Library & Archives

Before you start:

• understand the key terms you may be using as well as the general area that interests you;

• think about ways to narrow your topic, making it as specific as possible (unless you have been given a specific topic to research!);

• create a thesis statement;

• list  the main concepts (key words) included in your thesis statement (research question), then based on your readings;

• find as many synonyms as you can for each main concept. You are now ready to start searching in the library's catalogue and databases.

When you are looking for definitions or if you don’t know much about a specific subject, reference works such as dictionaries and encyclopedias become invaluable because they contain relatively short—and understandable—articles. These articles often lay out the parameters of a subject and can assist you in trying to narrow your topic. Often such articles are accompanied by lists of readings (bibliographies) which allow you to explore your topic further.

One of the very best general encyclopedias is:  The Encyclopedia Britannica.

Ontario Curriculum Documents

Growing Success:  Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario's Schools

CM: Canadian Review of Materials
Reviews Canadiana of interest to children and young adults, including publications produced in Canada, or published elsewhere but of special interest or significance to Canada, such as those having a Canadian writer, illustrator or subject. CM reviews both books and DVDs.

Worlds of Words: International Collection of Children's and Adolescent Literature, from the Univ. of Arizona College of Education.  
This Web site's mission is to promote high-quality, culturally authentic children's literature. Users may do quick or advanced searches for books and receive bibliographic information and a brief description for each book found. The site presents the option of choosing from the categories of Region, Age, or Genre. Advanced Search allows users to specify one age group, one region, and one genre but precludes choosing multiple options under a category.  Worlds of Words features two online journals: WOW Stories: Connections from the Classroom, containing vignettes written by educators about children's experiences reading and responding to literature, and WOW Review: Reading across Cultures, a quarterly whose reviews focus on the cultural authenticity of the text and illustrations. Also available are the WOW Currents blog and an events calendar limited to the University of Arizona area. Although somewhat narrowly focused, this site will be useful for teachers, parents, and librarians trying to pick the best books for children. Educators also will benefit from the teaching helps in the blog and from WOW Stories.

We cite sources to acknowledge the work of others, as well as to avoid academic dishonesty or plagiarism.

The University of Toronto  has made available a comprehensive set of guidelines on How NOT to Plagiarize .which deserves to be read by every student

You'll find copies of the new Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) in the Desmarais Library, the Curriculum Resource Centre—and in the Huntington Library.  The call number is  BF 76.7 P83 2020.  It is often referred to as the APA Manual.  

In a hurry?

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) of Purdue University has a comprehensive online guide for citing in APA.

This guide will give you general guidelines for in-text citation and for creating an APA reference list for both print and electronic documents. 

It is intended as a quick reference only.  To be certain you are have used APA style correctly, the APA Manual is most helpful.