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Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences

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Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences

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Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences - Short Handbook

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This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition.

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In general, use numerals to express numbers 10 and above, as well as cases such as numbers preceding a unit of measurement, most fractions, statistics, ratios, percentages and times.

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Online Resources for Writers - Emory University

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Online Resources for Writers - Emory University

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There are numerous websites, books, magazines, and other resources available to support English language learning . The Emory Writing Center and English Language Learning Program have compiled a selection of recommendations for the development of English language skills below. This is a good place to begin, but is certainly not a comprehensive list.

Note that this list features external websites whose content we do not control and may change without notice.

If you have any feedback regarding the list, please contact Dr. Levin Arnsperger ( levin.arnsperger@emory.edu), Associate Director of the Emory Writing Center and the English Language Learning Program.
General Language Resources Grammar, Vocabulary Reading Listening Speaking, Pronunciation Phone Apps

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List of Materials and Resources for English Language Learners (Last Updated August 2023)

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We are a globally renowned resource that provides assistance with English to students, teachers, professionals, and organizations across the world. Our goal is to assist clients in their development as writers - no matter their skill level.

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Purdue OWL® - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University

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We are a globally renowned resource that provides assistance with English to students, teachers, professionals, and organizations across the world. Our goal is to assist clients in their development as writers - no matter their skill level.

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Writing Center - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Iowa

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Learn more about the resources for writing at the Writing Center.

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The Writing Center * University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Tips & Tools - The Writing Center * University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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We welcome feedback about these handouts and suggestions for additional handouts. Please email us or call us with your ideas.

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The Writing Process

When we speak of the writing process, we are speaking of the writer's unconscious and conscious creativity and the process that most writing textbooks define structurally. This process is often treated as a linear one that, if followed step by step, will lead to a successfully written product. Although some writers may write this way, most devise their own ways of generating ideas and writing, usually from their own experiences of what works for them.

As we said in chapter 1, writing is a way of thinking. In other words, the quality of your writing depends on the quality of the thinking you do about your topic or your assignment. This chapter discusses the kinds of thinking you need to do before you begin writing, while you are writing your first draft, and when you are rewriting your draft.

The whole writing process can be divided into the prewriting, writing, and rewriting or revising phases. In the prewriting phase, you might try to clarify

what you want to write about

how you think and feel about your topic

how you want to approach your topic

what other materials and notes you might need

how to organize these materials

what kind of audience you are writing for

You plan the content and organization of your paper or assignment during this first phase. In the writing phase, you implement your plan-your strategy-working out the details and fine-tuning your thoughts. In the rewriting, or revising phase, you review what you have written and consider how and where your writing can be improved.

Sometimes, these phases are quite distinct and separate, but for most students, they seldom have clear boundaries. They overlap in a recursive fashion rather than fall in place as an orderly sequence of steps, one neatly following from the other. When you work on longer research papers, you will generate ideas, gather information, plan your organization, and write your draft. You may go back later to revise it. When you write shorter assignments or essays, you may plan, write, and revise as you go along. In most cases, you may revise your plan, your organization, and your content on your way to the final draft.

Understanding that writing is individual and recursive, we can look at the three phases-prewriting, writing, rewriting-and some strategies you may use to write college assignments.

Writing process means the steps and methods used to generate a finished piece of writing.

These steps are usually presented in linear fashion but may naturally occur nonlinearally.

Generally, the writing process can be broken into three phases: prewriting, writing, and revising.

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When we speak of the writing process, we are speaking of the writer's unconscious and conscious creativity and the process that most writing textbooks define structurally. This process is often treated as a linear one that, if followed step by step, will lead to a successfully written product.

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College and Professional Level Writing Process

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College and Professional Level Writing Process

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Comp 105-1.24 College and Professional Writing Process

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CRAAP Test Explained: Evaluating Your Sources

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Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research - Open Textbook

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Engaging graphics, compelling examples, and easy-to-understand explanations make Choosing and Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research , your most valuable, open access resource for completing research-based writing assignments and projects.

