Graphic Design

Hello!

To get started today, open the Seneca Libraries website: https://library.senecapolytechnic.ca/

Once at the Libraries website:

1. Click Subject Guides
2. Click Graphic Design
3. Click Course Guides
4. Click GRA 610

At any time during the class, feel free to "raise a hand", call out my name, or add a question to the chat.

Chris Thomas
Liaison Librarian
Faculty of Communication, Art and Design
School of Legal, Public and Office Administration
christopher.thomas@senecapolytechnic.ca

In today's class:

1. Agenda / Objectives
2. What is Research?
3. Research Organizer
4. Search Strategies
   1. Getting Started
   2. Types of Information
   3. Choosing a Search Tool
   4. Searching Tips
5. Searching Library Resources
6. Evaluating Sources
7. Finding Help (Assistance / Citation)

By the end of this session, you should be able to: 

1. Find the GRA 610 course guide
2. Describe the basics of research
3. Describe primary and secondary research
4. Brainstorm a topic for searching
5. Use different search strategies in an online search of Seneca Libraries
6. Recognize differences between different types of sources
7. Evaluate a website for quality
8. Locate help in using Seneca Libraries

1. Primary Research - “any type of research that you collect yourself… [including] surveys, interviews, observations, and ethnographic research” (Purdue University, n.d., para. 1) 
2. Secondary Research - the synthesis and analysis of existing research on a topic

Secondary Research Activities

Choosing your topic and research question

1. Do some background research to find out more about the topic and learn how others have discussed that topic.
2. Develop some more focused questions that you might want to focus on
3. Further define your topic - avoid being too broad (or you will never be able to cover it all) or too narrow (you may not find enough information)
4. Not sure if your topic is too broad or too narrow? You might have to do a bit more searching and reading to find out. 

Some ways to narrow a topic:

• Place (geography, location, setting, etc.)

• Population (Age, demographic, etc.)

• Timeframe (year, decade, etc.)

• Relevant issue or challenge (eg. difficulty finding work, learning disability, etc.)

Brainstorming

Simple put, brainstorming is a technique used to generate ideas.  This can used to find additional terminology (words, phrases, related topics, etc.), which can improve your searching.  

Example: Bicycle

1. Think broadly or generally. 
   • As a mode of transportation
   • As sport / fitness
   • As leisure
2. Think narrowly or specifically
   • Type of bicycle (electric, mountain, road)
3. Related terms (pedal cycle, bike, push-bike, tricycle, unicycle)

Encyclopedias
Strengths: short, contains background information on a topic, normally a great starting point when you are just learning about a topic
Weaknesses: too short, print encyclopedias are out of date quickly, Wikipedia has reliability issues
Books and Book Chapters
Strengths: Provides an in-depth investigation into a topic
Weaknesses: too long, sometimes hard to tell whether it is scholarly
Scholarly Journal Articles
Strengths: often based on research findings or extensive review, written by experts, reviewed by experts, provides evidence
Weaknesses: Sometimes written using discipline-specific language or terminology, hard to understand,
Media Sources (news, online magazine articles)
Strengths: Good for current information
Weaknesses: Sometimes biased, sometimes written to entertain, often not written by experts, often not reviewed by experts
Websites & Social Media
Strengths: Highly accessible, includes government info
Weaknesses: It is hard to assess credibility and reliability...anyone can post online or create a website
Lectures, Ted Talks, Interviews, Recordings, Testimony
Strengths: Primary, first-hand accounts
Weaknesses: It is hard to assess credibility and reliability...single perspective relying on the accuracy of memory.

General Search Tools

• These search multiple disciplines.  Not as strong for finding discipline-specific topics (ie.  stress - psychology or stress - engineering)
• Examples include: Seneca Libraries Search, Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar

Subject Specific Search Tools (Use the subject guides to help identify these)

• These tools are focused on a specific discipline, such as art, communications, business, etc.  Use the subject guides to help choose a subject specific search tool.

Background / Reference Search Tools (Use the subject guides to help identify these)

• Useful for finding background information on your topic, finding key people, understanding key concepts and locating other readings.  Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.

1. A good place to start – for information gathering and understanding context (i.e. Wikipedia, news, videos) – before moving to library research
   • e.g.  Major events or arguments, experts, timelines, public opinion etc.
2. Find reputable sources
3. Requires you to develop and practice information literacy skills – important in your careers!

1. Less is More: Start with one or two words and then add one additional term at a time
   • student
   • university student
2. Phrase searching: Use "quotation marks" around key ideas made up of multiple words
   • "international students"
   • very useful when you have a specific phrase containing common words
3. Refine your search using features in the search tool
   • Date
   • Content / Material type

Sample Search Topic

• "international student" cap Ontario

Things to remember when using the Seneca Libraries search tool

1. Sign in to save searches, items, and to request materials.
2. Use the filters on the left. Common filters are Availability, Content / Material Type, Date.
3. When viewing an item record, scroll down to the View Online to access the item.
4. Some items won't be available. You can request unavailable items using interlibrary loan.

Additional Search Features

1. Description / Subject Headings
2. Access Options (physical location, online access)
3. Tools (Cite-It, Permalink)
4. Separate search for newspaper articles

Quality
Quality refers to how trustworthy and reputable your source is.

1. Purpose: Consider the purpose of the source.  Why did the authors write it and how do you know that?
2. Audience: Consider the audience of the source.  Who did the authors write it for and how do you know that?
3. Authority: Consider who wrote the source and who is responsible for the source.  Are the authors experts on the topic and how do you know that?  Who is responsible for this information - a company, a government, a university, an individual?  How do you know that?
4. Currency: Consider when the source was published or written.  How recently was it written and how do you know that?
5. Reliability: Consider the information from the source.  Does your source provide details about where they got their information - such as references?
6. Relevance: What does it have to do with my topic?

Available on the main Library page and the subject guide:

1. Getting assistance
   • Live chat
   • Research appointment
   • Reach out to me directly
2. Citation and Academic Integrity Tools
3. Assignment Planner