SEE 101W / 110: Library research guide

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If you need help, please contact Shiyi Xie, Liaison Librarian at 778-782-8023 or shiyi_xie@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian

This web page is intended to help you with your SEE 101W &110 assignments.  

Literature search strategy 

What words will you use to search for information? For your essay question, what are the most important concepts? What are some alternative terms you could use for them? Also check the slides from the library instruction for details on how to create an effective search strategy. 

"nursing homes" OR "long-term care" OR LTC
eldercare OR senior* OR aged
Robots (device/application) OR Robotics (concept)
Eldertech

Combine the terms with the issue e.g., privacy, bias, equity, environmental, etc. 

Information resources 

Background information 

A. Reference

You should begin your research by looking for background information on your topic. This information is often found in reference books (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks). 

The reference books that are useful to you will really depend on your topic. Here are some online reference books that might include background information on your topic:

B. Books

Books and book chapters--especially their introductions--can be very useful as background sources. 

Use the default search on the Library home page ("Library Search") Books will appear in the middle column. 

  • Tips on using Subject Headings: Check a book's subject headings  (listed under Details) in the catalogue record that can be used to find books about your topic. For example, the  book Solar photovoltaic power optimization includes the following subject headings, both broader and narrower, which may help you find different/better sources: Photovoltaic power generation; Solar energy; Renewable energy sources; Solar power; Alternate energy sources; Sustainable energy sources; Photovoltaic energy conversion. When you click on any subject heading, you can find more books about the same topic.

    See the SFU Library Catalogue Search Guide

Specific Titles: You may also wish to narrow your search to our technical e-book collections, such as: 

  • Knovel: Collection of technical handbooks, including chemicals and formulae
  • SpringerLink: Publisher platform that includes books, handbooks, encyclopedias, and more
  • Access Engineering: McGraw Hill engineering reference and teaching platform
  • Taylor & Francis eBooks: Taylor and Francis platform for e-books and reference works
  • Wiley Online Library: Wiley's platform for e-books, reference works, and more

Oxford Very Short Introductions provides readers with a quick and accessible entry point to a wide range of subject areas -- including science, history, philosophy, sociology, and more

C. Review articles 

Review articles are an important source of background information and can be helpful when starting with your topic. They synthesize key research and are typically written by experts in the field. The valuable bibliography included in a relevant review article can save you time in literature searching. You can find review articles in databases of journal records. 

Research articles 

Selected databases for journal articles and conference papers. 

  • EI Compendex: Covers the core literature of engineering
  • Web of Science: Multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research
  • Scopus: Multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research
  • Environment Complete: Provides articles on all aspects of the environment: from renewable energy and pollution to environmental technology and urban planning.
  • Business Source Complete: Indexes journals which examine commodities from economic and financial perspectives

See SFU Library's Database page for a full list of SFU databases by discipline

Current events

  • Factiva: Provides a wide range of information from newspapers, newswires, industry publications, websites, and company reports. Factiva Expert Search are pre-built searches for narrowing a search, and the News Sentiment search is an easy way to find articles on a person or topic with a negative or positive perspective
  • Nexis Uni: Indexes newspapers from around the world, in English and other languages. Includes transcripts from the major television and radio networks

Refer to the following guides for resources: 

Data/Statistics

  • Statista: Statistics portal that integrates statistics from thousands of sources, on topics related to business, media, public policy, health and others   

Refer to the Data & Statistics Information Guide for selected resources that are drawn from national agencies, intergovernmental organizations and other official sources of statistics. 

Analysis/Opinion/Opposing viewpoints

  • Newspaper opinion columns (See Current Events above). For example, in Factiva you can limit your searches to Analyses or Commentaries/opinions under Subject > Content Type   
  • General Interest Magazines: include The New Yorker, The Tyee, The Walrus, The Atlantic, etc. News databases, such as Factiva, Nexis Uni, and Press Reader, contain magazines.
  • Canadian Points of View: A database of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue
  • The Conversation.ca:  "An independent source of news and views, from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public"
  • "Reversals in psychology" blog post: Psychology results that have been irreplicable. Includes research on the Stanford prison experiment, Milgram experiment, screen time and wellbeing, etc.
  • Retraction Watch: Blog and database that tracks retractions in the scientific literature

Grey literature 

Grey literature is information produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, datasets/statistics, patents, reports (annual, research, technical, project, etc.), working papers, government documents, white papers and evaluations. 

