning Commons