Depending on the type of academic work required and the time allowed, it is recommended to assess the degree of depth that the literature search must reach.

Objectives

· Differentiate the types of work offered.

· Define the documentary needs, on the basis of this work.

· Judge the nature of the information needed.

 

Development question

Exam to do in class, or homework, consisting of a few paragraphs or several pages.

Nature of information: Course notes, recommended texts, clarification of concepts (dictionaries, encyclopedias).

Review (informative or critical)

Description as faithful as possible of a reading, a fact, an event.

Nature of information: Author's book, other previously published reviews, documents allowing the work or author to be placed in their social and literary context (biographies, encyclopedias).

Technical report

A structured report in which facts or observations gathered during experiments, field trips, internships or investigations are reported.

Nature of information: General works on the discipline, encyclopedias, manuals / handbooks.

Test

Free text that allows you to express your opinions in a coherent and organized way without dealing with the subject exhaustively.

Nature of information: Variety of documents to feed his reflection.

Case Study

Systematic analysis of a situation in order to find solutions and solve a problem.

Nature of information: A variety of documents that relate the facts that help and provide a picture of the situation and study and make the correct diagnosis.

Dissertation (explanatory or argumentative)

Text that questions, doubts, brings a different or contrary vision, helps to clarify the pros or cons, the advantages and disadvantages (Variety of documents)

Nature of information: A variety of documents containing facts and ideas that describe, demonstrate, explain the subject or phenomenon.

Research work

Long text that usually involves developing a thesis and proposing arguments that support it. The goal is to discover new relationships between facts.

Nature of information: A variety of documents providing facts and ideas to define the problem and support its arguments.

To clearly differentiate between primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information, consult the page Categories of information sources Complement

 

 

 

              

Conducting more advanced research (usually at the graduate level) may require the creation of its own set of data. It is therefore important to develop good data management practices so that they can eventually be accessible, depending on their life cycle, to the entire scientific community.

Objective

• Gain an overview of the tools, methods and sources of information involved in data collection and processing.

DATA HARVESTING

Data collection consists of collecting facts that will confirm or refute one's working hypotheses.

It involves:

• Specific tools
• Rigorous methods/procedures
• Miscellaneous sources of information

 

Table adapted from: Bernard Dionne, Pour réussir : guide méthodologique pour les études et la recherche, 6e éd., Montréal, Chenelière éducation, 2013, p.152-153.

• Consultation of information sources is always necessary, regardless of the method of data production or collection. In most cases, library staff can help you identify the most relevant sources of information to consult. Consult a librarian if needed!

• Find textbooks on the subject in the Koha search tool Example: Statistical methods applied to management
• Research Data Management Topic Guide
• Support Kit for Responsible Conduct in Research-Creation

 

 

 

              

Information receives varying degrees of processing from its extraction to update it to its analysis for easy identification. Sources of information are usually classified into three broad categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Objectives

• Differentiate between broad categories of information sources.

The classification of sources may vary according to the disciplines.

 

 

• The tertiary sources of information must be used to identify effectively all the literature classified under the secondary and primary categories.

 

 

 

              

Being well organized is the key to delivering quality work on the required date.

Objectives

• Use a tool to plan the completion of your work.

SIMULATION OF A WORK CALENDAR

Session work

STAGE	ACTIVITIES	APPROXIMATE TIME	IF YOU HAVE 15 WEEKS…
1 Prep work	Choice of topic Documentary research Clarification of topic Provisional plan	20%	3 weeks (~14h)
2 Information work	Reading Complete documentary research Data collection Data analysis	40%	6 weeks (~28h)
3 Writing work	Plan Writing the text Editing Bibliography	40%	6 weeks (~28h)

 

 

There are also mobile planning applications on the web:

• iStudiez Pro or Jorte calendar and why not try this tool from the Diapason website!
• You can also simply use a weekly planner like this: Worksheet Work Schedule.docx

 

 

 

 

              

The flow of information is something that must be taken into account when preparing research on a current topic. Here is an example:

The Lac-Mégantic rail accident occurred on July 6, 2013 at 1:14 a.m.

An event occurs. Following this event, documents are created at different times to report the facts, analyze it and make an assessment of it. The resulting information over time may then be factual, subjective, technical or scientific.

 

A few minutes later...

At 1:58 a.m., the event was reported on Twitter and  picked up the following hours elsewhere by the web, possibly on radio and TV.

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
All audiences	Descriptive	Citizens and journalists	50 to 2000 words	Brief, instantaneous, fast	Informative	Internet, Newswires (Factiva, Eureka)

 

 

 

 

 

The following days:

The week following the Lac-Mégantic accident, 152 articles appeared in La Presse alone.

