Ms. Chauhan's ENG 3C0
How to Do Research the Right Way!
The Task
Research - The Library Catalogue
- Go to the applications page and click on the "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour"
- Go to www.peelschools.org. Click on the pink BYOD link. Click on the teal library circular icon. The green library catalogue icon will be at the top of the page.
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We may not have books for some of the topics that you are looking for, but this is a good place to start!
Finding the Databases
- Go to the applications page and click on "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour". Then click on Library eResources. Click on eResources. Click on Intermediate/Secondary. Then you will find all of our databases.
- Go to www.peelschools.org. Click on the pink BYOD link. Click on the teal library circular icon. The intermediate/secondary library databases will be listed below.
Boolean Search Operators
The Research - Databases
Once you have found the databases you will need to start searching for your topic. When conducting your search, you will need to narrow down your topic. "Capital Punishment" is far too broad as a topic search as many different items will come up if you only search for the world "Capital Punishment". However, you can narrow down your search to "Capital Punishment" and include a specific group or subject (i.e. women, teenagers, visible minorities, etc.). The following are a list of potential databases that may be helpful with conducting your research for your English assignments
- Britannica Online School Edition - this database is great for getting background information about many topics
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - also a great source for background information but from a Canadian perspective
- Canadian Points of View - this is an excellent database for finding relevant, Canadian content
- Global Issues in Context - this database is great when trying to get a global perspective on an issue
- Canada in Context - another great database that is a primarily Canadian database
- Points of View - excellent database(s) for getting different perspectives on a variety of topics
All of the databases are great sources of information. Although these have been recommended as places to start, you can try other databases if you are not finding the information you need. They are better than a random search on a website because you can find a lot of information here that has been written by experts in the field. Many of the databases are specific to certain topics! Below are some examples of what the database icons look like. You cannot access the databases from here! But you can access the databases from the Secondary eResources link just below!
Note Taking and the Databases
When To Cite: A Checklist
I now know when to cite my work....but how do I do it?
I now know when to cite my work.....but how do I do it?
Depending on the course that you are in, how you cite your work may vary. For example, MLA is generally used for literary research (i.e. English, History, Geography, etc) as well as academic papers in the humanities field. APA is used for scientific papers, laboratory reports, psychology, education and other social sciences. There are significant differences between MLA and APA citations so we are going to explore how to cite our work in MLA format.
MLA 8 - The New Way to Cite in MLA Format
Embedded Citations - MLA Format
Creating a Works Cited Page in MLA 8 Format
MLA 8 was designed to simplify the process, helping writers accurately and intuitively cite sources more easily, requiring that every source type follow the same format. This means that books, websites, periodicals, videos, photographs, and all other types of sources now use this same standard format.
MLA 8 requires researchers to locate the same “core elements” from their sources and place them in a standard order in order to create their citations.
The “Core Elements” of an MLA 8 citation, along with their corresponding punctuation marks, include the following (in this order):
- Authors.
- Title of the source.
- Title of container,
- Other contributors,
- Version,
- Numbers,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location.
The appropriate punctuation mark will follow each core element, unless it is the final piece. In this case, the punctuation mark would be a period.
Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page:
MLA 8th Edition - Formatting Help
Let's Practice! Citing your work in MLA format
Practice Time
1. a non-fiction book
2. a fiction book
3. a database
4. a website
Your works cited page should be about a topic in English that interests you.
Please use the skills that you have learned to put together a perfect works cited page!