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Fashion (FASN)

Fashion Design & Technology

Research Project: Fashion icons

  • Start with Summon Search to look for books, articles or films about your icon
    • TIP! Use the filter "Full Text Online" under Refine Your Search
  • Find books that describe the time period for your icon
    • TIP! Use the "hold" feature to request print books for pickup at the Service Counter
  • Use the Historical Fashion Magazine collection for articles and images of your icon
  • Find articles, use the library databases, for articles about your icon
    • Tip! Filter your results list to Full-Text online.
    • Tip! If you need scholarly articles, look for the scholarly/peer-reviewed option. 
  • If you know some keys years when your icon was likely in the public eye, try browsing specific journals and magazines like Time or Maclean's. You can do this through the library's Journal Titles index
  • Find film clips through the Films on Demand database
  • Check for web resources
  • Cite your source! APA style

Summon ("Search Everything"

Use

Summon Search

to find books, journal articles and more!

Start with a few keywords to describe your topic or simply start with the name of your icon.

TIP! Use the filter "Full Text Online" under Refine Your Search to access content available online.

Summon is a fast search engine that helps you discover a range of relevant information in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library collection. It can be a useful starting place for your library research.

From a single search box you can search for: books/ebooks, conference proceedings, government documents, journal and newspaper articles, and more...

Sometimes a search will return an overwhelming number of results so it is a good idea to use limiting options available, such as limiting to books/ebooks or peer-reviewed journals or by date. After searching in Summon you may wish to switch directly into the library catalogue to search for books or into the individual databases...especially the ones that are not included in a Summon search.

Because SUMMON searches "everything" often the number of search results is overwhelmingly high. Here are some tips to help you create a more manageale list:

Use options (found on the left hand side of the search screen) to reduce the number of results. For example, limit your results to full-text articles from scholarly journals published in a particular date range (e.g. the last ten years)

Search for an exact phrase by using quotation marks. For example, if you are looking for restaurant design try "restaurant design"

Try adding additional keywords that further describe what you are looking for. For example, "restaurant design" AND lighting

Looking for Academic or Scholarly Results?

Searches results can contain a variery of sources including both academic and popular itesm. If you need only scholarly or academic results, please look for the Refine Your Search box and click on "Scholarly & Peer-Review" 

 

Find Books/ebooks

Search the Library Catalogue for books by entering keywords that decribe what you are looking for.

You can also search by author name, book title or subject heading.

 

Search the library's book catalogue for the name of your fashion icon. Here are some samples:

Call numbers help you locate items in the library. You will always find related books shelved together so understanding call numbers can help you find many resources on the shelves.

Still confused about call numbers? See our  Call Numbers Demystified Guide!

Call number ranges to get you started:

  • GT 583-596: Costume History 16-20 century
  • GT 500-2370
  • TT 490-695: Fashion
2300-2430

Find Books: Focus on the 20th century

Historical Fashion Magazine Collection

Databases (including Journal, Magazine & Newspaper Articles)

Our Research database page offers you access to over 100 databases.

Start with the following:

 

The database only gives me a citation, or just an abstract. How do I find the full text?

The Where Can I Get This link lets you know if the full-text of the article is available:

  1. Online through another library database.
  2. In print at the Library
  3. via interlibrary loan .

Make sure to look for the Where Can I Get This on the database page!

Find out more about Interlibrary Loans!

You can access our research databases from home if you are a Kwantlen student or employee.

  • Here is the login information you will need to use to access these online resources:
    • Students:
      username = student number
      password = same password used to register for classes online
    • Employees:
      username = assigned short name that you use to login to office computer
      password = same password used to login to office computers or access HR self services
  • You must have 'Cookies' enabled on your browser. This will ensure that the system will recognize you after you enter your barcode just once despite how many databases you use during your browser session.

When conducting research it is important to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles. Journal articles are typically referred to as "scholarly" or "refereed" while magazine articles are usually considered "popular" or "sensational". Always know which type is acceptable for your research.

 

Refereed or Scholarly Journal

Trade Publication

Popular Magazine

Format

Has serious format

Attractive in appearance

Generally glossy & attractive format

Graphics

Graphs and charts to illustrate concepts

Photos, graphics and illustrations used to enhance articles

Photos, illustrations and drawing to enhance image of publication

Sources

Cited sources with footnotes and/or bibliography

Occasionally cite sources, but not as a rule

Rarely cite sources. Original sources may be obscure

Authors

Written by scholars or researchers in the field or discipline

Written by professionals or experts in the field

Written by the staff or free-lance writers for a broad audience

Language

Uses terminology, jargon, and the language of the discipline. Reader is assumed to have similar background

Uses language appropriate for an educated readership

Uses simple language for minimal educational level. Articles are short, with little depth

Purpose

To inform, report, or make original research available to the scholarly world

Report on trends in  specific industry, business or organization; give practical advice

Designed to entertain or persuade, to sell products or services

Publishers

Generally published by a professional organization

Published by commercial enterprises for profit

Published for profit

Advertising

Contains selective advertising

Carries advertising, mostly trade related

Contains extensive advertising

Find Films

Web Sources to get you started...

Don't believe everything you read. Ask some critical questions about every website:

Who

Is the author easily identified?
- check for an "About us" link
Why should I trust what they say?
Are they credible?

- look for relevant educational qualifications and professional experience
- check author's reputation in Google

What

What type of information is provided?
- personal opinions? research findings?
Does the author cite sources so that you can verify the info?
- confirm in other sources
And are they scholarly sources?
- see features of scholarly journals

Why

Is the author trying to sell something?
- watch especially with .com websites
Does the author or organization have a political or ideological bias, and only present one point of view?
- look them up on Google

When

How current is the information?
- look for sites that are updated regularly
- some areas can change rapidly, e.g. medicine, law

How

Is the site logically arranged?
- avoid sites with many dead links
Does the site look professional?
- not full of misspellings

Cite Your Sources

The Design Programs at KPU use APA style to document sources.

KPU APA Citation Guide

 

When writing a research paper, you must always cite any sources that you have consulted. You must acknowledge when you are using the ideas, information, arguments, phrases or any other intellectual or creative output by another person. Not to do so is referred to as plagiarism.  Plagiarism is a serious offense that carries with it severe academic consequences, but that can largely be avoided by always citing your resources.

We cite:

  • to distinguish previous from new thought
  • to give credit to the person whose ideas you used
  • to respect intellectual property
  • to help a reader locate the source(s) you used
  • to show that you have investigated your topic well
  • to avoid plagiarism

Common examples of plagiarism:

  • Copying sentences, paragraphs, data or visuals without citing their source
  • Quoting material without proper use of quotation marks (even if otherwise cited appropriately)
  • Paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source without acknowledgement;
  • Paying someone for writing the assignment
  • Listing a source in the bibliography/reference list that was not cited in the assignment

Find out more about Plagiarism