Ex.: Meunier, H. (2013, July 8). 6000 Méganticois, 6000 dramas. La Presse, p.  A3

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
All audiences	Descriptive	Journalists, some specialists	50 to 2000 words	Graphics, analysis, photo, opinion	Somewhat neutral	Log index. Ex: Eureka

 

 

 

 

 

The following weeks:

Articles appear in popular periodicals of general interest.

E.g. Longchamps, R. (2013). Upper Hearts Lac-Mégantic, Tuesday, July 23, 2013. White Night, (132), 24-25.

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
All audiences	Current affairs, popular topics	Journalists, writers	250 to 5000 words	Report, discussion, photo, opinion	May be subjective: editorial	Index of periodicals. Ex: Benchmark

 

 

 

 

 

The following months:

Articles appear in academic and scholarly journals as well as reports. Conferences can be held on the subject.

Ex. : Champkin, J. (2013). A carriage full of curates.  Significance, 10(5), 30-31.

Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). (2013, March 11). TSB Engineering Laboratory Report. (LP148/2013). Gatineau: TSB.

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
Researchers, specialists and students	Search results, reflections	Subject matter specialists	2,500 to 10,000 words	Detailed study, statistical analysis, graphs, bibliographic references	Objective, neutral. Technical language	Index of periodicals. Ex: Scopus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two years later...

Conference proceedings having been published in previous years, books and theses dealing with the subject appeared in the following years.

E.g. Beaupré, E. (2013).  Lac-Mégantic: the images of tragedy, a story of unfailing solidarity. Montreal: Character.

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
All audiences	Analysis	Subject matter specialists	150 pages or more	From general discussion to detailed analysis	That of the author	Research tools. Ex: Sofia

 

 

 

 

 

Ten years later...

Knowledge and understanding of the event or topic is established. It is referred to in reference works such as encyclopedias.

E.g.: Wikipedia flags an article...

Public	Type of info	Author	Length	Content	Point of view	Where to find?
All audiences	Facts, overview	Subject matter specialists	1 to 10 pages	State of knowledge	Current point of view, objective	Research tools. Ex: Sofia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              

THE CYCLE OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION PRODUCTION

  RESEARCH IDEA

Information not published at this stage.

• Definition of the problem and hypotheses
• Review of the writings produced
• Reflections on the idea
• Production of research data (e.g. laboratory notes)

To access this information, you need to know the creator of it.

  INFORMAL COMMUNICATIONS

Information not published at this stage.

• Discussion of the first results or conclusions with colleagues interested in the topic.

To access this information, you must be part of this invisible college or try to integrate into this professional network.

  UNPUBLISHED LECTURES

Information sometimes publicly available at this stage.

• Oral presentation only of research and initial findings at conferences in order to gather feedback from the scientific community.

To access this information, you must attend the conference.

Sometimes speakers self-publish their manuscript on the Web. These documents do not yet have a "scientific" status since they are not validated by the scientific community.

  RESEARCH REPORTS

Information published outside the major distribution channels.

• This is called grey literature. It consists of preprints, reports, dissertations and theses.

Information often available in institutional repositories or from organizations.

  ARTICLES

Information published by an editor in conference proceedings or in peer-reviewed or non-peer-reviewed journals.

• Research results are deemed worthy enough to be presented to the scientific community.

To access this information, you have to subscribe to the journals or get the records yourself if you have a lot of money) or through libraries.

The open access movement makes a small portion of these publications freely available. Many search results fail to achieve this publication status.

  DOCUMENTARY DATABASES

Information product developed by a publisher that lists articles.

• These products therefore allow the identification of articles although sometimes the full text may be there. Some databases are free like PubMed and ERIC but otherwise they are usually paid.

To consult them, you pay a subscription yourself (if you have a lot of money) or you use the library.

If the search results are published in a secondary journal, the content of that review may not be reported in the searched database.

  BOOKS

Product published by a publisher.

• The scientific research that has become well established in articles ends up being described in books.

You can buy the books or use the ones from the library.

The majority of search results will never be mentioned in books.

  REFERENCE WORKS

Product published by a publisher.

• Standard vocabulary, best practices, state-of-the-art and major scientific consensus on a subject are condensed from articles and books into textbooks, handbooks and encyclopedias.

You can buy the (often expensive) reference books or use the ones from the library.

A minority of research results will be large enough to be retrieved from reference works.

 

 

 

 

              

Once you have chosen your research topic, it is useful to identify it and specify the purpose of the work to be done in order to establish a strategy that will make it possible to find the right documents.

Objectives

• Adopt an effective strategy to clearly identify a research topic.
• Define the purpose of the academic work to be done.

DELINEATE YOUR SUBJECT

In order to properly define the topic, it is necessary to examine it from several angles by asking questions about the priority aspects to be studied, the groups of individuals concerned, the importance of the geographical context or the period of time to be considered. Then, we summarize all these elements in one sentence of a few lines:

• Use meaningful, precise words.
• If possible, formulate the sentence as a question.

