4. Developing Assignment Instructions
Sources
Novice researchers benefit from some direction about appropriate types of sources and how to find them. In particular, students often feel overwhelmed by the number of results that are returned. Suggestions for narrowing their results can be really helpful (e.g., within a certain publication date, from a particular database, etc.). Being too stringent, however, can cause the opposite problem and students will become frustrated when they cannot find what they need.
In some cases, you may prefer to supply students with a selection of sources to use in order to allow students to focus attention on other aspects of the research process or analyze a specific type of source before they need to search for that type of source. A librarian may be able to assist you in collecting a wide variety of examples.
Strategies for Success
- Explain the purpose of using sources in the context of your assignment, why certain sources are preferred over others, and how different sources may be helpful at different stages of the assignment.
- Instead of focusing solely on specific types of sources, consider using the B.E.A.M method to help students think about how the sources they use contribute to their work.
- Check the availability of appropriate sources by doing some quick searches or asking a librarian.
- Provide definitions or descriptions of terminology or resources that may be unfamiliar to students (e.g., scholarly sources, library databases, etc.).
- Provide some direction about where to find appropriate sources.
- Provide links to additional information about finding sources (e.g., information about selecting keywords or identifying appropriate types of sources, as well as library or community resources and services).
Academic Integrity Strategies: Require printouts or digital copies (e.g., PDFs) of the sources cited. Require a recording (e.g., audio or video) of their justification for their selections. Have students submit a list of their sources for approval before they submit the final project.
Indigenization Strategies: Invite students to curate citations from Indigenous voices. De-emphasize traditional academic sources by supporting oral and other culturally-relevant sources. When learning from Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers, help students respect local Indigenous protocols. Discuss how colonial structures privilege particular voices and shape concepts of authority.
Universal Design Strategies: Ensure that all students have equitable access to appropriate sources of information. Speak with an accessibility specialist or librarian if you have any concerns.
Example Source Statements
Scholarly Articles
Browse scholarly journal articles to learn what researchers have discovered about your topic. Choose at least 4 original research articles from scholarly journals, published within the last 5 years, that offer unique or surprising insights on your topic. As you write your paper, 1 journal article per main idea generally works well, but this is not a strict rule. In some cases, for example, you may want to compare or contrast research findings from different articles. For this assignment, successful papers rarely require more than 8 articles.Google Scholar and the library search are good places to find freely available scholarly articles. Be aware that not every article you find will be an original research article, and, in addition, the full article is not always available for free on these services. To learn more about finding original research articles and how to identify them, go to Scholarly Sources or Contact the library.
NOTE: You may find dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other types of sources helpful for filling in background information (e.g., definitions, statistics, important dates) and you are welcome to cite them. However, since your ability to analyze and interpret research findings is a core learning outcome for this assignment and course, research findings from scholarly journal articles should provide the primary evidence to support your points.
News Sources
Browse newspaper articles from across Canada to learn about the key developments of your topic within the past 3 years. The library offers a newspaper database called Canadian News (available from the library’s Databases A-Z list) that may be helpful. Canadian News provides full-text articles from all major newspapers from across Canada in one place, including large publications like The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail, as well as smaller, local newspapers. If needed, contact the library for suggestions for finding appropriate news articles for your topic.Once you have identified a key development you would like to discuss, choose 2-3 articles that illustrate the variety of perspectives offered by different news outlets (e.g., Toronto Sun vs. Globe & Mail) for each development.
Websites
Use a popular search engine (e.g., Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) to explore a resource on your topic from 3 credible websites. A resource could include a webpage or article, a pdf or other document file, a video, a course or module, a meme or image, or other. Each resource should reflect a unique perspective or audience. For example, the author may be:
- an organization that supports the population group affected by the issue you are studying;
- an individual who has been affected by the issue you are studying;
- a government agency that conducts research or develops policies related to the issue you are studying;
- an organization that opposes or promotes a specific action related to the issue you are studying;
- other.
Or the audience may be:
- policy-makers;
- persons affected by the issue;
- practitioners;
- general public;
- researchers;
- other.
If you prefer, you may also collect pamphlets, posters, or other publications in print by visiting organizations within your community that address the issue you are studying. If you would like to use personal communications (i.e., interviews) with individuals impacted by the issue, please email me to discuss ethical considerations such as obtaining permission from the individual and methods for recording or capturing the information they share.
You can contact the library for help identifying appropriate search strategies for your topic and evaluating your sources.
NOTE: Artificial intelligence tools (e.g., ChatGPT), encyclopedic-type sites (e.g., Wikipedia), and news outlets (e.g., CBC.ca) may be helpful for identifying useful sites and organizations to explore but should not be used as a primary source of information about your topic. Instead, collect information directly from community organizations, government agencies, and others who are invested in the topic you are studying.
Helpful Resources
UDL: Representation[1]
Provides recommendations for presenting information in a variety of formats.
- UDL: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/representation ↵