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Using your sources: The BEAM Research Model

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Skip to Main Content

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All University of Utah libraries course and research guides, in one place.

What is BEAM method?

Students may be asked to do their research employing BEAM method, developed by Joseph Bizup. BEAM is an acronym for Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method. Resources can be used in one of these ways.

Background: using a source to provide general information to explain the topic. For example, the use of a Wikipedia page on the Pledge of Allegiance to explain the relevant court cases and changes the Pledge has undergone.

Exhibit: using a source as evidence or examples to analyze. For a literature paper, this would be a poem you are analyzing. For a history paper, a historical document you are analyzing. For a sociology paper, it might be the data from a study.

Argument: using a source to engage its argument. For example, you might use an editorial from the New York Times on the value of higher education to refute in your own paper.

Method: using a source's way of analyzing an issue to apply to your own issue. For example, you might use a study's methods, definitions, or conclusions on gentrification in Chicago to apply to your own neighborhood in New York City.

Source: https://library.hunter.cuny.edu/research-toolkit/how-do-i-use-sources/beam-method

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ULibraries Research Guides: BEAM method for using resources: BEAM Research Method

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Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. All University of Utah libraries course and research guides, in one place.

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Literature Reviews – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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This handout will explain what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction literature reviews.

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What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography provides an overview or a brief account of the available research on a given topic. It is a list of research sources that takes the form of a citation for each source, followed by an annotation - a short paragraph sumarising and evaluating the source. An annotated bibliography may be a stand-alone assignment or a component of a larger assignment.

Purpose of an annotated bibliography

When set as an assignment, an annotated bibliography allows you to get acquainted with the material available on a particular topic.

Depending on your specific assignment, an annotated bibliography might:

review the literature of a particular subject;

demonstrate the quality and depth of reading that you have done;

exemplify the scope of sources available-such as journals, books, web sites and magazine articles;

highlight sources that may be of interest to other readers and researchers;

explore and organise sources for further research.

What does an annotated bibliography look like?

Each entry in an annotated biliography has two components:

1. a bibliographic citation followed by

2. a short paragraph (an annotation) that includes concise descriptions and evaluations of each source.

The annotation usually contains a brief summary of content and a short analysis or evaluation. Depending on your assignment you may be asked to summarise, reflect on, critique, evaluate or analyse each source. While an annotation can be as brief as one sentence, a paragraph is more usual. An example is provided below.

As with a normal reference list or bibliography, an annotated bibliography is usually arranged alphabetically according to the author's last name.

An annotated bibliography summary should be about 100 - 200 words per citation-check with your lecturer/tutor as this may vary between faculties and assessments. Please also check with your lecturer about the elements each annotation should include.

Steps to writing an annotated bibliography

1. Choose your sources - locate and record citations to sources of research that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.

2. Review the items that you've collected in your search.

3. Write the citation using the correct style.

4. Write the annotation.

Questions to consider when selecting sources

The sources for your annotated bibliography should be carefully selected. Start by reading abstracts or skimming to help you identify and select relevant sources. Also keep in mind that, while annotated bibliographies are often 'stand alone' assignments, they can also be preliminary research about a particular topic or issue, and further research or a longer literature review may follow. Try to choose sources which together will present a comprehensive review of the topic.

Keep the following questions in mind to help clarify your choices

What topic/ problem am I investigating?

What question(s) am I exploring? (Identify the aim of your literature research).

What kind of material am I looking at and why? Am I looking for journal articles, reports, policies or primary data?

Am I being judicious in my selection of sources? Does each one relate to my research topic and assignment requirements?

Have I selected a range of sources? Choose those sources that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic

What are the essential or key works about my topic? Am I finding them? Are the sources valuable or often referred to in other sources?

Surveying the sources

Take notes on your selected texts as you read. Pay attention to:

the author's theoretical approach.

which parts of the topic are covered.

main points or findings on the topic.

the author's position or argument.

Evaluate and ask questions as you read

Record evaluations in your notes and consider:

How, and how effectively, does this source address the topic?