EXAMPLE

What is the role and impact of labour market integration programs among young Quebec university graduates over the past 5 years?

This summary sentence will later be useful in establishing a search strategy in documentary databases.

IDENTIFY YOUR SUBJECT

Worksheet Defining your topic.docx

In the form below, answer the questions according to the chosen topic. Refer to the example as necessary to clarify the meaning of the question.

General theme of work

General theme of work

What?

What are the aspects that interest me? What are the components of the question?

What answer

Who?

Which specific groups are affected by the issue?

Who answers

When?

What is the time period? Is it a specific time? Can it be circumscribed in time?

When to reply

Where?

What is the geographical context? Can we limit it to a particular region? Country?

Where answer

Comment?

What approaches or points of view should be considered? Historical? Sociological? Economical? Statistics? Legal? Scientist? Ethics?

How to respond

What for?

What is the meaning or importance of the topic? What are the implications? Why should we care?

Why answer

What questions would I like to answer?

Questions and answers

PURPOSE OF THE WORK

The choice of methodology and the selection of documents depend on the purpose of the work.

Some examples of links between purpose and methodology

Purpose of the work	Possible methodology
Inform, present facts	Review of writings (Historical method)
Tracing the evolution of an idea or a school of thought	Review of writings (Historical method)
Analyze a situation, an event	Content analysis Interview Data analysis
Test a hypothesis	Data analysis Observation
Propose a solution to a problem	Case Study

• By clarifying the purpose of the work and clearly identifying the topic, it is easier to establish an effective research strategy.
•  

Links / Documents

• For examples of information sources based on methodology, see the data collection table.

 

 

 

              

Depending on the need for information, it is important to choose the appropriate type of document and identify the most effective search tool to locate this document.

The professor often provides a list of documents to be consulted.  By reading these references, it is possible to identify the type of document in question. It is then easier to take the appropriate actions to obtain and consult it.

Objectives

• Know the main types of documents and their usefulness.
• Identify the most effective search tools according to the type of document desired.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOCUMENTS

• A commentary with its informative value;
• An example of a reference;
• The most effective tool(s) to spot it.

 

 

Informative value

Proceedings are the collection of papers presented at congresses, symposia or scholarly meetings, by researchers or specialists. Each paper, often confused with a journal article, contains a detailed summary of the presentation made by one or more researchers.

This type of document addresses the latest research findings on very specific topics. This content often precedes that published in articles.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

 Specialized databases

 Google Scholar

 KOHA

  Google

 

 

 

Informative value

Archives are the preferred sources for documenting the past.

Whether personal, administrative, financial or technical, they are essential materials for history. They can also provide information on the causes of an event or a present situation (e.g. old construction or development plans).

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  BNF (National Library of France)

  France archives

  Specialized databases

 Google

 

 

Informative value

It provides factual, political and statistical information on local, national and international current events.

Topics are often treated from an informative rather than analytical point of view.

Newspaper articles update data, present various facts, provide information on the latest political, cultural or scientific developments, for example, and provide timely information that may be more difficult to find in other sources of information, as is the case, for example, with certain statistical information.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

   Google

 KOHA

 

 

Informative value

Journal articles offer specific information, with a variable level of analysis but usually deeper than a journal article. Its content is often more current than in books.

To distinguish the types of journals, consult the Journals in Review table  in the Analyze Information module.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

 Google Scholar

 KOHA

 

 

Informative value

A patent is a legal document issued by governments for new products or processes with industrial applications.

The patent provides access to technical and strategic information not found in scholarly journals.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

   Espacenet Patent Search

   Specialized databases

  Google Scholar

  Google

 

 

 

This type of document helps to visualize the reality of a territory. The multiple forms of representation help to understand and situate the phenomena of physical geography as well as social, political, economic, etc. phenomena.

These may include topographical, geological, climatic, ecoforestry maps, plans (land use or other), aerial photographs, etc.

  Map library

  Specialized databases

 KOHA

  Google

 

 

 

Reference books to consult at the beginning of the research because they provide factual information.

Encyclopedias contain articles that take stock of major topics (general or specialized) and are usually written by specialists. .

For an overview of dictionary types with suggestions for good dictionaries, see the Useful Resources page of the Writing Your Work module  of Infosphere.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  KOHA

  Google

 

 

These documents of historical and artistic value are not only a source of testimony to document a work, but are also the object of analysis at the cinematographic level.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

 Library

  Specialized databases

   Google

 

 

This type of information makes it possible to describe qualitatively and quantitatively a current situation. In addition to statistical data, financial, marketing and geospatial data can also be used.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Eurostat

  Specialized databases

 Google

 

 

Informative value

The images, illustrations, photos, engravings, etc. bring a dynamism to the text that favors its reading. Its visual elements can sometimes better express concepts that are much more difficult to translate into words or can document an event. Finally, images and other visual productions are also the object of analysis in arts disciplines.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

   Google

 

 

We consult the books to take stock of our subject, find arguments and support the ideas we want to formulate.

