Canadian Studies Topic Starters

Try skimming library book, chapter and journal titles for potential topic ideas or ways to narrow an existing topic.

• Do very simple searches and skim the results
• For book results, follow the title and have a look at the chapter headings to get ideas
• For journal article results, follow the title and read the brief abstract (article summary) provided
• Make note of possible ideas and search words as you go

Follow the topic searches linked below for books and articles in MRU's LibrarySearch. Refine results using the search filters provided e.g., creation date, subject etc, or by adding additional search terms. 

• Canadian identity
• Colonialism and decolonization
• Indigenous affairs
• Media - television, radio, news or film
• Multiculturalism
• Music
• National unity 
• Quebec culture and identity
• Race and immigration
• Residential schools

Check out the Canadian Encyclopedia

The Canadian Encyclopedia is a great launchpad for Canadian Studies research topic. Browse for ideas, or do simple searches to get quick overviews of key Canadian issues and events. Keep searches VERY simple - one or two words max generally works best. 

Use the research organizer to help you with your topic development, and keep track of the sources you find in your research.

Research Organizer: Open and make your own copy of  this Google doc

Being able to recognize a scholarly source is an important part of doing academic research. Scholarly sources generally take the form of books, book chapters and journal articles. When evaluating a source for scholarliness, you should consider:

- Authority of the author and publisher - Consider the expertise of the author on the subject. Look for academic authors affiliated with a university. Look for publishers who specialize in academic writing, including university presses.

- Process - Consider the process used to create, edit and publish the source. Scholarly sources are based on original research and go through peer review. Look for extensive references and a clear indicator of peer review.

- Purpose - What is the intended purpose of the source? Who is the intended audience? Scholarly sources provide in-depth analysis based on original research and are meant to inform other academics. Non-scholarly sources are often meant to entertain, advertise or inform amateur or non-expert audiences. Look for sophisticated, technical language, formal structure and consider the audience carefully.

Example of a scholarly journal article

Example of a popular magazine article

Example of a scholarly book - note the university press publisher and bibliographic references

Build your vocabulary: As you browse possible sources, read book/chapter and article titles carefully to help improve your search vocabulary and narrow your topic. The larger and more flexible your search vocabulary, the more successful you will be. 

Use keywords and short phrases: never use sentences or sentence fragments. Choose keywords that are vital to your topic. Use terms an expert would use, avoiding slang. Your course outline offers some good starting points.

• A good search -- what is the role of wilderness in Canadian identity
• A poor search --  wilderness Canadian identity

Search for all possible endings of a word using the asterisk * - Canad* will look for Canad-a, Canad-ian, Canad-ians

Don't settle for the first results you find: the most relevant results aren't always on the top of the list or on the first page of results. Browse through for the best sources, not the easiest ones to find.

Use the MRU LibrarySearch tool - the search box on the library homepage - to find information in all formats (books, journal articles, videos, 

LibrarySearch Tips

• Log in with your MRU credentials for best results
• Use the sidebar options to refine your search (e.g. limit results to only relevant subjects, or to preferred resource type, e.g., books).
• Use the advanced search to search for important terms in the subject or title fields on the drop-down menus.
• Limit results to only peer-reviewed sources to find only scholarly journal articles.
• "Pinning" items allows you to return to them later, if you have logged in.

Try searching inside a Canadian Studies journal:

• Canadian Journal of Canadian Studies
   
• American Review of Canadian Studies
   
• British Journal of Canadian Studies

If you are overwhelmed with results in LibrarySearch, or having trouble narrowing your search to relevant results, try looking in a subject specific article database. You will find these databases on a relevant MRU library subject guide. Below are some examples of these subject specific tools:

America History & Life: Good for historical topics; searches within journals that cover North American history.

Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples of North America - Covers aspects of Indigenous North American culture, history, and life. Be sure to limit to peer-reviewed.

SocIndex: Good for topics with a sociological perspective, for example race, multiculturalism, etc. 

CPIQ Canadian Periodical Index: Searches within Canadian journals and magazines. Be sure to limit to peer reviewed.

CBCA Canadian Business and Current Affairs: Includes a wide range of Canadian publications covering education, business, current affairs among others. Be sure to limit to peer reviewed. 

Types of Primary Sources (contemporary and historical)

Primary Source Collections - Some Starting Points

News media

• Historical newspapers: Access to numerous historical newspapers, including some dating back to the mid-19th century (Toronto Star, Globe and Mail) and earlier.
   
• Canadian Newsstream - Contemporary articles from Canadian news outlets, includes weekly and major daily Canadian papers back to ~1969. Includes the Calgary Herald.
   
• MRU LibrarySearch Newspapers: Searches major Canadian and Alberta dailies papers. 

Government & Legal Sources

• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources: Access to the Debates of the Parliament of Canada (a.k.a. Hansard), government bills, committee reports, and many other government documents, from 1867 - 1994. Use the limiters provide to improve your search.
   
• Contemporary Debates of Parliament/Hansard 1994-Present: Verbatim accounts of all debates in the Canadian House of Commons. Look for the Publication Search option to keyword search, or consult the index provided.
   
• CanLII Canadian Legal Information Institute - Access to Canadian legislation, regulations, and court judgments from all Canadian jurisdictions. This includes contemporary and historical content; sort by date for best results

Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous Topics

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Archives - Look for the Browse the Archives option; browing by subject and document type may be most helpful.
• MRU Primary Source Guide for Indigenous Studies - Includes access to treaties, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People and more.

Early Canadian Sources

• ​Canadiana Online: Includes early government documents/legislation, some early newspapers, religious tracts and special interest group publications of various kinds. Best for topics up to the early 20th century. 

⇒ Search Tips for Finding Primary Sources

• Try LibrarySearch: Add the term sources to other relevant search terms to find primary sources available via the MRU Library, or add a word describing a specific type of primary source, e.g., speeches, correspondence etc. Republished primary sources often come in the form of a book, so try filtering by resource type to book.
• Try Google: If you are looking for a historical primary source, try adding the term "primary sources" or "primary documents" to your keywords in a Google search. 
• When searching WITHIN electronic primary source collection, use terminology common to the historical period you are researching, rather than the modern terms. E.g “Great War” versus "World War I," or  “Dominion Day” versus “Canada Day.”