TMU Research Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which citation style is most commonly required for social science research papers at Canadian universities?
- MLA
- APA (Correct answer)
- Chicago
- Vancouver
Correct answer: APA
APA (American Psychological Association) style is the standard for social sciences including psychology, sociology, and education.
Question 2: What does a 'literature review' accomplish in a research paper?
- It lists all books in the library
- It summarizes existing research relevant to your topic (Correct answer)
- It outlines your methodology
- It presents your original data
Correct answer: It summarizes existing research relevant to your topic
A literature review synthesizes and evaluates existing scholarship to establish context and identify gaps your research addresses.
Question 3: Which Boolean operator narrows a database search by requiring both terms to appear?
- OR
- NOT
- AND (Correct answer)
- NEAR
Correct answer: AND
AND requires all connected terms to appear in results, making searches more specific and returning fewer results.
Question 4: What is a 'peer-reviewed' article?
- An article written by multiple authors
- An article reviewed by subject experts before publication (Correct answer)
- An article published in a popular magazine
- An article citing more than 10 sources
Correct answer: An article reviewed by subject experts before publication
Peer review means experts in the field evaluate the research for validity, methodology, and contribution before it is published.
Question 5: When paraphrasing a source, you must:
- Use quotation marks around the text
- Only cite if copying more than 50 words
- Rewrite in your own words and still provide a citation (Correct answer)
- Not include a citation since words are changed
Correct answer: Rewrite in your own words and still provide a citation
Paraphrasing requires restating the idea in your own words but the source must still be cited because the idea belongs to the original author.
Question 6: Which of the following is considered a PRIMARY source?
- A textbook summarizing historical events
- A documentary about a scientist
- A researcher's original lab data published in a journal (Correct answer)
- A review article synthesizing multiple studies
Correct answer: A researcher's original lab data published in a journal
Primary sources are original, firsthand accounts or data, such as original research reports, raw data, diaries, or speeches.
Question 7: What does the acronym 'DOI' stand for in academic publishing?
- Directory of Indexes
- Digital Object Identifier (Correct answer)
- Document Origin Information
- Database of Institutions
Correct answer: Digital Object Identifier
A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital document to provide a permanent link to its location online.
TMU Research Skills 2
Which citation style is most commonly required for social science research papers at Canadian universities?