In general, books deal with a subject in some depth and often refer to well-known people, events, research, past or contemporary facts. However, some books such as novels, stories, short stories, etc. are the subject of literary analysis or criticism.

Sometimes only part of a book is retained for work. The reference is then made only to this part. This is commonly the case with book chapters.

In the field of education, books are designed for didactic purposes and are given the name "Textbooks". Among the manuals, there are "handbooks" that give quick and convenient access to basic information and the state of the art of certain practices in specific disciplinary areas. They contain, for example, factual information, statistics, graphs, tables, equivalencies or procedures.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

   KOHA

  Google

 

 

Legal collections present the legal aspect of a fact, situation or event. They are varied in nature: laws, regulations, conventions, jurisprudence, treaties.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

  Google

  KOHA

 

Standards rarely have the force of law, but the precepts they contain enshrine best practices in a professional field. For example, standards may describe important features of a product, service or system. They are intended, among other things, to ensure a certain uniformity for trade between nations that do not necessarily have the same regulations.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Specialized databases

  KOHA

   Google

 

 

A preprint presents content equivalent to that of scientific articles but whose peer review is not completed. This allows research results to be communicated more quickly to speed up access to new research results and stimulate the work of other experts in the field. It is then important to validate afterwards that the peer review confirms the results of the prepublication.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

   Google Scholar

 

Government and international publications (IMP) consist mainly of official documents of ministries and public agencies. It contains a variety of documents ranging from simple brochures to a wide variety of reports. The most common reports are commission reports, technical and scientific reports, and annual reports.

Other legal entities produce annual reports and scientific and technical reports such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), companies, associations or pressure groups.

Technical or research reports often contain up-to-date information that will not be found anywhere else. They study a well-defined reality in time, synthesize the opinions expressed and propose recommendations, following specific mandates, often governmental or international organizations.

Annual reports provide a portrait and balance sheet of an organization or business for a given year. They provide information on the management and finances of companies and provide information on the strategic directions of companies or organizations.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

  Government sources

  International Organizations

  Specialized databases

   Google

  KOHA

 

 

 

Tests are instruments for measuring or evaluating subjects. In the context of UQAM, they are particularly used in research concerning education, vocational development, psychology and sexology.

According to Rénald Legendre's Dictionnaire actuel de l'éducation (3rd edition of 2005, p.1375), there are two main categories of tests:

• tests related to teaching disciplines such as diagnostic, ranking, performance, proficiency tests
• tests related to general development such as tests of aptitude, intellectual functioning, personality, attitudes, social functioning, interests, physical worth factors (PPF)

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

   Specialized databases

   KOHA

 

 

These research reports are specifically written in the context of university graduate studies and present the authors' findings.

These documents contain unpublished information that brings together most of the literature on a problem and exposes the different points of view of the author's reflection.

What is the most effective tool to spot them?

   Specialized databases

  KOHA

  Google Scholar

 

Bear in mind

• Google is not always the most effective search tool. It really depends on the type of document you are looking for.

• By knowing how to distinguish the types of documents, it is easier to identify those that will be useful for the realization of a particular research work.

 

• Use the worksheet feuille_de_travail the characteristics of the documentation to use.docx to  use to identify its needs.
• National Library of France (BNF)
• France archives
• Publications Office of the European Union

 

 

 

              

By specifying the types of documents to be explored, it will be easier to identify the search tools to be used. The form below can be used to record the characteristics of the documentation potentially useful for carrying out an academic work.

feuille_de_travail characteristics of the documentation to be used.docx

Period

Of:

MonthMoisJanfévmaravrmaijuinjuiaoûsepoctnovdéc

DayJour12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

YearAnnée202020212022202320242025

At:

MonthMoisJanfévmaravrmaijuinjuiaoûsepoctnovdéc

DayJour12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

YearAnnée202020212022202320242025

Places

Places

Tongue

Tongue

Domain

domain

Type d'information

t_information_o1

Topicality

Historical

Theoretical

Statistics

t_information_o2

Statistics

Scientist

 Technic

Popularization

Type of documents

t_documents_o1

Colloquium proceedings

Archives

Newspaper articles

Journal articles

Patents

Documentaries / films

Data

Dictionaries / Encyclopedias

Cards

Images / photos

t_documents_o2

Books / Handbooks

Acts and Regulations

Standards

Preprints

Government publication

Commerce

Statistics

 Tests

Theses / dissertations

Other

Titles already known

titres_connus

Web Site

Web sites

Research tools

Tools search