1. Library Research Tips
POLI 319 Politics of Latin America
Megan Fitzgibbons
Liaison Librarian
January 19, 2009

2. Did You Know?
Your Liaison Librarian can:
Provide help by phone, e-mail, chat and in Second Life
Offer individual consultations
Find stuff!

4. Information Universe

5. Agenda
How to:
Find journal articles
Find books
Find news articles
Evaluate information

7. A good place to start
The Course Guide

11. Individual articles are NOT listed
directly in the library catalogue!

12. Article indexes and databases
In library? Maybe not!
Broad or narrow
Many types of documents
Citations, abstracts or full-
text articles

13. But why can’t I just use ?

15. Using OR
“Latin “South
OR OR
America” America”
AND
Ethnic* Race Identity
OR OR
AND
Political
Vot* Elect*
OR OR
Participation

16. Use OR for synonyms
Use AND to combine terms

17. Types of materials

18. Select related subjects for a new search

19. Mark results to save them
Instant full text
Find the full-text article
from another source

20. Click GO to view the full-
text article from another
database provider

21. • This article is not available in full-text online.
• Search the library catalogue for the journal title.
• If we don’t own it, use Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

22. What to do if…
If full text is not available online
Search the library catalogue for the journal title
If not
Use CREPUQ or Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

27. Off campus?
VPN

32. How to find…
Vanden, Harry E. Politics of Latin America:
The Power Game. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2009.

34. Title search

36. How to find…
Oxhorn, Philip. “Civil Society Without A State?”
World Futures 63, no. 5 (2007): 324-339.

37. Individual articles are NOT listed
directly in the library catalogue!

38. Journal title search

41. Keyword search
politics
political
politic?
politicians
used to find

42. Broad search = many results

43. Find other books on this subject

44. Find other books on this subject

45. Location in the library

46. Your library account

47. Ways to access materials
 Print: search the library catalogue
 Full-text online
 If no full-text, use
 Not in Montreal? Use Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
 Use the VPN to access materials off-campus

48. A preliminary search

50. Refining a search

53. Popular articles Scholarly articles
Purpose: Entertainment Report original research
Current awareness Review previously published studies
Research summaries
Audience: General public Students, scholars, researchers
Authors: Journalists Researchers, academics
Often named Always named
Characteristics: Short(er) articles Describe research methodologies
Advertisements/photos Charts, graphs, tables
Published daily, weekly, Published quarterly, annually
monthly Reviewed by editorial board/peer-
Proofread/reviewed by reviewed
editors
*Peer reviewed = reviewed and accepted for publication by a panel of recognized experts in a field

54. Evaluating websites
Currency: up-to-date, working
links
Reliability: accurate, verifiable
Authority:
- URL – domain name
.com .net .edu .org [~ %]
- Author – credentials
Purpose: objectivity, bias

55. To take away
 Use the course guide!
 Books: use the catalogue
 Articles: use indexes (databases)
 VPN for off-campus access
Evaluate the info you find

56. Contact a librarian
NOT a last resort!
Office hours:
Mondays 2:00-4:00 Leacock 541
megan.fitzgibbons@mcgill.ca
514-398-4696