Today the plan is: 

• Discuss reading strategies as adapted by some of my amazing colleagues
• Talk about the conventional structure of academic output
• Review a text that does not conform to this conventional structure and deconstruct the text in groups 
• Talk about the value, authority and relationship between different types of texts, and writing styles
• Participate in an activity that asks us to evaluate credibility (surface v. deep)
• Finding sources using the library and Google
• Citing sources

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Information, in any format, is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method.  The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising and disseminating information vary, and the resulting produce reflects these differences (ACRL par. 13).

• Information creations are valued differently depending on the context and purpose for which they are created
• Audience matters. Certain things are created for certain purposes and it doesn't really make one format of information better than another. It is up to us to discern what information process best fits our information need.
• In your own creation process, understand that your choices in what type of information you use, impacts the purpose for which the information product you create will be used and the message it conveys. 

How do we construct authority?

• There are various systems of constructing, assigning, and granting authority.  Power is often a factor in how we regard something as authoritative.  If someone in a position of power says something, like when a government makes a law or shares information, we often believe it as true and authoritative.  However, power does not always = authority, depending on the context. 

So, information is contextual

• Authority works differently in different contexts.  In an academic setting, academic credentials often equate to authority. However, sometimes scholars get it wrong. According to Robin DiAngelo and Özlem Sensoy:
  • Knowledge is understood and framed by a person's language, believes and customs
  • Understanding your own positionality is key to developing an understanding of scholarship
  • Positionality recognizes that were you stand in relation to others shapes how you construct authority

Identity Wheel - A way to visualize how your different identities may come together to inform your positionality

Source: https://openlearninglibrary.mit.edu/ 

How do we read?

Vertical Reading - the reader reads the text without going any further, taking it at face value as being reliable. The reader may use some superficial evaluation strategies to determine if what they are reading is credible. Examples of this: apply a CRAAP test (Currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose) or RADAR (Rationale, Authority, Date, Accuracy, Relevance) without looking further beyond the text at hand. 

Lateral Reading - the process of verifying what you are reading, looking beyond the text.  Often used by fact-checkers.  SIFT (Stop, Investigate the Source, Find better coverage, trace claims, quotes, and media to the original text). 

Stanford Experiment

American Academy of Pediatrics

American College of Pediatricians

Deep Reading/Close Reading - a thoughtful and deliberate process that can deepen compression. Sometimes also referred to as "slow reading" it involves cognitive skills that work to build understanding, reflection, and insight. 

Steps can include:

• Printing out the text (there is evidence that supports reading comprehension is increased when reading in print, however, how the student engages with text seems to have the most significant impact on comprehension)
• Skim the text first, to get the general idea of the article
• Make sure that you have carved out enough time
• Read with a pen so that yo can take notes and annotate the text
• Get uncomfortable. Both physically and emotionally. 
• Challenge your text by asking questions ("Really?Prove it!")
• Make connections - how does the text align with, or contradict your own position and experiences? 
• Visualize! Draw or map things out to see connections 
• Consider the text's limitations.  What is missing, or what questions are you left with? 
• Discuss the text with others

How do we write? 

Summary/analysis - a shortened version of an original text.  Normally includes commentary about main points and ideas of something that is put into your own words.

Synthesize - taking different concepts from within a text, or from a variety of texts and comparing/contrasting how they relate to one another.  Sometimes described as combining multiple elements to create a whole

Reflexive writing/critical reflection - Critical reflective writing is not just a summary or description of an event or something that you have observed. The description is needed for context in a critical reflection but the core of good reflective writing is exploring the significance of events (the ‘why’ and ‘how’) by providing analysis and insights into your position and experiences.

Models of reflection

This week, you were assigned the following chapter: 

Thomas, B. (2001). Learning from discomfort: a letter to my daughters”. In C. James & A. Shadd (Eds.) Talking About Identity: Encounters in race, ethnicity, and language (pp. 194-213) Between The Lines. (also attached here for ease)

Karen has created 7 breakout rooms and each of you will be assigned to a group.

Group 1 

Group 2 

Group 3 

Group 4 

Group 5

Group 6

Group 7

 The aim is to practice reflexive/reflective reading skills that goes above and beyond a simple summary of the text.  The hope is that each group will engage more deeply with the text and report back in 10 minutes after everyone has had a chance to address the questions in the document.  

Scholarship is a Conversation

• Over time, as students and scholars write about a topic, the accumulation of writing becomes a scholarly conversation. With each writer, new insights and discoveries are documented over time, adding different perspectives and interpretations
• Referring to other essays, studies and reports and describing how they relate to your own work gives authority to your arguments. This is particularly important when people have different opinions about the topic you are addressing in your writing. 
• Citing other researchers proves that you know what you are saying is relevant, since you’re placing your words in the context of the existing literature. If the topic you are writing about is subjective in nature, your reader knows you’ve consulted other research and your opinions are based on some consideration of the scholarly conversation on that topic.

Source: From “Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students,” NCSU Libraries, (CC-BY-NC-SA license)

Scholarly Sources 

• Are written by "experts" or scholars.
• Are reviewed by "experts" or scholars.
• Always consult other research/scholarly sources (include a list of references).
• Will normally be in the form of scholarly books, scholarly journal articles, scholarly book chapters or thesis and dissertations.

A Reminder....

A scholarly publication contains articles written by experts in a particular field. The primary audience of these articles is other experts. ... Many of these publications are also referred to as "peer-reviewed", academic or "refereed". They all mean essentially the same thing and refer to the editorial and publication process in which scholars in the same field review the research and findings before the article is published.

1. What are the author’s credentials? Is it written by an expert?
2. Published in a journal (is there a DOI?)
3. Academic language
4. Includes reference list
5. Length
6. A "Received" and "Accepted" date
7. Is it an actual article? Sometimes other types of content are included in scholarly publications, such as editorials/opinion pieces and book reviews.  Make sure you are looking at an article. 

Take a look at these two articles.  You will not be able to conduct a deep reading of these today, but what are your observations about:

Article 1

Article 2

1. The author’s positionality/perspective

2. The writing style and evidence the author uses to support their writing?

3. How do the three texts (including the B. Thomas text) rank in terms of authority?

4. Are all of three of these texts academic? 

Before we search the Library...another quick activity

Figure 1. Copely, R. Huge stand in the market with a large selection of fruits [Photograph]. Pixy.org. https://pixy.org/143529/

What words would you use to describe this image? 

Think of developing your own search strategy.  Choose a topic that you are interested in.  This is important because you will have to do some reading and writing about this topic for the remainder of the semester!!

Questions to consider

• Are you using the terminology that an expert in the field would use?
• Is there more than one way to spell the word?
• Are there any synonyms or other terms that could apply to your topic?
• topic?

Using the Library 

There are a few ways to use the library.  

• Use the library search box/Library Search - allows you to search the entire collection.  
• Search in subject-specific databases - I have them listed under the articles tab on the GNED  guide.  You will be searching a smaller collection of sources.
• Search in discipline-specific journals - This type of search will yield fewer results.  It helps to know the publication title to use this feature effectively, but you can also type in a broader topic, as long as that word is contained within the title of the journal  Eg: forensic

Search Smarter!

You can search in a way to combine or omit different terms by telling the search engine exactly what you want…this can help you save some time (and frustration!)

• Use quotation marks to keep phrases together - "Black Lives Matter"

• Use  AND to combine search terms - "police violence" AND protester

• Use OR to connect two or more similar terms - BLM OR "Black Lives Matter"

• Use wild cards to substitute a letter or suffix with a symbol - demonstr*

Things to remember when using Library Search:

1. Sign in to save searches, items, and to request materials.

2. Use the pin icon to save books and articles. 

3. Use the filters on the right. You will use Availability, Resource Type, and Date filters most often.

4. Some items won't be available. You can request unavailable items using interlibrary loan.

5. When viewing an item record, scroll down to the Get It or Full Text section to get the item.

Search Google Scholar

Google Scholar is another great way to find peer-reviewed/scholarly material. Google Scholar has a nifty citation chaining function.  The Cited by function will forward you to indexed scholarly material that has cited an article that you may be interested in.  The Related Articles link will direct you to similar articles that may have the same metadata or keywords. 

The Advanced Search is found by clicking the menu icon (top left).
Besides providing links to articles in MRU databases, Google Scholar links to online repositories that contain articles the author has been allowed to upload.  Academia.edu and ResearchGate are among the repositories searched by Google Scholar.

By clicking on the Settings icon, you can select library links to show library access for up to 5 libraries (type in Mount Royal and click on save).  If you are logged into the MRU library, links should automatically populate if you are running a Google search in another window. 

Note: Google uses different commands: ~; -; +; but AND/OR also works

• Cite Sources: Learn the correct way to cite sources by using these guides, tutorials, and videos.
• Referencing Webinars: APA & MLA. Referencing Webinars are 75 minutes long.  Registration is required.
• Online Appointments: Personalized online 30-minute appointments with a Learning Strategist

Take the APA Referencing Tutorial on D2L!

This self-paced 90-minute tutorial covers the same content as our live workshop—why citation is important along with the basics of in-text citations and reference entries in APA Style. Students who complete the tutorial will gain access to a form they can fill out and submit as proof of completion.

Access the tutorial on D2L: Using Google Chrome as your web browser, log in to D2L (learn.mru.ca) with your @mtroyal.ca account. Click the “Discover” tab, then type “APA” in the search bar. Click on the “APA Referencing Tutorial” link and then the “Enroll in Course” button. If you have any questions about the tutorial, contact sls@mtroyal.ca.