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Research Guide for English 102: Food Sources

Prepared by Elinor Appel NSCC Librarian (contact info.) NSCC Library (this will open in a new window) After this workshop you should be able to: Identify academic/reputable sources on your topic Search a periodical database to find academic/reputable articles on your topic Construct a search to help you retrieve sources with different standpoints     This photo is licensed under Creative Commons by Natalie Maynor.

Before You Start: Consider Your Key Words

• Before you begin your research, consider your key words. For instance: school lunches obesity will retrieve more targeted results than school lunches or are school lunches healthy?
• Try adding "loaded" terms that you know will retrieve opinionated results. For instance: antiobiotics animal feed unsafe; organic foods pricey. (This technique works especially well in Google searches.)
• Remember to try related terms: sometimes the first term you try may not be your best. For example instead of "green fuels," try: biodiesel, ethanol, bioethanol, etc.

Finding Academic Articles

What Is an Academic Resource?

The sources you use for this assignment must come from journalistically or academically reputable sources. Attributes of a reputable source:

the author is indentifiable and/or the author is a specialist in his/her field the author supports his/her standpoint with references and/or the author's material is fact checked and/or edited for accuracy (ex. New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, National Geographic) may be popular or scholarly published less frequently (monthly rather than weekly or daily)

Refer to Finding Articles for tips on how to search a periodical database using keywords and Topics (ProQuest) or Subjects (Academic Search Premier). Databases require you to use Boolean logic when you search them. Several symbols may be useful too:

• and – for combining concepts/keywords, will narrow the search: organic and regulation
• or – when you are using related terms, will broaden the search regulation or certification
• “ ” – when you are using a phrase: “asian diet” in a single search box
• * – when the terms have a related stem: omniv* for omnivore, omniverous, etc.

Good databases for your research are:

• Opposing ViewPoints - database of articles on controversial topics
• Academic Search Premier - another general database with a range of articles
• ProQuest - general database with articles ranging from news to scholarly

Finding and Evaluating Websites

Refer to Searching the Internet for tips on searching the Internet effectively using Google.

• Limiting your search by domain (site:edu or site:gov) is often a good way to start.
• Look up the topic on Wikipedia to find additional keywords, links, references. But do not use Wikipedia as your source: it is not reputable. (Who is the author? Can you identify the author as an expert?)
• You can tell whether or not your website is authoritative by applying the same rules you'd apply to any source: Is the author an expert on the subject? Is the sponsoring organization reputable? (Check Contact, About Us, Mission, etc.)

Finding Books

Start with a keyword search:

When you look over your results, check both location and call number. Request the book if you want it; browse the call number area for related material here.

Look at the Subject(s) for more books on your topic. In some cases you may find several headings that are relevant.

Noodlebib

Noodlebib is an online tool that allows you to format and save your citations. Many students find that the upfront effort of getting started on Noodlebib is worth their work in the end. Another resource: MLA Style Guide (PDF).

 

Bill Murray in FCU: Fact Checkers Unit from Bill Murray

(Not so funny until about 5 minutes in.)