Researching

Your Discipline

LIBRARY WORKSHOP

Sara Miller - MSU Libraries�

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https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/wra101

MSU Library Home Page / Library Site Search (top right), type WRA 101 / Click first link

CLASS MATERIALS

(LINKS IN VIDEO DESCRIPTION)

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WORKSHEET

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-m0McLhRf_ilIfNPseFPaqRRw3eGcaYGjumUNafmzHA/edit?usp=sharing

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PRESENTATION SLIDES

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZvkfR9qmi9edTxulFnOB6cf-zb34_VJK/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118372091954852216745&rtpof=true&sd=true

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WRA 101 LIBRARY COURSE GUIDE

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https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/wra101

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GETTING STARTED

WHAT IS A DISCIPLINE?

• Profession or field of study
• A specific way of looking at and interacting with the world
• Specialized languages, techniques for research and practice, theories
• A community that has conversations and produces information

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Ways to explore your discipline

• Searching
• Starting with a topic or keyword
• An issue, type of work, job title, specialization, interesting project, etc. in your field�
• Browsing
• Looking through different materials produced by your field to explore and see what’s there�
• Interviewing
• Asking specific questions of people who work in the field

“INSIDE SOURCES” : KEY TO UNDERSTANDING CULTURE

• Exploring the reading, writing, researching, and communication practices of a discipline is different from writing a report about your field or an issue in your field.

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• There may not be a written or published information source that has the specific, quotable answer you’re looking for about these parts of your field.

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• You may have to ask someone, or try and make observations by asking different questions of the information that’s available.

SOURCES FOR EXPLORING PROFESSIONAL CULTURES

Information produced by your field as a “cultural artifact”

• What kind of questions are you asking?
• What type of sources might have that information?
• What counts as a source?

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What types of information are produced

by and about your discipline?

• News and magazine stories
• Other websites
• Professional organizations or associations: trade publications
• Social media accounts - both organizational and personal
• Sources for job outlooks and demographic information
• Wikipedia & other background overviews
• Published research: scholarly articles

GETTING STARTED:

YOUR FIELD ON THE WEB & IN THE NEWS

• Information of interest to and written for the “layperson”
• Google News : public-facing aspects of your field
• Google Images: your field and its popular perception
• General and background information – places to start

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Demo: Google image/news search for “librarian”

WORKSHEET

Activity 1: Brainstorming

Your Discipline on the Internet

Take a few minutes to search Google for information about your field - news stories, images, social media, etc. Keep track of the terms or words you use to search, any issues, questions, or keywords that come up, and helpful sites that you may want to revisit.

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Search tips (in addition to Googling the name of your discipline):

• Google the title of someone’s job in your field (engineer, social worker, etc)
• Try the “News” or “Images” limiters after searching

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Keep track of your

• Search terms:

Questions, keywords, ideas, or topics in your field for further searching:

• Helpful sites or images to revisit

EXPLORING PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Provide insight into the culture of a field or discipline
• Values and ethics statements
• Glimpse into what life looks like in the field
• What do people talk about and how?
• Information on specific requirements, tests, programs, licensing, etc.
• Conferences, events, job postings
• Produce trade publications

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EXAMPLE : http://www.ala.org/

Demo: ALA.org (professional organization)

WORKSHEET

Activity 2:

Professional Organization Websites

Go to Google and look for a professional association in your field. Search “professional organization” or “professional association” with the name of your profession, discipline, or area of study. Respond to the following questions:

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• What types of information are located on this site?
• What insights might this site provide into the culture of your field?

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Write down any topics or issues being discussed in your field that catch your interest.

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INTERVIEW TIP:

• Is your interviewee affiliated with any professional organizations?
• Do they find associations useful in their field, or not? Why?
• Do they ever read professional associations’ material or write for any of their publications?

POPULAR AND TRADE SOURCES

• Popular
• General news, websites, social media, magazines, blogs
• Geared toward wide general audience

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• Trade
• Sources written for the audience of folks who work in a specific field
• Often published by professional organizations
• Field-related news and information - job postings, conferences, awards, topics of interest, etc.
• Often magazines or newsletters

EXPLORING RESEARCH IN YOUR DISCIPLINE

What does research look like in your discipline?

