Library session for COMM 7560

RESEARCH SKILLSLibrary instruction session for COMM 7560

Chris Chan!Information Services Librarian!http://about.me/chancp

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Break down a broad topic into narrower aspects so that you can select a viable research question!

Use advanced features in a specialized database so you can efficiently locate scholarly information on a topic!

Produce citations in APA style so that you can produce accurate bibliographies for your assignments

LIVE POLL!

We will use live polling today to collect your answers to the in-class exercises!

Go to the following URL to prepare:!

http://PollEv.com/hkbulib

BREAKING DOWN A TOPIC

THINKING THROUGH / AROUND A TOPIC

Overly broad or general topics are difficult to address adequately - focus on a narrower aspect to make it more manageable!

Focusing on particular ideas also helps with your literature searches!

For example, let’s say that you want to investigate the impact of social media on politics...

BROAD SEARCHING VS NARROW SEARCHING

CRITERIA FOR NARROWING A TOPIC

Here are just a few possible ways to narrow your topic:!

By geography (comparing different countries)!

Examining issues through different theoretical lenses (e.g. feminist, Marxist, neoliberal, etc.)!

By focusing on its relationship with another topic (e.g. democracy, globalisation)!

Exploring particular case studies

Use of social media in politics

Ethical issues in the use of social media in politics

Is the use of social media in political communication

effective in engaging youth?

What was the role of social media in

the Arab Spring movement?

Use of social media in fund-raising for political campaigns

FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH A TOPIC (1)

To help you come up with a topic, it is useful to read some introductory works!

Wikipedia is one place to get started

FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH A TOPIC (2)

Library reference works like encyclopedias and subject dictionaries provide a more authoritative alternative

Exercise #1 - Thinking around a topic

Try it yourself! Think around the following topic:!!

Internet censorship in China!!

Check out Wikipedia or the Library's e-reference tools for ideas, and submit them via the live poll:!

!

http://PollEv.com/hkbulib !!

ADVANCED DATABASE SEARCH

PICK THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

The Library's main search tool is OneSearch - it's great for general information search!

However, for in-depth postgraduate research, you should be making use of our specialized databases!

For students in the School of Communication, the key scholarly database is Communication and Mass Media Complete

GOOD SEARCH STATEMENTS

"Search statement" simply means what you type into the search box of a database!

When coming up with your own search statements, there are four basic principles to follow:!

★ Keywords only!★ Phrase searching!★ Synonyms!★ Truncation

KEYWORDS ONLY

Use only keywords when searching, e.g.:!

Topic: What is the role of mass media in society?!

Keywords: “mass media” society!

Note that the word role is not a keyword

PHRASE SEARCHING

Phrase searching refers to the enclosing of search terms in quotation marks, e.g. “mass media”!

This tells the search engine that the terms must be found together, in that order!

This prevents the matching of irrelevant phrases, e.g.:!

Media praise for mass transit scheme

SYNONYMS / RELATED TERMS

Don’t expect to find everything that you need via a single search!

Experiment with different search terms, e.g. “popular culture” is a term related to “mass media”!

Use Google, Wikipedia, and Library reference tools to help search for related terms

TRUNCATION

Some databases (including most Library databases) allow you to search for variant word endings!

For example, communicat* will search for: communication,communications,communicator,communicating, etc.!

This does NOT work in Google

Exercise #2 - Good search statements

Try it yourself! Come up with a good search statement for the following topic:!

!

Effectiveness of social media in engaging youth with politics!

!

Post your answer to the live poll:!!

http://PollEv.com/hkbulib!!

Remember!!

• Keywords!• “Phrase search”!• Synonyms!• Truncat*

SUBJECT TERMSScholarly databases make use of subject terms - controlled vocabulary describing what a particular source is about!

Subject terms make more precise searching possible!

However, you need to make sure that you are using the same terms as the database

USING THE THESAURUS IN CMMC

The thesaurus helps you identify what the preferred term for a particular subject is!

You can then add them to your search using the appropriate Boolean operator

SUBJECT HIERARCHIES

Subject terms are ordered into a hierarchy!

Clicking on terms in the thesaurus to view details of the broader, narrower, and related terms!

You can easily add a term and all its narrower terms to a search by using the “Explode” option

S U B J E C T T E R M S A N D T H E S A U R U S L I V E D E M O

Exercise #3 - Using the Thesaurus in CMMC

Try it yourself! !!

Imagine that you are interested in research relating to Internet censorship that focuses on mainland China!

!

Using the techniques just described, find one good article on this topic. No need to post it to the poll, but save it as

we will use it in the next exercise!!

!

!

APA STYLE CITATIONS

WHY WE CITE

Shows that you have done your research and read widely!

Enables your reader to locate the source themselves!

Ensures you avoid “accidental” plagiarism!

An accurate and correctly formatted citation list makes a good impression on the reader

APA STYLE: IN-TEXT CITATIONS

According to Dickson (2000), “the terms mass media education and media-related education come closest to the range of activities comprising the field” (p. 168).

In order to completely encompass all of the activities that make up the discipline, the terms mass media education or media-related education are the best available (Dickson, 2000).

In-text citation examples:

APA STYLE: REFERENCE LIST

Dickson, T. (2000). Mass media education in transition. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum.

Demont-Heinrich, C. (2007). Globalization, language, and the tongue-tied American. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 31(2), 98-117. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Book

Journal article

Reference list examples:

APA CITATION HELP

The Library has prepared a special Research Guide on citation, including a substantial section on APA style:!

http://hkbu.libguides.com/citation!

Here you can also find out how to get your hands on the full APA Manual of Style!

If you really get stuck, ask a librarian for help!

CITATION MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Various tools exist that make citation and referencing less tedious!

Most databases (including CMMC) include simple citation generator tools!

More fully-fledged solutions, like Mendeley, are also available

C I TAT I O N T O O L S D E M O

SIGN UP FOR A FREE MENDELEY PLUS ACOUNT

http://hkbu.libguides.com/mendeley

SUMMARY

Think through and around your topic for different searchable aspects!

Don’t type your topic! Take a few minutes to come up with a proper search strategy!

Search for articles in the specialist Communication databases, and use advanced features like the thesaurus to search more efficiently!

Always apply APA style to your references correctly and consistently

RESEARCH SUPPORT

✦ Books!★ HKALL!✦ Journal articles!★ Interlibrary Loan (ILL)!★ Free and unlimited use!★ Delivered online

✦ JULAC library card!★ Access to other libraries!★ Application required!✦ Managing your references!★ Free Mendeley account

RESEARCH CONSULTATION SERVICE

One-to-one personalized consultations with a librarian!

Get help with resources, search strategy, citation management, and more!

Appointments made through the Library website

THANK YOU!