Does it cover the topic thoroughly or only one aspect of it?

Do the research methods seem appropriate?

Does the argument seem reasonable?

Where does it stand in relation to other studies? Agree with or contradict?

How should I write the annotations?

Each annotation should be concise. Do not write too much-annotations should not extend beyond one paragraph (unless assignment guidelines say otherwise).

The summary should be a brief outline of argument(s) and main ideas. Only mention details that are significant or relevant, and only when necessary.

Any information apparent in the title of thesourcel can be omitted from the annotation.

Background materials and references to previous work by the same author usually are not included. As you are addressing one text at a time, there is no need to cross reference or use in-text citations to support your annotation.

Find out what referencing style you need to use for the bibliographic citations, and use it consistently.

In-text citations would usually only be necessary for quotations or to draw attention to information from specific pages.

Unless otherwise stipulated, you should write in full sentences using academic vocabulary.

Contents of an annotated bibliography

An annotation may contain all or part of the following elements depending on the word limit and the content of the sources you are examining.

Provide the full bibliographic citation.

Indicate the background of the author(s).

Indicate the content or scope of the text.

Outline the main argument.

Indicate the intended audience.

Identify the research methods if applicable.

Identify any conclusions made by the author/s.

Discuss the reliability of the text.

Highlight any special features of the text that were unique or helpful e.g. charts, graphs etc.

Discuss the relevance or usefulness of the text for your research.

Point out in what way the text relates to themes or concepts in your course.

State the strengths and limitations of the text.

Present your view or reaction to the text.

Sample annotation

The citation goes first and is followed by the annotation. Make sure that you follow your faculty's preferred citation style. The summary needs to be concise. Please note the following example is entirely fictitious.

In the sample annotation below, each element is numbered (see Key).

(1) Trevor, C.O., Lansford, B. and Black, J.W., 2004, 'Employee turnover and job performance: monitoring the influences of salary growth and promotion', Journal of Armchair Psychology, vol 113, no.1, pp. 56-64.

(2) In this article Trevor et al. review the influences of pay and job opportunities in respect to job performance, turnover rates and employee motivation.(3) The authors use data gained through organisational surveys of blue-chip companies in Vancouver, Canada to try to identify the main causes of employee turnover and whether it is linked to salary growth.(4) Their research focuses on assessing a range of pay structures such as pay for performance and organisational reward schemes.(5) The article is useful to my research topic, as Trevor et al. suggest that there are numerous reasons for employee turnover and variances in employee motivation and performance.(6) The main limitation of the article is that the survey sample was restricted to mid-level management,(7) thus the authors indicate that further, more extensive, research needs to be undertaken to develop a more in-depth understanding of employee turnover and job performance.(8) This article will not form the basis of my research; however it will be useful supplementary information for my research on pay structures.

Key

(1) Citation

(2) Introduction

(3) Aims & Research methods

(5) Usefulness (to your research/ to a particular topic)

(6) Limitations

(7) Conclusions

(8) Reflection (explain how this work illuminates your topic or how it will fit in with your research)

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An annotated bibliography provides an overview or a brief account of the available research on a given topic. It is a list of research sources that takes the form of a citation for each source, followed by an annotation - a short paragraph sumarising and evaluating the source.

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How to do Hanging Indent in Word, Google Docs, and Pages

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How to do Hanging Indent in Word, Google Docs, and Pages

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Critiquing and Evaluating Law Students Writing_ Advice from Thirty-Five Experts

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Library guides: Law Research & writing skills: Writing legal essays

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Skip to Main Content

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LibGuides: Legal Writing: Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic

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LibGuides: Legal Writing: Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic

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Opinions of the Court - 2020

"Slip" opinions are the first version of the Court's opinions posted on this website. A "slip" opinion consists of the majority or principal opinion, any concurring or dissenting opinions written by the Justices, and a prefatory syllabus prepared by the Reporter's Office that summarizes the decision. The slip opinions collected here are those issued during October Term 2020 (October 5, 2020, through October 3, 2021). These opinions are posted on the website within minutes after the opinions are issued and will remain posted until the opinions for the entire Term are published in the bound volumes of the United States Reports. For further information, see Column Header Definitions and Information About Opinions.

