Contentious Politics (honours undergraduates)

1. Research tips & tricks:
contentious politics
POLI 522
January 27, 2012

3. Liaison librarian
=
Bibliotherapist

4. Tour de table
What is the
most
challenging
aspect of
research?

5. Today’s topics
Shaping your topic
To cite or not to cite
Information timelines
Key resources
Search tips & tricks
YOUR QUESTIONS!

9. Mapping tools
• CmapTools
• Popplet
• VUE
• Mindomo
• ….

10. Advice for selecting a topic
• WHY: are you taking this class? doing this degree?
• Is the topic compelling? (SO WHAT?)
• Start big, narrow down: map it out
• Logical consistency = good
• Let the thinkers talk to each other
• Read: what questions have others left unanswered?
• Join the conversation

12. Tools for joining the conversation

14. Tools for joining the conversation

15. http://www.oxfordbibliographiesonline.com

17. To cite or not to cite?

18. Points to evaluate
• Currency
• Reliability
• Authorship
• Purpose

19. Making sense of
information

20. Information flow
Academic analysis

22. The literature continuum

23. Citation searching
• Web of Science
• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• (and other databases, too)

24. Making sense of
information

25. The library offers many choices…
I recommend starting with
the Subject Guide

26. Choosing your tools

27. Where do you usually
find journal articles?
Why???

28. Recommended databases
• International Bibliography of the Social
Sciences
• International Political Science Abstracts
• Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
• Alternative Press Index
• Historical Abstracts

29. Research
=
hard work

31. Dogpile

32. Web tips and tricks

33. Links for you
http://delicious.com/mcgillpoli

34. Take away
• Bibliographies are your friends
• Not all information is equal. Evaluate!
• The information type determines the tool
• Research takes digging. Think creatively!

35. What are
your
questions?

36. Why stop here?

37. Merci!
megan.fitzgibbons@mcgill.ca
(514) 398-2763

38. Credits
• Information timeline. Created by Anna Stewart, Librarian, St. Edward’s
University. Retrieved September 21, 2009 from:
http://libr.stedwards.edu/about_library/depts/instruction/instr_class_docs.
htm. Used with permission.
• Data from P. Gil, "What is the invisible web?" Dec. 2010. Schematic by N.
Tann, Goshen College, March 2011.
• Wikipedia image copyright Wikimedia foundation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia-logo-en-big.png
• Chocolate tools by By JanneM
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jannem/3312116875/ License: Attribution-
ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
• Life ring by mag3737
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50318388@N00/2071089166 / License:
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
• Pargeter by b_d_solis
http://www.flickr.com/photos/briansolis/1411905457/. License: Attribution
2.0 Generic
• Riced out by dslrninja.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65694461@N00/350982990/ License:
Attribution 2.0 Generic