ENG 111

Article: A single, usually stand-alone, piece of writing included in a larger collection, typically a magazine, journal, or newspaper.

Journal: A journal is a periodical (meaning published on a regular, on-going basis) collection of articles, usually related to a specific subject area.

Database: A collection of information sources such as journals, newspapers, eBooks, or encyclopedias, that have been organized so that users can easily find, access, and use that information.

Peer Review: The process that scholarly articles must undergo to be published. When an author submits their article to an academic or scholarly journal, it is then sent to other experts in their field (knows as their peers) to be reviewed. If those experts agree that the article contains good information and is based on a sound study or experiment, then it can be published.

In this section, you will learn about conducting research using library resources and materials. You will learn how to choose a strong topic, develop an effective search strategy, choose Library resources, evaluate articles and books, and cite the materials you choose to use in your final paper or project.

If you have any questions about how to use the tool and resources included here, please contact your librarian.

Remember, it's a cycle... 

1. Think of a topic

Your topic may change as you conduct research.  Don't be afraid to revisit it!

2. Develop your search strategy

Before you start searching in library resources, make sure you know what to search for, where, and how!

3. Find resources and information

Locate scholarly articles and books on your topic.  Going through the Library to do this will make your life easier!

4. Evaluate 

Make sure the articles you find are: current, relevant to your topic, written by an expert author and for a scholarly audience, and written for the purpose of furthering the scholarly conversation (not for personal or financial gain).

5.Cite it!

Determine how each article or book sheds new light on your topic.  What information do you learn from each resource that you didn't have before?

It's not a straight path...

Research is challenging.  You will likely have to repeat every step in the process multiple times.  Don't get discouraged if your first topic turns out to be too broad, or if your early searches don't turn up any information.  But by starting out with a plan, and keeping a Librarian on call, you can avoid frustration.

What's in them?​

Current news, trends, events, and advertisements for professionals working in a specific field.

Who writes them?

Professionals in the industry. Often trade journal articles are written by people with extensive experience in a specific industry. Helpful hint: Look for an author's bio in an article. This will give you more information about the author's background and experience.

Who reads them?

• Other professionals looking for insights and discussions of current industry issues

• Students looking to gain understanding of what it really means to work in a particular field.

When should you use them?

• When you are looking for credible information from an informed industry professional

• When you need evidence to support your professional conclusions

• When trying to gain information about trends or news in an industry

What do they look like?

• length: most articles are 1-5 pages, although some can be longer

• vocabulary: may use technical or industry-specific language (often called jargon)

• images: includes some images to illustrate concepts, and figures are common in technical professions

• journal: title is highly specific (ex. Canadian Mining Journal) and often references the industry itself, contains advertisements targeted at working industry professionals

What's in them?​

The results of a study, experiment, or any other kind of disciplined scholarly research.

Who writes them?

Scholars: faculty, researchers, laboratory staff, and graduate students.

Helpful hint! Look for a University Affiliation in the author's bio in an article.  If they work at a university or college, they're probably a scholarly author!

Who reads them?

Other researchers in the field, including students just learning about research and professors working on their own areas of study within the field.

When should you use them?

• When your instructor has required scholarly sources
• When you need evidence to back up an argument
• When you want to be sure the information you're using is valid 

What do they look like?

• length: usually more than 5 pages
• citations: use appropriate citations and include a works cited list 
• vocabulary: use technical or discipline-specific language (often called jargon)
• images: include very few images, mostly charts, tables, and graphs rather than photos
• journal: title is specific and subject related, pages are not glossy, none or very little advertising

What's in them?​

Entertaining or generally informative articles about a variety of subjects. Often these sources can take the forms of editorials or blogs that reflect an author's personal bias rather than focusing on the facts.

Who writes them?

People who may have conducted interviews or research to learn about the topic, but who are not scholarly experts in the field.

Who reads them?

 A general audience.  The writing should not require specialized expertise to read.

When should you use them?

• If you need basic facts or background information to get started learning about your topic

• If you want to understand a very recent current event 

• For fun!

What do they look like?

• citations: very rarely include citations, but when they do, the formatting is not correct.

• vocabulary: use every day language (some more specific popular magazines, like The Economist might use technical jargon, but will often explain or define it when they do).

• images: lots of pictures

• magazine: glossy pages and lots of ads

Watch out: Popular magazines and blogs cover a lot of subjects, and can be formatted in a variety of ways. The tips listed above will not be true 100% of the time. Critical thinking about audience and authorship are important when trying to identify popular articles!

How to tell if something is C.R.A.P.

Currency: Scholarly information should be current. When evaluating an article, find the date of publication. In certain fields, anything older than five years is not considered current.

Relevance: Information you find should be relevant to your topic.

• Does it apply directly to your topic?  

• Does the whole article apply, or only small parts?

• How detailed is the information?

Reliability: Is the information reliable? Can you count on it being true? Check for...

• References and citations

• Peer-review status

• Is it consistent with the other information you've found?  If not, does it acknowledge this discrepancy and explain it?

• Is there any potential for bias from the author?

Authority: Make sure you can identify the author of the article and they have the authority to write on the subject. Anyone can share their opinion online--but you're looking for experts! So, identify...

• How many authors?

• What are their credentials (degrees, jobs at universities)?

• Have they written other articles or books on related subjects?

• Is their any potential for bias?

Purpose: Why was the article written? Can you tell? Knowing what an author hoped to do or gain by writing and publishing an article tells you a lot about how useful it is in an academic setting. Ask yourself...

• Who is the intended audience?

• Is the article meant to inform, entertain, persuade, sell, or add to an already existing scholarly conversation?

• Does the article share the results of a study, experiment, or analysis?