Caution: These electronic opinions may contain computer-generated errors or other deviations from the official printed slip opinion pamphlets. Moreover, a slip opinion is replaced by a paginated version of the case in the preliminary print, and, subsequently, by the final version of the case in a U. S. Reports bound volume. In case of discrepancies between the print and electronic versions of a slip opinion, the print version controls. However, where the electronic version has been designated "revised," the electronic version controls to the extent that it differs from the print version with regard to the noted revision. In case of discrepancies between the slip opinion and any later official version of the opinion- i.e., the preliminary print or bound volume version-the later version controls.

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Opinions of the Court - 2020 "Slip" opinions are the first version of the Court's opinions posted on this website. A "slip" opinion consists of the majority or principal opinion, any concurring or dissenting opinions written by the Justices, and a prefatory syllabus prepared by the Reporter's Office that summarizes the decision.

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Legal writing is a demanding task which will challenge even the most skilled writers; forcing them to think and write in a style that conflicts with the habits of ordinary communication.

Legal writing differs from most other forms of writing due to the extraordinarily high level of accuracy and efficiency required in legal communication. Such accurate communication requires massive amounts of legal research which (at first glance) may appear impossible to condense into a research paper, let alone a tiny memo. This is where the art of efficient writing comes into play, allowing the author to condense complex legal arguments into an understandable package.

This efficiency aspect of legal writing is also key to the accuracy of the legal writing. Even if your legal argument is undeniably correct, presenting that argument via lengthy and convoluted logic will risk losing the attention of your audience; failing to deliver your message, or worse yet, deliver the wrong message. Such results are never desired, especially with important audiences such as judges, jur ies, clients, and law professors.

Use the following the guides to improve your legal writing skills, helping you to improve the readability of your logical arguments and ensure these arguments will lead your audience to the logical conclusion.

Utilize The IRAC Method

The IRAC Method is the standard format for legal writing because the IRAC format forces authors to separate dense logical arguments into smaller and more understandable components. Rather than throwing a densely packed logical argument at the audience, the IRAC Method will first introduce the reader to the legal Issues at hand, provide the legal Rules necessary to evaluate those legal issues, then Apply those legal rules to the facts to the case at hand; thus leading the reader to a logical C onclusion.

Every legal issue is different, though, and some will not fit nicely into a preset formula such as the IRAC. Therefore, the IRAC should only be used as a guideline for writing (unless your professor states otherwise, of course). More on the IRAC method

Use Introductions To Prepare your Audience

For every legal issue, begin with a strong introduction that states that issue, why that legal issue is relevant to the facts at hand, any sub-elements of that issue, and finally, the logical conclusion that you intend for your reader to reach by reading your argument.

This introduction should be a brief summary of your entire argument, with which you can prepare the reader for your logical argument and the subsequent logical conclusion. This summary should brief the reader with the facts that give rise to the legal issue, the rules and and logic which will be used to reach your conclusion. This summary will help the reader understand where your argument is heading and thus, hopefully, help them digest the dense material contained within the rest of the paper.

Organize Your Writing Logically

While good structuring is a necessary component of all writing, legal writing demands near-perfection in logical organization. Luckily though, the inherent logic and hierarchy of the legal rules used will provide this organization for you; as long as you understand how the rules relate to each other.

Let us imagine a few easy legal issues regarding a breach of contract case. First, was a contract formed? Second, did the party in question have justification for breaching said contract?

The first logical step is to determine whether a contract was formed at all; because if no contract exists, there is no need to discuss whiter there was a breach of that contract. If there was a contract formed, and you needed to discuss the possibility of a breach, that discussion would naturally fall after the discussion of contract formation.

By letting the legal rules determine what issues are discussed first, or discussed at all, the organization of your paper will develop on it's own. One way to hone your skills at organizing these rules is to outline your argument thoroughly. More on Outlining

Write Efficiently

To write a good legal paper, or to at least get it under the specified word count, you are going to have to think about every paragraph, sentence, word, and punctuation mark with a critical eye. Ask yourself, does that really need to be there? When writing a complex argument, any extraneous word is an obstacle for the reader in their attempt to follow your logic. Basically, every sentence you write should regard a necessary element of your paper, and that element should only be addressed once; redundancy is useless.

Write Precisely

Precision in legal writing is essential. Typos and errors not only appear unprofessional, but they can also change the meaning of contracts, wills and court documents. A sloppy lawyer (or law student) will not impress anyone, and continuing those bad habits will lower points on exams, fail the expectations of clients, and set the lawyer up for professional discipline.

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Intro to Writing Legal Papers | Law School Survival

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Legal writing is a demanding task which will challenge even the most skilled writers; forcing them to think and write in a style that conflicts with the habits of ordinary communication.

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LibGuides: Substantial Paper Guide: WRITING YOUR PAPER

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LibGuides: Substantial Paper Guide: WRITING YOUR PAPER

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Research papers are not as strictly structured as legal memos, briefs, and other documents that you've learned about in legal writing and drafting courses. For example, there is no prescribed content/format similar to to the Questions Presented, Brief Answers, etc. that you learned for a legal memo.
Content
A general approach to thinking about the content of a research paper is:

1. Introduction in which you give some background and a clear statement of your thesis

2. Status quo -- what is the existing law and why is it a problem

3. Proposals for change

4. Conclusion

See this blog post by Jonathan Burns, and IU McKinney alum, for more on basic content.
Format
If you're writing for a law review or seminar, you should get formatting instructions regarding things like margins, font size, line spacing. If you don't, or if you're doing an independent study, here are some basic guidelines to follow:

Times New Roman or similar, 12 pt font.

Double spaced lines.

One inch margins all around.

Footnotes in academic Bluebook style (use the rules on the main white pages instead of the light blue pages at the front of the Bluebook).

Footnotes in same font as text, 10 pt font.

Use Roman numerals and/or letters on headings and subheadings or style the fonts so that the difference between headings and subheadings is clear.

Page numbers in the footer, preferably centered, especially on first page. You could do bottom center on first page and then upper right in the header thereafter. Use the header and footer functions for this. If you don't know how to use headers and footers in Word, here is help: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2016/headers-and-footers/1/.

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Research Guides: Writing a law school research paper or law review note: Format

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Research papers are not as strictly structured as legal memos, briefs, and other documents that you've learned about in legal writing and drafting courses. For example, there is no prescribed content/format similar to to the Questions Presented, Brief Answers, etc. that you learned for a legal memo.

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FCC Research Guides: English Resource Guide for Instructors (EN101): They Say I Say Resources

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Use this guide to access support materials related to They Say - I Say (campus sections) and Everything's an Argument (online and Dual Enrollment sections) Content arranged by chapters in the text.

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What is a "Peer-Reviewed" or "Refereed" Journal?

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What is a "Peer-Reviewed" or "Refereed" Journal?

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Peer-reviewed or refereed journals have an editorial board of subject experts who review and evaluate submitted articles before accepting them for publication. A journal may be a scholarly journal but not a peer-reviewed journal.

An editorial board asks subject experts to review and evaluate submitted articles before accepting them for publication in a scholarly journal.

Submissions are evaluated using criteria including the excellence, novelty and significance of the research or ideas.

Scholarly journals use this process to protect and maintain the quality of material they publish.

Members of the editorial board are listed near the beginning of each journal issue.

If you are searching for scholarly or peer-reviewed articles in a database, you may be able to limit your results to peer-reviewed articles.

If you're looking at the journal itself, search for references to their peer-review process, such as in an editorial statement, or a section with instructions to authors.

You can also search for your journal title in Ulrichsweb (a directory of periodicals worldwide, previously called Ulrichs], which includes basic information about each publication, including whether it is peer-reviewed/refereed.

