Business Administration: GMGT 1010 - Harmatz

Click the links below to jump to sections: 

• Types of Sources
• Criteria for Evaluating your Sources
• Stop and Think before you Search! 
• How to Get Started
• Craft your Research Questions
• Create you Argument
• Find information to support your argument - Web sources 
• Find information to support your argument - Digitized and print sources 
• Additional Resources 
• Writing & Citing (opens new page)

Primary Sources are:

• Documents/records containing first hand information or original data on a topic
• Works created at the time of an event or by someone who witnessed or experienced an event
• Examples:
  • Journals, letters, and diaries
  • Speeches, videos, transcripts, and interviews
  • Data
  • Newspaper articles that report on current events

Secondary Sources are:

• Created after primary sources and often talk about primary sources
• Works that offer additional opinions (sometimes called bias), analysis, and conclusions on a past event or on a primary source
• Examples:
  • History books
  • Scholarly journal articles
  • Newspaper articles that examine events that happened in the past

Five standards to consider:

• Currency
• Relevancy
• Authority
• Accuracy                              
• Purpose

      CRAAP test                    

For more information on the CRAAP test, review the following two videos:

• Evaluating Sources. "Evaluating Sources" by Western Libraries (20212) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Evaluating Websites "Using the C.R.A.P. Test to Evaluate Websites" by Portland State University Library (2019) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC)

What are you trying to find? What is your working thesis statement?

• First, get an idea of the context
• TOPIC: Analyze the impact that Manitoba Hydro is having on indigenous communities
• NARROW YOUR TOPIC
  • Ask background questions: Who, What, Where, When and Why
  • Use secondary sources to get a sense of the problem area(s) or general issues with a particular hydro project
  • Remember: you goal is to come up with a thesis

Pick a Project

1. Source: Manitoba Hydro website

• Look under “About Us” for Major Projects (completed projects archived), Financial (annual & quarterly reports), or News & Media  (archive goes back to 2017) for mention of a specific project or activity
• Select a project, REVIEW it, then consider issue(s) that reasonate with you
  • There are a number of issues surrounding this topic: social, political, cultural, environmental…
• Look for additional sources to get more background information 

2. Sources: Canadian Major Dailies database (via UM Libraries) & Library Search

• Newspaper articles and books can provide additional background information
• Search for material that discuss a hydro project and may provide insight on an issue
  • Example: “Manitoba Hydro” AND (Indigenous OR Aboriginal OR “First Nations” OR native OR Métis) AND “[project name]”
• Database and Library Search advanced searching tips

• Brainstorm your questions then select the most appropriate ones
  • Ask “how” and “why” questions about your issue(s)
  • Consider why this issue matters 
  • Identify questions you want to explore further through research 
     
• Determine and evaluate your questions
  • Are your research questions clear and focused?
  • Can your questions be examined in length in your paper or are they too broad?

• Hypothesize (consider the path your answer may take)
  • Consider what you will say and why your argument matters
  • Anticipate the information you will need to support your argument
     
• Draft a thesis statement

Once you have your research questions, argument or a thesis, focus on the information you need to support these. Below are primary web sources you should consider using for your short paper:

Public submissions and reports on a particular hydro project:

• Clean Environment Commission
  • Click on Reports and select a project from the Hearings Archive
  • Click The Hearing tab to review transcripts, presentations and written submissions from the public hearings on the project you selected
  • Click the Results tab to access the commission's final report for that particular hearing
     
• Manitoba Public Utilities Board - Needs For and Alternatives To Review (NFAT) of Manitoba Hydro's Preferred Development Plan
  • Click on Participation by the Public then scroll down to Presenter Submissions to access all submissions
  • Click on Transcripts then go to Manitoba Hydro - NFAT and click on Hearing to access the daily transcripts
  • Click on Reports (from the Table of Contents) then select Report on the Needs For and Alternatives To (NFAT) for the final report
     
• Interchurch Council on Hydropower
  • Report of the Panel of Public Enquiry into Northern Hydro Development (1975)
  • Let Justice Flow: Report of the Interchurch Inquiry into Northern Hydro Development (2001)
  •       Additional documents listed under Facts & Stats such as Report on Public Hearings: Wuskwatim Generation and Transmission Projects (2004) as well as Northern Flood Agreement (1977).

Agreements between Manitoba Hydro and Indigenous communities:

• Accessible through Manitoba Indigenous and Northern Relations' website: Settlement & Other Agreements
• Accessible from Manitoba Hydro's website: Indigenous agreements

If you are not able to find information to support your argument in the above web sources, consider using digitized or print primary sources for specific mentions of your hydro project/activity and issue.

Reports and transcripts of hearings or inquiries involving a particular hydro project:

• Legislative Library of Manitoba contains digitized documents you can access online (NB. the digital collection is currently undergoing maintenance, but all digital titles can be found through the library's catalogue. Email legislative_library@gov.mb.ca to request digital documents)
  • Search the digital collection of Manitoba Government publications (~2000 to current)
  • Enter name of hydro project, e.g. Keeyask, in search box & click Search
  • Enter project name, e.g. Wuskwatim, in Subject terms box & click Search
     
• University of Manitoba Libraries provides print sources
  • Run an Advanced Search in the library catalogue for reports and transcripts from hearings, commissions of inquiry, etc. on a specific hydro project.
  • Sample search: (inquiry OR hearing OR commission OR report) AND (name of the project, e.g. Northern Hydro Development or Churchill Nelson)
  • Library Search advanced searching tips

Below are additional resources to consider for your short paper:

• University of Saskatchewan's Indigenous Studies Portal 
  • Search for “Manitoba Hydro”
• Manitoba Wildlands
  • See Manitoba Hydro Projects  (may not be up to date)
• Native Studies Librarian 
• Learn at the Libraries