Health 239

Drug Cultures and Drug Wars

Fall Term 2003

Identify the Types of Materials for Your

Research•Books•Government documents•Statistics•Journal articles•Newspaper articles•Internet resources

What is Your Research Strategy?

• Consider these questions before proceeding:– What dates of materials should

you consider?– How will you identify which index

to search?– Which keywords will you use?– How will you evaluate what you

find?

http://library.queensu.ca

Search for Books

•Click library catalogue (QCAT) for books, journal or newspaper subscription titles and government documents.

Keyword Search• Keyword searches allow you to

search QCAT using a single word or a combination of words that you consider to be the main focus.

Keyword Search

•Use and to combine search terms and narrow results.

•Use quotations for phrases.

Boolean Logic

violence and crime

“AND”

“war on drugs” and “united states”

“war on drugs” and “united states”

Keyword Search

•Use or to expand search results.

•Use ? for plural forms and variant word endings.

Boolean Logic “OR”

violence OR crime

(drug? or marijuana) and legalization

(drug? or marijuana) and legalization

Explore Subject Headings

Subject Heading = drug legalization

Subject Heading = drug legalization

Journal Indexes• Journal indexes and databases contain

references to journal and newspaper articles.

• Indexes can be subject-specific for in-depth research or can be of a general nature.

Journal Indexes• You will find most of your

references in electronic indexes.

• These are best searched using keywords. –Apply the same keyword strategies as you would when searching for books.

How to Select a Journal Index

• Click on Indexes and Databases on the library homepage.

• Under Subject Area, click your area.

• Once you know the name of the database, enter via the alphabetical list.

Relevant Databases

• America History and Life

• Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA) Fulltext Reference

• Canadian Newsstand

Databases Continued

•Canadian Research Index•JSTOR•LEXIS/NEXIS•Medline

Databases Continued

•New York Times (Full-Text, 1851-1999)

•PAIS International•Reader’s Guide Abstracts•Web of Science

Search Example using PAIS

Search Results

Does Queen’s Have the Journal You Need?

• To find out if Queen’s has the journal, click on “Check to see if Queen’s Library has this item.”

• This searches QCAT to see if we subscribe to the journal.

• If we hold this title, the location for the print volume and/or link to the electronic copy is provided.

Search Example using Canadian Newsstand

Search Results

Full Text

Points to Remember

• Identify key words.

• Check which operators to use. – Do phrases need quotations? Is a

* used for different word endings or is it ?.

– Do words need to be connected with “and”?

Points to Remember

• Look for subject headings or descriptors in a useful record for more keyword ideas.

• Do not search QCAT by journal author or article title. Only journal title is in QCAT.

http://library.queensu.ca/reference/journals.htm

Searching the Internet

• There are no uniform standards on the Internet. Always evaluate the accuracy and quality of the information you find on the Internet.

• Always use the Advanced search capabilities of a search engine for research topics.

Use Google Advanced Search

Evaluate Your Information

Evaluation Criteria

Is it a popular or scholarly article?What is the date of publication? What are the author’s

qualifications?Why did the author write the

article/book?

Evaluate Your Information

How was the information obtained?Is the information fact, opinion or

propaganda?Are the author’s conclusions or

facts supported with references?Are there footnotes or a

bibliography?

Citation and Style Guides

For assistance go to:

http://library.queensu.ca/libguides/citationguides.htm

Any Questions?

Please Contact:Michele Chittenden

chittend@post.queensu.ca Or

Nathalie Soini

soinin@post.queensu.ca