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This guide is based on: ACRL STANDARDS: Information Literacy Compentency Standards for Higher Education | Library Association | College & Research Libraries News
Please contact us: Research Help | MacOdrum Library (carleton.ca) for a research consultation or any questions you may have about conducting research at MacOdrum Library.
The research process
- Begin by defining exactly what you are searching for
- Get background information from handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries
- Be specific when determining search terms: synonyms/antonyms
- Use Boolean Operators to connect search terms by understanding how search engines operate
- Once your topic is narrowly defined, select databases to find specific articles that have been published in journals
- Use the advanced interface of electronic databases and Internet search engines to help narrow your search. Limit to: specific field (article, book, conference proceeding, newspapers, video); full-text or peer reviewed journals only
- Find books on your topic to gain greater depth and understanding
- Films and Videos and Images are non-literary forms of representation
- Take notes during your research to keep track of where you have been, keywords searched, what worked and what didn't, etc. You may consider using Microsoft OneNote or free software for note-taking such as Evernote
- Write down or store all the references you have consulted to include them in the bibliography of your research paper
Sources of information
Publication Cycle: to find primary and secondary sources of information, use tertiary sources of information: dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks. When a researcher publishes material, they follow the cycle clockwise. To find primary and secondary sources, follow the cycle anti clockwise.
FAQ
- Brainstorm for the Essay (UNC at Chapel Hill)
- Conducting a Literature Review (CUL) see rubric (internet)
- Google search secrets / Christa Burns and Michael P. Sauers (CUL electronic resource)
- Library research (CUL)
- Office of Student Affairs (Carleton University)
- Paul Menton Centre (Carleton University)
- Thesaurus (internet)
- Wellness - Current Students (Carleton University)
- Writing an Annotated Bibliography (CUL) see rubric (internet)
- Writing an Outline for your essay (CUL) see rubric (internet)
Dictionaries
- Fowler's dictionary of modern English usage. Fowler, H. W. (Henry Watson)
- Oxford ESL dictionary for learners of English : with Canadian content
- Oxford learner's thesaurus : a dictionary of synonyms
- Oxford picture dictionarThe official guide to the TOEFL® testy for the Canadian content areas
- Student's Oxford Canadian dictionary
Encyclopedias and handbooks
- The official guide to the TOEFL® test
- The Oxford companion to the English language
- Perfect phrases for ESL : conversation skills : hundreds of ready-to-use phrases that help you express your thoughts, ideas, and feelings in English conversations of all types
- Oxford Reference (Online)
- Canadian Encyclopedia
Suggested journals
- Browse ESL/EFL journals
- ELT journal [electronic resource] PEER REVIEWED
- International journal of bilingualism [electronic resource]
- Journal of studies in international education [electronic resource]
- Language learning / A Journal of Research in Language Studies. PEER REVIEWED
- Language teaching research [electronic resource] : LTR.
- TESL Canada journal.
- TESOL quarterly [electronic resource]. PEER REVIEWED
- The Internet TESL Journal
Suggested databases
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database: Indexing over 1,800 publications, CBCA Database provides more than 700 publications in full text with over 300 with ongoing full text. Broad coverage from a Canadian perspective spans agriculture, business and economics, education, government and politics, health sciences, history, literature, medical sciences, social sciences, and many more subject areas.
- Canadian Newsstream: Contains over 280 Canadian news sources from across Canada, including the Globe & Mail.
- Communication and Mass Media Complete: Contains articles and citations for various communications publications.
- ERIC: A database of articles dealing with topics related to education. PEER REVIEWED
- Google Scholar: provides access to scholarly literature from many disciplines and sources. Indexes peer reviewed articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other websites.
- JSTOR: Digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources.
- Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA): Contains citations and abstracts to articles and other written documents in the area of language and linguistics. PEER REVIEWED
- MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost): Provides citations and abstracts to articles and other written materials on international literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore.
- Project MUSE: A collection of scholarly journals in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
- ProQuest Databases: Includes major databases such as PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts, Philosoher’s Index, and many more.
- SAGE Journals Online: Provides online access to over 1000 journals across a broad range of disciplines.
- SAGE Knowledge Encyclopedias: Carleton subscribes to the 2011 Encyclopedia Collection which provides perpetual access to 27 encyclopedias in the social sciences published between 2005-2011, as well as some other encyclopedias which have been ordered individually. Browse by Content Type: "Encyclopedias" and/or "Handbooks".
- SAGE Research Methods: With information on the full range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods for the social and behavioral sciences, as well as methods commonly used in the hard sciences, the book, reference, and journal content in SAGE Research Methods helps researchers of all levels conduct their research.
- Taylor & Francis Journals Online: Gives full-text access from 1997 where available to over 900 high-quality academic journals in a wide variety of disciplines.
- Web of Science: A multidisciplinary index of citations to articles in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Recommended books
- 500 tips for TESOL [electronic resource] : (teaching English to speakers of other languages) / Sue Wharton & Phil Race.
- The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages / edited by Ronald Carter and David Nunan.
- Check your English vocabulary for FCE+ [electronic resource] / editorial consultant Rawdon Wyatt.
- Essentials for successful language teaching [electronic resource] / Thomas S.C. Farrell and George M. Jacobs.
- Goals for academic writing [electronic resource] : ESL students and their instructors / edited by Alister Cumming.
- How English works : a grammar practice book : with answers / Michael Swan & Catherine Walter.
- New media and perennial problems in foreign language learning and teaching [electronic resource] / Liliana Piasecka, Ma℗gorzata Adams-Tukiendorf, Przemys℗aw Wilk, editors.
- Practical English usage / Michael Swan.
- Techniques and principles in language teaching / Diane Larsen-Freeman.
- The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages / edited by Ronald Carter and David Nunan.
- The ESL classroom : teaching, critical practice, and community development / [electronic resource] Brian D. Morgan.
- Workplace writing : beyond the text / Stephen Bremner.
Websites
- Connect with English
- CyberGrammar
- Easy World of English
- Google's Language Tools
- Guide to Grammar and Writing
- Internet Grammar of English
- Linguistlist
- List of Quizzes
- Online English Grammar
- Resources for English as a Second Language on UsingEnglish.com
- TOEFL Official Website
Open Educational Resources for English as a Second Language
- eCampus Ontario: A publicly funded organization whose "primary focus continues to be grounded in supporting the Ontario postsecondary system through learning and collaboration opportunities that advance high quality teaching and learning throughout the province." They are leading the way in Open Education advocacy.
- Creative Commons A California based organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share through their release of copyright licenses available free of charge to the public. These licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators.
- David Wiley Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, an organization dedicated to increasing student success and improving the affordability of education through the adoption of open educational resources.
- SPARC The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication.
Writing help
Writing Services offers support to students at all levels of study with their academic writing. This service is part of the Centre for Student Academic Support and is free to students and faculty from all departments.
- A Student's Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism (Saint Mary's University)
- Writing a Literature Review (Saint Mary's University)
Annotated Bibliographies
- Annotated Bibliography (Purdue Online Writing Lab)
- How to prepare an annotated bibliography ( Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University )
- Writing an Annotated Bibliography (Saint Mary's University)
- Writing an annotated bibliography (University of Toronto Writing)
Citation management
There are many free citation/document management systems available. The library provides support in the use of some of these tools, but feel free to try any others on your own. We provide support for:
