Library Sources for ITCTMelanie Parlette, BA, MLISEngineering and IT LiaisonLibrary Resource CentreConestoga CollegeMay 2011

Today we will cover . . .

• Why you should use different types of sources (Scholarly Journals, Trade Journals etc.) to get different types of information

• What Peer Review is and why it’s important• How you can find articles in an academic database• Different ways you can research after you graduate . . .

Types of SourcesScholarly JournalsPopular MagazinesTrade JournalsConference PapersTechnical Reports What’s the Difference?

Types of SourcesWhat’s the Difference?

Scholarly Journals Popular Magazines Trade Journals Conference Papers Technical Reports

• Scholarly research or projects. 

• Illustrations are usually charts and graphs.

• Authors are authorities in their field. Often professors or researchers.

• Peer review process is in place where the content of an article is reviewed by one or more experts in the field.

Examples:Wireless Networks, IEEE/ACM

Transactions on Networking

• General interest articles, entertainment, or information aimed at the consumer.  Usually colour photographs and illustrations.

• Articles are usually written by magazine staff, freelance writers, or may be anonymous.

• No peer review or refereeing process.

Examples:Wired, Popular

Mechanics

• Industry related information, news and trends.  Some illustrations.

• Authors are industry experts, professionals, or practitioners who are not always identified

• Typically no peer review or refereeing process.

Examples:ComputerWorld,

Electronic Engineering Times

• Author is scholar in field, academic or researcher

• Conference papers tend to be more recent than journal articles, but may be considered less authoritative depending on the review and acceptance process

• Peer Review Process may or may not be rigorous

Example:Proceedings of

International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems

• Author is often a scholar or a scientist, engineer, government contractor, or technical personnel.

• Published by a corporation or educational institution

• Reputation is everything

• Typically not peer reviewed

Example:ECMA Technical

Report TR/75 Standardizing Information and Communication Systems

What’s a credible source?There may be times when you don’t know exactly where your resource fits. This test can help you determine if your information is reliable. Depending on the question you are asking, different part of the criteria might be more important than others.

The CRAAP Test• Currency The timeliness of the information

• Relevance The importance of the information for your needs

• Authority The source of the information

• Accuracy The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information

• Purpose The reason the information exists

CRAAP TEST• Activity• The CRAAP Evaluation Tool

What is Peer Review?• When an author submits his or her research article to a scholarly

journal, an editor will review it to see if it meets the criteria of that journal. If it does, the editor will send the article out for Peer Review.

[Peer Review is the process where other experts in the field will thoroughly review and evaluate the article and the research that was done. They check for accuracy of the information presented, validity and repeatability of the research, quality and appropriateness for the journal.]

• Based on the feedback from the experts (i.e. “peers”), the author’s submission will be accepted, rejected or accepted with revisions. It is uncommon to accept a paper with no revisions. In most cases an author will need to make some changes before final publication.

Source: Simon Fraser University

Academic Publishing Process

A researcher carries out research

The researcher submits their paper to a journal.

The editor reviews it and sends it out to multiple experts for peer review

The reviewers examine the article.

Sometimes the article might be outright rejected

The researcher makes some edits.

This process may be repeated until the article meets the standards of the reviewers.

The publisher and experts review the paper.

The paper is published in the journal

Other researchers incorporate the findings in their research

People engage with the findings of the article through social media

People comment on the article through letters to the editor

Open Access is revolutionizing this process.

Searching Databases

Searching Databases

How can I do research after graduation?• Open Access (OA) Journals Journals that are freely available online - this term specifically

refers to free scholarly journals

• www.doaj.org (Peer Reviewed)

• http://arxiv.org/ (not Peer Reviewed, although many may be submitted to journals, some

very influential pieces can still be found here and may never be submitted to journals)

• www.scirus.com comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. Allows you to search

for journal content, scientists' homepages, courseware, pre-print server material,

patents and institutional repository and website information.

• Purchase Scholarly journals (can be expensive)

• Explore what resources your employer provides (ask colleagues)

• Your local public library

• Institutional Repositories – online space for collecting, preserving and disseminating digital

content usually in research institutions. You can often find pre-prints and other research in

these spaces.

• DSpace at MITWhat’s a Pre-Print?•Draft of a scientific paper that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. •Publication often takes weeks, months or even years. •The need to quickly circulate current results within a scientific community has led researchers to distribute pre-prints.• The immediate distribution of pre-prints allows authors to receive early feedback from their peers, which may be helpful in revising and preparing articles for submission.

Don’t forget to Cite Your Sources!• For help with IEEE, APA and other citation styles

check out the “Cite Your Sources” tab in the ITCT “Explore Your Topic Guide”

Get Help!• By Email• mparlette@conestogac.on.ca• lrcinfo@conestogac.on.ca

• Online• IM Chat on the LRC Contact Us Page• Or in the ITCT “Explore Your Topic

Guide”• In Person• Visit the LRC• Monday – Friday 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM

• By Phone• Information Desk @ 519-748-5220

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