MIT 2100FResearch Help for your Final Essay

Marni HarringtonFIMS & Linguistics Librarian

The D.B. Weldon Library

What we’ll cover …

MIT 2100F Final Essay – What’s required?

Scholarly sources

How to find relevant sources

How to acknowledge these sources

How to find help

MIT 2100F Final Essay

What’s required?

Croteau & Hoynes (course textbook)

Course Readings (on reserve at Weldon)

Minimum of 4 Scholarly Readings

Course Reserves

Scholarly Readings

What counts as scholarly? Essays / chapters published in edited books

(works of criticism) written by academics Articles published in academic journals and / or

peer-reviewed publications

How can I identify these? Author / editor: affiliation, credentials Whole package: references, formal language, no

advertising or illustrations

Scholarly books?

Scholarly books?

Scholarly background research?

Scholarly periodicals?

My topic

Has Al Jazeera played a role in shifting the

power balance in international news

reporting? Is it a viable alternative to

Western news sources?

My topic

Has Al Jazeera played a role in shifting

the power balance in international news

reporting? Is it a viable alternative to

Western news sources?

Research Process

Determine what I already know

Find background info

Search catalogue for books

Search databases for journal articles

Determine what you know

Croteau & Hoynes textReadings on reserveOther courses

Find background information

Dictionaries

Encyclopedias

Start with Western Libraries Homepage

www.lib.uwo.ca

Background information

Browse by Program Pages

Al Jazeera

In Print

Scholarly Resources

Finding Books, Chapters & Essays

Search Western Libraries Catalogue:KeywordSubjectTitleAuthor

Catalogue Search

Al Jazeera

Scholarly Resources

Databases

All databases look different , but act similarly

Many ways to access Browse by Program Databases by Title

Al Jazeera

Scholarly Resources

Scholarly Resources

Google Scholar

Scholarly Resources

Looking for scholarly research resources takes time…

Important to continually revise your search strategy as you go

Don’t wait until the last minute!

Acknowledge your sources

The final, but most important step in the research process…

No matter what you do (take an idea or borrow an example), you cannot fail to acknowledge another persons work.

Taking Ideas That Aren’t Yours

INNAPPRORIATE FOR ALL AGES

http://msl1.mit.edu/furdlog/images/rated_i_mpaa.pngGraphic Modified by M.Mills (October 16th, 2007)

Cite your sources

• Many citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago)

• Choose one, and stick with it

• Help is available:

Citation guides on Browse by Program pages

In print (multiple copies of style manuals at various libraries across campus)

In person at the Research Help desk

Cite your sources

A. Croteau, D., & Hoynes, W. (2006). The business of media: Corporate media and the public interest (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

B. Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. The Business of Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2006. Print.

C. Croteau & Hoynes, Textbook for excellent class with Prof. Smeltzer: MIT 2100.

D. Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. 2006. The business of media: Corporate media and the public interest. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Cite your sources

A. Croteau, D., & Hoynes, W. (2006). The business of media: Corporate media and the public interest (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. (APA)

B. Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. The Business of Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2006. Print. (MLA, 7th ed.)

C. Croteau & Hoynes, Textbook for excellent class with Prof. Smeltzer: MIT 2100. (NOT ACCEPTABLE)

D. Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. 2006. The business of media: Corporate media and the public interest. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. (CHICAGO)

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