This document provides an overview of library resources for researching women in the economy. It discusses finding journal articles using databases and search tips, evaluating primary and secondary sources, and using other tools like data sources and citation guides. The document encourages evaluating sources using the CRAAP test and offers help from library staff including the liaison librarian.

1. WOMEN IN THE ECONOMY:
LIBRARY RESOURCES
Jennifer Thiessen, Liaison Librarian for
Women’s and Gender Studies

2. Our agenda
• Finding journal articles
• Choosing a database/tool
• Search tips
• Evaluating
• Primary vs. secondary
sources
• Popular vs. academic
• Other tools
• Writing/citing
• Questions? Help?
Jobs for Girls and Women by Vintaga Posters

3. Getting started
• Find a research topic (Need help? Look at course
readings, browse an encyclopedia, see what’s in the
news)
• Find keywords in your topic
• What are the effects of childbearing on labor supply?
• Generate search terms
• Look for subject headings/descriptors, use synonyms, read
abstracts, use your own knowledge of the topic, etc.
• Choose database/s
• Search
• Evaluate

4. Why use databases?

5. Getting to the databases
Library website >
Databases >
Women’s Studies

6. Limit to peer-review…

7. Or not.

8. Look for subject headings to focus your search

9. More Search Tips
• Use quotation marks for phrases
• “unpaid work”; “educational leadership”
• Use * to search for alternate endings
• Canad* = Canada, Canadian, etc.; work* = work, works, working, etc.
• Use synonyms
• work, labor, labour, job, employment, etc.
• childbearing, pregnancy, fertility, etc.
• Too many results?
• Use limits (peer-reviewed, date, language, etc.)
• Add additional keywords; get more specific
• Too few results?
• Remove one or more keywords
• Go broader (e.g. search Canada instead of Ontario)

10. Other tools
• Primary sources
• First-hand accounts
Sarah Cowper's Diary, Volume 1, 1700-1702, Defining Gender, 1450-1910

11. Other tools…
• Primary sources
• Data
• Statistics
• http://researchguides.library.brocku.ca/data

12. • Use from the Library website
• Why use Google Scholar?
o Another “database”
o Find works that cite a particular
article/book
o Watch: Get Better Results with
Google Scholar

13. CRAAP
Test
http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf
• For evaluating
books, journals,
websites, etc.
(i.e. Can I use this in
my paper/assignment?)

14. Writing and Citing
• Many databases offer citation tools

15. More citation help:
• APA Style Quick Guide
(Dalhousie University)
• APA Style Guide
(Purdue Online Writing Lab)
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association
Catalogue record for print copy in our library.

16. Need help?
http://bit.ly/womenintheeconomy

17. For more help…
•See the Library Help pages
•Contact the Library Help Desk
•905-688-5550 x. 3233 or use email form
•Contact your liaison librarian:
•Jennifer Thiessen (phone, chat, email)