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY PUBLICATION�IN YOUR DISCIPLINE

• Disciplines have academics and practitioners (sometimes folks are both)
• Research occurs in every field and can look very different from one to another
• Researchers publish their findings as scholarly, peer-reviewed articles
• Disciplines have academic journals in which scholarly articles are published

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WHAT IS A SCHOLARLY ARTICLE?

• Report of research, written up by the researcher(s) who did the research
• Peer-reviewed by other researchers in that field
• Published in a scholarly journal, edited book, or conference proceedings
• Very specific and detailed, not usually broad topical overviews
• Formal, academic language specific to field
• Contain citations/works cited/bibliography

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EXAMPLE: https://doi-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1080/0361526X.2016.1270248

SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARLY AND TRADE ARTICLES

• If you have a specific topic or issue from your field to search:
• MSU Libraries: http://lib.msu.edu
• Use large search box on main page
• Choose “See More” in the “Articles” box
• FOR SCHOLARLY: Under “Limit To,” click “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals”
• FOR TRADE: under “Limit by Source Type,” click “Show More” then “Trade Publications.”

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BROWSING FOR SCHOLARLY ARTICLES

• If you want to browse scholarly journals by a field or discipline:
• BrowZine: Explore scholarly journals in your field
• https://browzine.com/libraries/118/subjects

Worksheet

Activity 3: Scholarly Journals and Articles

SEARCH BY TOPIC: Go to the MSU Library website (http://lib.msu.edu) and search for a scholarly, peer-reviewed article involving an issue, topic or aspect of your field.

• Use the main search box
• Choose “See More” in the “Articles” results box
• Under “Limit To,” click “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals”

OR:

BROWSE BY FIELD OR DISCIPLINE: Using BrowZine (https://browzine.com/libraries/118/subjects) to look through journals in your field, find a scholarly, peer-reviewed article involving an issue, topic or aspect of your field.

E-mail yourself a link to the article, or copy the citation in the style that you’re using.

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INTERVIEW TIP:

• How important is it to your interviewee read or keep up with scholarly research in their field?
• Do they ever do original research and/or write scholarly articles or book chapters?
• Is there anything that they have written - scholarly or otherwise - that they would be willing or able to share with you?

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EVALUATING DISCIPLINARY SOURCES

WHAT IS AN “AUTHORITATIVE” SOURCE?

• Who would be an authority on the question you’re asking?
• Types of authority:
• Professional expertise
• Scholarship or intensive study
• Personal experience
• Belonging to a culture or group
• Does the writer’s authority match the content?

QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING

A DISCIPLINARY SOURCE

• What type of source is it?
• Whose perspective am I reading? Whose voice is represented?
• Are the author(s) inside or outside of your field?
• What kind of authority is being used in the source?
• Where, by whom, or what organization is the information published?
• Is there any controversy that comes up in the source? How might that impact the way information is presented in the source?

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TIPS FOR USING SOURCES

• Sources may not provide quotable, exact, explicit answers to questions
• Your source can provide “evidence” for your writing in different ways:
• As an example of research, writing, communication, etc. in your field
• As an example of the way an issue is addressed in your field
• You may need to draw conclusions or create questions yourself from looking at sources as artifacts

Worksheet

Activity 4: Source Evaluation

Select one of the information sources you’ve found in class today - the scholarly article, part of a professional organization’s website, or another information source you’ve located online. Respond to the following questions about the source.

• What type of source are you working with? (popular, scholarly, trade, etc.) How can you tell?
• Whose perspective(s) is(are) represented in this source? Is it written by someone within the field, or outside of it?
• What new information does this source provide for you? What questions or insights does it address?
• How might this source work together with others in your project?

SUMMARY: DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION SOURCES

• First-hand information created by people within a field:
• Interviews, social media, websites
• General information for the public about a field of interest
• News or magazine articles, background info
• Information published by professional organizations
• Trade publications, websites, etc.
• Research articles (scholarship)
• Scholarly journals

WE’RE HERE TO HELP!

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• Course guide: https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/wra101
• Ask A Librarian 24/7 Chat: https://lib.msu.edu/contact/askalib/