For an overview of the different types of journals, see What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal?

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What is peer review? What is a peer-reviewed journal?

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Peer-reviewed or refereed journals have an editorial board of subject experts who review and evaluate submitted articles before accepting them for publication. A journal may be a scholarly journal but not a peer-reviewed journal. An editorial board asks subject experts to review and evaluate submitted articles before accepting them for publication in a scholarly journal.

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Types of Publications (Scholarly Journal, Trade Journal, Popular Periodical, etc.)

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Types of Publications (Scholarly Journal, Trade Journal, Popular Periodical, etc.)

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This guide will help you identify and evaluate scholarly (also known as peer-reviewed) journals, magazines, and trade publications - both print and online.

For more help, Ask a Librarian.

Articles are written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (chemists, historians, doctors, artists, etc.)

Use scholarly or technical language

Articles tend to be long and detailed, about research in a particular academic discipline

Include full citations for sources

Are often refereed or peer-reviewed

Include information about the authors

Are published by academic organisations

Note: book reviews and editorials are not considered scholarly articles, even when found in scholarly journals

Appearance

Scholarly journals usually have simple covers, clearly stating basic information like title, volume/issue numbers, and the name of the organisation or university responsible for their publication.

Examples

The SFU Library subscribes to thousands of academic (or scholarly) journals. Here are just a few examples:

Articles are usually written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience

Use language easily understood by general readers

Rarely give full citations for sources

Are written for the general public (non-experts)

May present or adapt information originally published in scholarly journals

Do not always include information about the authors

Articles tend to be shorter than those in academic journals

Appearance

Popular magazines usually have glossy, coloured covers, designed to attract attention on the newsstand. Pages are usually laid out with photos, appealing graphics, and advertisements.

Examples

The SFU Library subscribes to many popular magazines, for example:

Are written by and for people who work in specific industries (such as advertising, education, health care, media, mining, technology, tourism, etc.), or practitioners or teachers with advanced degrees (such as a PhD in Psychology)

Often require professional knowledge and vocabulary to be fully understood

Are usually published by professional or trade organisations​

May present or adapt information originally published in scholarly journals

Rarely give full citations for sources

May not include information about the writers

Appearance

Like popular magazines, trade publications may have glossy, coloured covers, advertisements, and appealing graphics.

Examples

Magazine and journal articles may all be appropriate sources for your work, depending on the subject discipline and the specific assignment.

If in doubt about which sources to use, check with your instructor.

For an introduction to different ways to search for journal articles, see How to find journal articles. For more about peer-reviewed articles, see What is a peer-reviewed journal?

Limiting or filtering your database search

If you are searching for scholarly or peer-reviewed articles in a database, you may be able to limit your results to peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles. Watch for check boxes with wording such as "scholarly journals" or "peer-reviewed."

Caveat: Be cautious when using this feature. Different instructors and publishers will have different definitions of what a scholarly journal is. Use your judgement, and double-check using the criteria on this page as well.

On library research

On evaluating sources

Increasingly, academic publications are available on the open web as well as in Library databases (and of course in print).

An essential part of the research process is to be able to evaluate the authority, relevance, and credibility of sources no matter where you find them.

On journal articles

On writing

The Student Learning Commons offers further resources and services on academic writing.

Much of this guide, and many of the images, have been adapted from a page developed by the University of Arizona Libraries.

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What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal?

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This guide will help you identify and evaluate scholarly (also known as peer-reviewed) journals, magazines, and trade publications - both print and online. For more help, Ask a Librarian. Articles are written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (chemists, historians, doctors, artists, etc.)

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Finding publications on the open web

More and more, governments, scholars, corporations, non-profits, and others are making their publications freely accessible on the open web, including scholarly articles, reports, and primary source materials.

So depending on your topic you may be able to do at least some of your academic research with a basic search engine, in addition to accessing scholarly resources through the Library's electronic journal and database subscriptions.

Finding books, journal articles, background information, and more at the Library

Looking for Library materials? Start with Library Search to look for Library materials, including tips and guides created by librarians -- or dive into Library research tutorials and guides for self-paced tutorials, search strategies, and more.

The Library Catalogue search guide will help you get started finding books, journal articles, and more available in the Library's collections and via subscription -- and includes advanced tips for power searchers.

Almost all search engine searches are keyword searches, and search engines will often search for synonyms or related terms at the same time. Use your initial search to learn additional terms you can use in future searches, on the web, in the Library Catalogue, or in the Library's article databases.

For more focussed searches, and to reduce the number of irrelevant results, try one of these techniques:

Phrase searching

To search for exact names, quotes, and other phrases, try placing quotation marks around your search terms. For example:

This search will find Web resources in which the exact phrase "fat tax" appears.

Combined searching

You can also search for combinations of keywords and phrases. For example:
"fat tax" Canada
This search will find resources in which the phrase "fat tax" and the word Canada appear.

Other tips

For more, see Search tips for Google, Google Scholar, DuckDuckGo, and other search engines, and (for the Library Catalogue), the Library Catalogue search guide.

Most web search tools offer Help and/or FAQ features that provide basic and advanced search tips. (Try searching for "search tips" or "advanced search tips" for the latest.)

Many tools also feature options to search the web for resources available in specific formats or genres (such as images, videos, news, maps, etc.). For more on this, see the SFU Library's Publication type guides.

Google Scholar allows you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports. Many resources found in Google Scholar are available for free online or through SFU's paid subscriptions. Enter Google Scholar via the Library (you can also find it at SFU Library's Databases page) to search, then use the citation information to search the Library Catalogue for the resource itself.

Need help? See From citation to article for more details, or Ask a librarian.

Tips for searching Google Scholar

For tips including searching by author or publication, restricting the article by date, and other techniques, see SFU Library's Search tips for Google and Google Scholar and Google's Advanced Scholar Tips.

Make sure to ask the basic questions: Who? What? Where? When? and Why?

Who: Authority

Who is the author (i.e. the individual or organization who created this resource)?

What kind of academic or professional credentials do they have?

Are they affiliated with any institutions or organizations?

Is the author a recognized expert in the area they are writing about?

What: Content

Is the information provided suitable for your topic?

Does the information seem credible based on other sources that you've read?

What kind of facts and opinions are expressed?

Where: Scope

Who is the intended audience for this resource?

What does the URL indicate about the scope and/or purpose of this resource (e.g. .com for commercial resources, .ca for Canadian sites, .edu for educational sites in the U.S., .gov/gc.ca for government sites, etc.)?

When: Currency

How recently was this resource published or last updated?

How current are the sources that the author cites?

Are any of the links broken?

Why: Objectivity

Is the information consistent with other scholarly resources related to this topic?

Is there any evidence that this resource may be biased (for example, information found on a political party or private company website)?

Are the author's sources clearly cited (are there references or a bibliography)? Can they be easily verified?

Does the page contain advertising? If so, are the ads clearly separated from the content?

Where do the page's links take you?

Evaluating Internet Resources (Ryerson University Library and Archives)
Strategies for evaluating websites as well as journal articles and books.

How to spot fake news: Identifying propaganda, satire, and false information
Includes a shareable graphic and quizzes to test your skills.

How do I assess a publisher, journal, or conference?
This SFU guide, designed for faculty and graduate students, includes valuable tips for spotting predatory publishers and assessing the impact and importance of a journal.

Further study

University of Washington instructors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West have created a credit course, Calling Bullshit, and have made their readings and lecture videos available online. In their words, "Our world is saturated with bull. Learn to detect and defuse it."

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More and more, governments, scholars, corporations, non-profits, and others are making their publications freely accessible on the open web, including scholarly articles, reports, and primary source materials. So depending on your topic you may be able to do at least some of your academic research with a basic search engine, in addition to accessing scholarly resources through the Library's electronic journal and database subscriptions.