Refer to the Grey literature guide for where and how to find it. Also, see the following guides for resources on certain types of grey literature:

Government agencies

Provide policy documents, plans, reports, statistics, and data. For example, 

Information evaluation 

Popular/non-scholarly sources inform and entertain the general public. Examples include newspapers, magazines, trade journals, popular books, data and statistical publications and compilations, letters to editors, and book reviews.

Scholarly sources disseminate research among professionals within disciplines. Examples include journals, conference proceedings, research monographs, theses and dissertations, and patents.

Quality check for journal articles

Many databases allow you to limit to peer-reviewed journal articles. We also use Ulrich's Periodical Directory to find out whether a journal is peer-reviewed. 

Use the Journal Citation Report database to find a journal's Impact Factor (JIF) and the rankings of journals in many subject categories. 

See the following guides as needed: 

Source evaluation frameworks

Many source evaluation frameworks are available, including SIFT and RADAR, which are introduced below. Each framework has its own strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself relevant questions when evaluating a specific information source.

SIFT method: "Four Moves" for quickly assessing sources

This fact-checking method is about quickly assessing and evaluating information -- before you invest in reading or viewing a source. 

SIFT is made up of four "moves": 

  • Stop
  • Investigate the source
  • Find better coverage
  • Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context.

 Tip: Remember your purpose. It's easy to spend a lot of time on fact-checking -- but depending on your goal, quick checks may be all you need.

 Stop

Before you read or share something, ask yourself:

  • Do you know the website or source of the information?
  • What is the reputation of the claim and the website?

If you don't know, use the other moves to learn more. 

 Investigate the source

Before you read or watch something, it's good to know where the information came from.

What's the creator's expertise, or agenda (or both)?

 Find better coverage

To find out if a claim is controversial or represents wide consensus, look for how the subject is covered by:

  • a trusted source, or:
  • multiple sources, to see if experts agree.

Understanding the context and history of a claim will give you a strong foundation for further investigation (if you choose to go further!).

 Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context 

What is the context? Did the original source make the same points? 

Trace the claim, quote, or media back to the original source to get the full picture.

More about the SIFT method

The brief summary here of the SIFT method was adapted from Michael Caulfield's SIFT (The Four Moves), under CC BY 4.0.

RADAR method of evaluating sources

The RADAR framework is a system for heping students evaluate the relevance, reliability, and quality of any resource.

 Relevance

Does the source relate to your topic or answer your research question? Does it meet the requirements for the assignment? Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is the one you will use?

 Authority

Is the author known as an expert in the field? Does the author work for a reputable institution, e.g. a university, research center or government? Does anyone cite this author/work? Does the author rely on other well-cited works? Is there contact information, e.g. a publisher or email address?

 Date

Has the information been revised or updated? Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well? If older, is this a seminal or landmark work? Are the links functional?

 Appearance

Was the work published by a peer-reviewed journal, academic press or other reliable publisher? Was the information reviewed by an editor or a subject expert before it was published? Do the references support the author's argument? Are the references properly cited? Can you verify any of the information in another source? Does the source look professional? Are there advertisements, typographical errors, or biased language?

 Reason

Why was the information created? Appropriate information sources are created: to educate by spreading scholarly information; sometimes but not always to persuade the reader; never to entertain or sell something.

More about the RADAR method

See: J. Mandalios, “RADAR: An approach for helping students evaluate Internet sources,” J. Inf. Sci., Vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 470-478, 2013.

Citing sources

When citing sources, you will need to use a citation style. It is always important to cite your sources. Citing your sources allows you to give credit to the original researchers, to point your reader(s) to where you found information, and to show that you know how to correctly cite sources.

IEEE style guides:

APA style guides:

Avoiding plagiarism 

SFU library guides:

IEEE guidelines: 

APA guidelines: 

Writing Resources

SLC Writing Resources
Writing Thesis Statements
Book a Peer Consultation

Owned by: Shiyi Xie
Last revised: 2025-05-05