Carly Brake, Information Services Librarian SenecaYork Library

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Carly Brake, Information Services
LibrarianSeneca_at_York Library

• EAC 150
• Researching Authors

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Information Consumer Becomes Information Producer

• Starting your research
• References Sources
• Searching Databases
• -Journal, Magazine and Newspaper Articles
• Citing Sources using MLA Style Guide
• Where else can you look? Other libraries to try!
• Internet Sourceswhats good out there?

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Starting Your Research...

• 1. What kind of information am I looking for?
• 2. Where and how do I search for this
  information?
• 3. Once I have found some information, how can I
  tell if it is useful? How do I find more similar
  information? Evaluate!

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Basic Rules

• Know where to look.
• Not everything is online
• If you cannot find it in 20 minutes, ask for
  help at the Reference Desk
• Repeat, if necessary

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Beginning Your Research

• What kind of information am I looking for?
• Facts?
• Research?
• News?
• Current? Historical?

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Sources of Information

• Sources of information are books, e-books,
  encyclopedia, directories, almanacs, articles
  from periodicals Internet sites.
• Current news, events, research periodicals such
  as newspapers, magazines, journals.
• Facts, definitions, summaries almanacs, atlases,
  dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias,
  handbooks, thesauruses, yearbooks.
• In-depth analysis of a subject bibliographies,
  biographies, guides, reports books.

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Sources of Information 2

• Journals
• - scholarly work
• - articles are written by experts in the field
  for a limited audience
• - abstract, keywords
• - references / bibliography
• - peer reviewed

• Magazines
• - popular work
• - written for layperson
• - glossy, coloured
• - many pictures and photographs
• - ads
• - available from supermarkets and convenient
  stores

VS.
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What if you had to

• find information about the author
• Robertson Davies

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http//library.senecacollege.ca
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Note how I am searching for Robertson Davies as a
Subject. For works by him I can search by
Author. I can also search by Title or Quick
Search. I can also restrict my search by
location. Remember to invert authors name!
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Subject Search is very specific and you retrieve
items ABOUT the Author and their work.
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Request title to be brought to your campus
Citation information
Location
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Boolean

• phrase narrows a search
• Robertson Davies
• OR - broadens a search
• Robertson Davies OR Canadian Writers
• AND - narrows a search
• Robertson DaviesAND Biography
• or ? (wildcard) simplifies a search
• biograph biography, biographies,
  biographicalNOT excludes specific terms
• Canadian writers and NOT Atwood

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Start with a broad search. Refine if necessary.
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Need ALL this information for your Works Cited
Page.
Try combining your authors name with other terms
using Boolean.
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Citation Information
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Reference Sources Online

• Biographygt Lives, The Biography Resource
• Encyclopediasgt The Canadian Encyclopedia Online
• Dictionariesgt The Concise Oxford Dictionary
• Reference Metasitesgt Oxford Reference Online

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Enter search terms in box
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Print Reference Sources

• Canadian Encyclopedia
• REF FC 23.C36 1999
• Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature REF PS
  8015.093 2001
• Canadian Whos Who REF FC25 .C35
• Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada REF
  PS8015.E53 2002

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http//www.tpl.toronto.on.ca
Anyone who lives, works or goes to school in
Toronto can have a TPL Library Card!
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Free Web
Information is business, and often, you get
what you pay for
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Bottom of the Research by Subject Literature page
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• When you find something, remember to cite your
  source every time!

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Plagiarism and you
According to the Seneca College Academic Policy,
plagiarism is
Plagiarism is using someone elses work (words,
images, ideas, phrases, signatures, or
computations) and presenting it as ones own,
instead of properly documenting every source.
(Office of the Registrar, 2005)
Office of the Registrar. (2005, September 29)
2005-2006 Academic Policy. Toronto Seneca
College of Applied Arts and Technology.
Retrieved November 7, 2005 from
http//www.senecac.on.ca/home/academic_policy/0506
_09_cheat.html
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And of Course...

• Ask for help at the Reference Desk
• 4164915050 Ext. 3038
• carly.brake_at_senecac.on.ca
• http//people.senecac.on.ca/carly.brake