Using Sources: Strategies for starting and ending the search

Kyle Feenstra
Coordinator, Learning & Instruction Support

(he / him / his)

In this session:

Getting a good start on finding relevant sources
A model of a search process you can use
Discussion: scope and relevance

Please feel free to ask questions as we go!

Find my librarian

Research, Language
& Learning

Search, read,
review the literature.

Develop an understanding of the literature considering relationships between concepts, authors, and publications.

Expand understanding & critique of concepts, theory, and data.

Our understanding of things is mediated through vocabulary that is contextual, cultural, and subject to interpretation.

* Language representing concepts in dialogue, research, and literature is not always consistent with the language we use for information organization and retrieval.

Natural Language

Taxononomies

Language naturally developing in everyday speech and culture.

Language used to categorize information
in a field of study for the purpose of organization and retrieval.

Controlled Language

Language structured by linguistic rules, grammar and hierarchies.

All language representing a domain of knowledge or field of study.

Taxonomy Examples

Hashtags

Keywords

Library of Congress subject headings

Thesaurus terms in a database

A Search Process Model

Consult reference texts and influential works
Read to gain foundational concepts and terminology
Identify relationships between concepts
Determine useful search language
Continue to search in relevant libraries and databases
Consider the relationships between authors and texts

Consult reference texts and influential works

Consult these types of sources:

Reference materials
Introductory texts
Handbooks and guides
Topic Histories

Become familiar with:

Key authors and texts
Influential works
Foundational literature

Example: Social Capital

Find and organize the language used in this field or area of study.

2. Read to gain foundational concepts

3. Identify relationships between concepts

If you start with a strong conceptual overview of the topic you can more easily :

narrow the focus of your study
define the scope of your literature search
set parameters on what libraries & databases you will search
and most importantly - determine the relevance of sources you find

With a good overview of the topic you can more easily :

narrow the focus of your study
define the scope of your literature search

Pierre Bourdieu

Social Capital

Robert D. Putnam

Education

James Coleman

Public Health

Social Politics

Pierre Bourdieu

Social Capital

Education

Michael James Grenfell. 2014. Pierre Bourdieu : Key Concepts. Vol. 2nd ed. Key Concepts. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Pierre Bourdieu

Social Capital

Social Networks

Symbolic Capital

Cultural Capital

Human Capital

Economic Capital

Education

Higher Education

Pierre Bourdieu

Social Capital

Education

From the library record you can find the taxonomies
for 'Author' and 'Subject'

4. Determine useful search language

Continue searching with the correct taxonomies or authorities for 'Author' and 'Subject'

Pierre Bourdieu

Social Capital

Education

5. Continue to search in relevant libraries and databases

6. Consider the relationships between authors and texts

Are you unsure about the quality and relevance of sources?

Are you unsure about
when to stop
searching?

Quality and Validity

What are the academic standards used to determine the quality and validity of scholarship and publications?

Published books, articles, dissertations, conference proceedings that have passed through a peer review process.
Publication by a reputable academic press.
Extensive referencing of other sources indicating thorough research.
Material that contributes new findings to a recognized field of research.
Citation by subsequent sources and demonstrated impact (Author H-Index).

Quality and Validity

What gives an author/speaker authority and credibility?

Level of education, prior research, recognition of expertise.
Social-historical factors where lived experience history grant authority
- Oral histories, survivor accounts
- Indigenous Knowledge (IK)

Exercise some caution with metrics such as h-index.
- It is difficult to compare metrics across disciplines,
- Some research topics generate more interest than others,
- Important work is often published outside high impact journals.

Making decisions about relevance...

With every text you read ask yourself consider how it contributes to your research topic or question.
Is the material in scope?

Is there a clear relationship with the other texts you using in your research?

Is there a clear relationship with the other important texts you are studying?

Do the papers reference the other?
Do they represent a dialogue?
Do they pose additional questions or present additional information that is not addressed by the earlier work?
Do they fill in gaps in research?
Do they provide an important critique of an earlier work?
Do they present marginalized voices/perspectives that are otherwise absent from the discourse?