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Graphic Design

Welcome

Hello!

To get started today, open the Seneca Libraries website

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.

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

Objectives

    1. Find the GRA 610 course guide.
    2. Describe the basics of research.
    3. Describe primary and secondary research.
    4. Identify the steps to secondary research.
    5. Brainstorm a topic for searching.
    6. Use different search strategies in an online search of Seneca Libraries
    7. Locate help in using Seneca Libraries

What is Research?

Research Is a Process of... Important for Design because...
  • Repeated inquiry
  • Knowledge creation
  • Open-ended exploration
  • Building connections between ideas and information
  • Define, understand, and effectively solve design problems based on evidence
  • Create and make informed design decisions
  • Build your skillset as a design
    • Critical thinking / problem solving
    • competency with searching databases
    • develop information literacy skills
  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

Steps to Secondary Research: What Is My Topic? What Is My Question?

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 more focused questions to explore your idea more deeply
  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)

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)

Steps to Secondary Research: What Type of Information Do I Need?

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 information, "grey literature, etc.
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.

Steps to Secondary Research: Web Searching / Library Search

Google or web browser of choice Library Search / Databases
  • Search engine
  • Easy to use
  • Algorithm adapts to your preferences
  • Access to “everything” – not just academic
  • Good for information gathering
  • Search engine + databases
  • Requires practice, not always intuitive
  • Needs you to specify preferences
  • Has licensed materials your tuition pays for
  • Good for critical, academic research
  • Database searching a marketable skill
  • Library Search
  • Databases A-Z
  • Subject Guides
  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!

Search Tips

SENECA LIBRARIES SEARCH

Less is More

Start with one or two words and then add one additional term at a time
  • student
  • university student

Phrase Search

Use "quotation marks" around key ideas made up of multiple words
  • "international students"
  • very useful when you have a specific phrase containing common words

Refine

Use features in the search tool, often called limiters or filters, to narrow search results by predefined categories or criteria. Common examples include;
  • Date
  • Content / Material type
  • Peer-reviewed

Sample Search Topic

  • "international student" cap Ontario

Steps to Secondary Research: How Do I Evaluate Information Sources?

Quality refers to how trustworthy and reputable your source is.  The quality of your sources can be a reflection on the work that you do.

Purpose

Consider the purpose of the source. Why did the authors write/create it and how do you know that?

Audience

Consider the audience of the source. Who did the authors write/create it for and how do you know that?

Authority

Consider who wrote/created the source. Are the creator(s) experts on the topic and how do you know? Consider who is responsible for the content as owner and creator can be different. Is it a company? A government? A university? An individual? and how do you know?

Currency

Consider when the source was published or written. How recently was it written and how do you know that?

Reliability

Consider the information from the source. Does your source provide details about where they got their information - such as references?

Relevance

What does it have to do with your topic or question? Can you clearly explain its importance?

Finding Help

Find @ Seneca Libraries

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