Before you begin searching for information, look at your research topic carefully to identify key concepts, then come up with keywords that  you can use to describe those concepts when searching for information in the library search tools.

Sample topic:

Evaluate the significance of the Quebec Conference and the British North America Act of 1867 in shaping the Canadian Constitution.

Sample searches: 

• British North America Act AND Canadian Constitution

• Quebec Conference AND Constitution AND Canada

• Canad* Constitution* History

Search Tips:

• Use an asterisk * to search for multiple endings of a word stem e.g., Canad* will find Canad-a, Canad-ian, Canad-ians
• Put important phrases inside quotation marks, e.g. "national unity" will search for these words as a phrase only, with no other words in between.
• When searching for your sources, use search terms you imagine an expert would use, take notes as you come upon new terms. Brainstorm for related terms.

• -Avoid long strings of words and sentence fragments when you search:

  Good search:  Canada Constitution "national unity"
  Poor search: Impact of the Canadian constitution on national unity

• To retrieve fewer, more relevant search results, add a term to your query 
  British North America Act AND Canadian Constitution AND History

• To retrieve MORE and broader results, remove a term from your search
  Canada Constitution AND History 

Encyclopedia article or reference entry
- Brief sources of background information that provide overviews of a topic, event or person, summarize existing information and provide basic facts.
- Author is not always known, sources are not usually cited.
- Do not undergo peer review, but are edited by a professional editor.
- An excellent place to begin your research and can help you develop a basic understanding and search vocabulary for the topic.

Scholarly book:
- Lengthy works of original academic research written by academic experts.
- Address multiple aspects of a single topic, through many chapters; often provide ample background and context for the topic.
- Evidence of extensive research through the presence of many citations/references. 
- Scholarly books typically go through peer review by other experts in the field
- Published by university presses or other specialized academic publishers.

Scholarly journal article:
- Works of original academic research written by academic experts and peer reviewed by other experts in the field.
- Usually 10-30 pages long and focussed on a narrow topic.
- Evidence of original research through the presence of many citations/references.
- Article title will be very specific, clearly identifying the research question the article is exploring.
- Often most helpful once you have a basic understanding of the broader topic

Compare the following articles - one scholarly, one non-scholarly. How are they different? What indicators can you identify that help you recognize the scholarly source? SKIM EACH SOURCE, AND MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL TO THE END OF EACH. 

• Example of scholarly journal article 
• Example of a popular, non-scholarly article from a magazine

HANDS ON ACTIVITY: Please list some of the differences you observe between the scholarly sources vs. the non-scholarly/popular source by adding comments to this Padlet

Things to consider:
Most academic assignments will call on you to find and read scholarly sources; being able to recognize these types of sources is an important academic skill that you will apply throughout your academic life. When evaluating sources. some things to consider include:

• RELEVANCE: Is the source directly and clearly relevant to your topic? The source should relate to the topic or issue you are studying, and in this course, likely the relevant time period, and, depending on your topic, the relevant place (e.g. Canada), and should be from the discipline of History, Canadian Studies, Policy Studies or a related field.
   
• AUTHOR: Who wrote or created the source? Is she/he an expert? What qualifications does she have to write on the topic? Note that scholarly sources are written by academics, usually with a PhD, and usually indicate what university the author is affiliated with. If no author is listed, who is the host or publisher, and what authority do they on the topic? Note that scholarly sources almost always list the author's name. 
   
• PURPOSE: What is the intended purpose of the information? To educate? Entertain? Persuade? Sell you something? Who is the intended audience - experts or amateurs? Scholarly sources are intended to share academic research and inform other experts in the academic community. 
   
• PROCESS: What generated the information? Opinion? Research? How can you tell? Note that sources based on original research will list their references. What steps has the information gone through (Spell check? Editors? Peer review?)? Scholarly sources are based on research, cite their sources and are peer reviewed.
   
• SUBSTANCE: Scholarly sources are substantial - they analyze the topic in depth, use sophisticated language and technical jargon, and are lengthy. Journal articles will usually be 10-30 pages long. Magazine articles are much shorter, generally 1-5 pages long. A lot of photos/images is often clue a source in non-scholarly.

Recognizing Scholarly Secondary Sources in History 7:42 min.

To get a basic understanding of events or issues related to your topic, and to build your search vocabulary, it can help to consult specialized academic encyclopedias.

You can find them:

• Via the Background Sources tab of this research guide. From that list, I recommend the following for this course:
  • Canadian Encyclopedia  - Many topics in this course will be covered in the Canadian Encyclopedia, it is a great starting point. 
  • Oxford Reference 
• Or via MRU LibrarySearch, use the Resource Type filter to limit to Reference Entries.

Tip: Within an encyclopedia, use one or two very simple search terms e.g., Canada constitution, Quiet Revolution etc. 

LibrarySearch - the search box on the MRU library homepage - is the best way to find print and electronic encyclopedia or reference entries, books, and journal articles at MRU.

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Pro Tips: Using LibrarySearch Filters

- Although scholarly books are peer reviewed, all books are removed from search results when you check the peer reviewed box, so it is helpful to do some searches leaving that box unchecked. 

- Use the Subject filter to limit search results to items tagged with relevant subject terms

- Use the Resource Type filter to find books, journal articles and reference entries (a.k.a. encyclopedia articles) more quickly

How-To Video: Finding and Accessing Books & Articles in MRU's LibrarySearch 5:32 minutes

There are a variety of resources at MRU to help you with citation:

• Use the "cite" feature in most search tools to get you started with most resources (you will need to review and correct the citation).

• Cite Sources: Learn the correct way to cite sources by using these guides, tutorials, and videos.

  • MRU Guide to APA Style for Academic Work - This is the go-to resource for MLA citation at MRU - read it!

• Academic Success Workshops: APA: An Introduction workshops are 75 minutes long and are offered both in-person and online. Registration is required.

• Appointments: Personalized online or in-person 30-minute appointments with a Learning Strategist at Student Learning Services located on the 2nd floor of the Riddell Library & Learning Centre.

• Use the Library Service Desk on the 1st floor of the RLLC for assistance as well as the library chat feature on the library website for quick citation questions.

• Ask Alice!

Call number: The address for a physical library item, so you can find it on the shelf. In MRU's LibrarySearch, it is displayed below the title of the book. You can follow the locate icon for a map to the book on its shelf.