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Library Research Workshop

EDUC 6000 Fall 2026

Susie Breier

Susie.breier@concordia.ca

bit.ly/4pdxCuh

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Susie Breier (she/her/elle)�Education Librarian

AskUs Desk:�Wednesdays 1-3 pm

FIND ME:

Google: �concordia library education

concordia.ca/library/guides/education�

�

AskSusie: �book a consult with me �

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thanks

for your responses:

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TODAY

Using the library / getting help
Search tools
Search strategies
Citation (Zotero & more)

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USING THE LIBRARY & GETTING HELP

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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USING THE LIBRARY

WHY BOTHER?
WHAT SHOULD EVERY STUDENT KNOW?

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Support for Grad Students

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Getting help in the Library

Ask Us desk, chat, email or phone

FOR QUICK OR GENERAL QUESTIONS

Google: ask concordia library

2) Contact your subject librarian

FOR MORE IN-DEPTH DISCIPLINE-BASED CONSULTATIONS

Icons on this slide are from the noun project

If you have a quick or a general question, you can come to the Ask Us desk in person at one of the libraries. Or you can use chat, email or phone. But if you want to get more in depth or if you have a question that's specifically related to your subject, or if you just want to get advice, or have a more complex consultation, you can contact your subject librarian.

I really want to drive home that no questions are bad questions and that we are here to help, but let me give you a few examples of questions we get frequently to give you an idea of how we can help:

“I need to develop a research data management plan for my dissertation research, where can I start?”

Or “I'm nearly finished with my studies and I want to publish my work what journals should I consider and how can I make my work open access?”

“I need to do a literature review. How can I be sure I'm searching all the important sources?”

Or say you need to find company reports or demographic statistics or patents or geospatial data, archival documents, sound recordings, curriculum materials, chemical properties, anything else – in all these cases, a librarian will be able to help you identify the resources that you need to consult to find the information that you need.

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Susie Breier (she/her/elle)�Education Librarian

AskUs Desk:�Wednesdays 1-3 pm

FIND ME:

Google: �concordia library education

concordia.ca/library/guides/education�

�

AskSusie: �book a consult with me �

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TODAY – checklist 1

Using the library / getting help
Search tools
Search strategies
Citation (Zotero & more)

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Search tools /

ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS - 1

Sofia
Library Databases
Google Scholar
GenAI-based Research Tools

see also the module: Choosing your Search Tool from our Critical Toolkit for Navigating Information

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS - 2

Sofia
Library Databases
Google Scholar
GenAI-based Research Tools

see also the module: Choosing your Search Tool from our Critical Toolkit for Navigating Information

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ACCESSING STUFF

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS - 3 �Sofia

Sofia�

Discovery Tool for Concordia Library (and beyond)
use to access known items at Concordia (and beyond)
unsophisticated & unsatisfying for advanced searching
can use to search for books

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Sofia: ACCESSING STUFF:

Find what we own: books, videos, articles �
REQUEST material from Quebec University Libraries & libraries around the world�
Try quick topic searches�
Introductory Video:

Searching Sofia

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real life example from last week

student looking for the chapter Crisis Demands in the book Anti-Crisis by Janet Roitman

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Sofia: REQUESTING STUFF

Quick How-to Videos:

Requesting Books (print books)

Requesting Articles & Chapters (online)

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SEARCHING for ACADEMIC SOURCES

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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�find relevant academic sources on your topic �

where would YOU search?

TELL YOUR NEIGHBOUR

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ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS 2

Sofia
Library Databases
Google Scholar
GenAI-based Research Tools

see also the module: Choosing your Search Tool from our Critical Toolkit for Navigating Information

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS –�Library Databases

2. Library Databases (400+ at Concordia Library):�

by Subject/Discipline. ex: Education Source & ERIC
by Type of souce: scholarly encyclopedias, news, film/video, government publications….
Advanced search options: boolean searching, filters by date, format/source, peer-review; subject indexes; but little or no natural language capabilities
Subsciption-based, ‘legitimate’ search tools with replicable search results
Often not as effective for wide-ranging, “needle in a haystack”, very recent searches

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Library Databases

on different platforms�

EBSCO:

Education Source
ERIC
Academic Search Complete�
Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts (ProQuest)�
PscycINFO (APA Psychnet)�
Web of Science (Clarivate)

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Library Databases - BOOLEAN SEARCH�sample search - Advanced Search mode

("disciplin* disproportionality" OR "disciplin* disparit*" OR"disproportionate discipline" OR "discipline gap" OR “exclusionary discipline”) ��AND

�(transgender OR “gender identity” OR “gender nonconforming” OR “gender non-conforming” OR tgnc OR “gender divers*” OR nonbinary OR non-binary)

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Library Databases - BOOLEAN SEARCH�sample search - Advanced Search mode

(discipline OR punish*)

AND

("sexual orientation" OR LGBTQ* OR queer OR homosexual* OR "gender identity" OR "sexual identity")

AND

(youth or young or adolesc* or teen* OR school)

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�Library Databases where to

FIND THEM

on the Concordia Library website:

Database Finder

Subject Guides�for example:

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�… and Subject Guides list many more resources

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QUESTIONS ABOUT LIBRARY DATABASES?

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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why does it matter so much where you search?

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS 3

Sofia
Library Databases
Google Scholar
GenAI-based Research Tools

see also the module: Choosing your Search Tool from our Critical Toolkit for Navigating Information

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS –�Google Scholar

3. Google Scholar:�

Effective for wide-ranging or “needle in a haystack” searches
“Cited by” feature for snowball searching, finding RECENT sources
No advanced filters such as source type, peer-review
Keyword searching only, no subject indexes
Results not fully replicable, search algorithms and source list hidden
**Can set it up to access/connect to Concordia online resources**

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BOOLEAN SEARCH Comparison�Library Databases vs Google Scholar

(discipline OR punish*)

AND

("gender identity" OR "sexual identity" OR "sexual orientation" OR LGBTQ* OR queer OR homosexual*)

AND

(youth or young or adolesc* or teen* OR school)

(discipline OR punishment)

("gender identity" OR "sexual identity" OR "sexual orientation" OR LGBTQ OR queer OR homosexuality)

(youth OR young OR adolescents OR teens OR school)

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Search strategies: Boolean operators and more

use OR for alternative terms / ideas / synonyms

use quotation marks " " for phrases

DON'T need to use AND (it is implied)

DON'T use * (happens automatically)

use OR for alternative terms / ideas / synonyms

use quotation marks " " for phrases

use AND to combine concepts

use * to substitute word endings

GOOGLE SCHOLAR

LIBRARY DATABASES (EBSCO etc)

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QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOLEARN SEARCHING?

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

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TODAY – checklist 2

Using the library / getting help
Search tools
Search strategies
Citation (Zotero & more)

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Found some articles in library databases or Google Scholar? Now is the time to save them to a citation manager.

ZOTERO

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS 4

Sofia
Library Databases
Google Scholar
GenAI-based Research Tools

see also the module: Choosing your Search Tool from our Critical Toolkit for Navigating Information

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�ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS –�GenAI Research - and Academic - Tools

library.concordia.ca/help/ai/

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GenAI based Research Tools

SLIDE SET:

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�

ACADEMIC RESEARCH TOOLS –�GenAI-based Research Tools

AI-based Research Tools
for Literature Discovery & Review�
Offer searching, synthesis and/or mapping; features evolving almost daily
Based on natural language functionality; extremely fast and efficient
Searches are usually NOT REPLICABLE - even when you record your prompts
Searches mostly limited to open-access sources rather than subscription-based sources; very little book or chapter content
Mostly based on fee based personal subscription and/or freemium model
Countless ever-evolving ethical, privacy, social, environmental issues

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GenAI based Research Tools - infographic overview

created by ChatGPT using the prompt: Can you produce an infographic that contrasts Google scholar and competitors such as Semantic Scholar and OpenAlex, which have some AI-powered features and options, with GenAI-based tools such as Perplexity, Elicit, SciteAnc Consensus. And somewhere in between lives Reseach Rabbit, which uses AI but is not a Large Language Model tool?

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TODAY – checklist 3

Using the library / getting help
Search tools
Search strategies
Citation (Zotero & more)

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ZOTERO

SAMPLE FOOTER TEXT

what is it?
why use it?

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ZOTERO IS A CITATION MANAGER

build a database of your research material

organize your citations

generate bibliographies

integrate with Word processing software

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2) Manage references in your desktop application

or use the Web browser version

1) save citations via a browser extension

3) Enter saved citations within writing software and automatically generate a bibliography

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SOME ZOTERO BASICS

ZOTERO instruction SLIDES�

ZOTERO G rad Workshops at Concordia

ZOTERO Group/Shared Libraries

Quick Videos:

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Citations & References

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but why do we care so much about citing??

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Thoughts about citing and citational practices

To avoid plagiarism, and to acknowledge other people's work.�
you are citing and creating citations because it is important to recognize what work and ideas are your own or are simply shared with another.�
No discovery is found in a vacuum, and knowledge always informs itself�
Well, I think lineage is important, an ideas family ties.

YOUR THOUGHTS

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CASE STUDY (and personal aside):

vocational awe

what is it and who came up with the idea?

where has it ended up when cited without sufficient care?

In Pursuit of Passion (alternate link) example 2 (subtler)

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Thoughts about citing and citational practices

This is a challenge for all of us: Reflect on the way you approach referencing the work of others in your own writing, presenting and thinking. Whose work do you build on to make arguments ... Who are you citing, and why do you cite them (and not others)?�Eve Tuck, K. Wayne Yang, Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández,"Citation Practices" Critical Ethnic Studies, April 2015

I am interested in how references, citations, and bibliographies are central to the project of black studies. …I believe that bibliographies and endnotes and references and sources are alternative stories that can, in the most generous sense, centralize the practice of sharing ideas about liberation and resistance and writing against racial and sexual violence. �Katherine McKittrick, writing "Footnotes (Books and Papers Scattered about the Floor)", Dear Science and Other Stories, 2021

See also, from our Critical Information Literacy Toolkit: Who's Citing Whom and Inclusive Voices

more THOUGHTS ABOUT CITING