Occupational Health and Safety Research Guide

Introduction

This web page highlights a selection of print and electronic resources available through the Ryerson Library that can be used to undertake research on topics related to the occupational health and safety. Many of these resources can be accessed via computers in the Ryerson Library and in computer labs on the Ryerson campus. If you are a Ryerson student, staff or faculty member, access is also available through home computer systems that are connected to the Internet.

Library Research in Occupational Health and Safety

Start by Defining Your Topic

Identify the main concepts in your topic, then phrase them as keywords and try to think of synonyms for your keywords. Use Boolean logic to formulate an effective search strategy. If you need help with defining your topic, ask at the Reference Desk, 2nd Floor, Library, or if you are off-campus, use the Ask a Librarian chat reference service.

Determine what Resources you Need

Consider what kinds of library resources you need. For example, does your assignment require you to find books? Journal articles? Peer-reviewed journal articles? If you are looking for books, go to the Library catalogue. If you are looking for journal articles, including peer-reviewed journal articles, then go to Articles and Indexes, and then select an appropriate database from the Find an Article/Index by Subject listing. Databases listed under Occupational Health and Safety will be most relevant, however, depending on the topic, databases under other subject listings may also be useful.

Identify Relevant Library Resources

Once you've executed a search and are reviewing results to determine relevancy, consider the following: How current is the resource - was it published recently, or is it dated? Is there a bibliography or footnotes? How often do the keywords you searched occur in the item record? If you are looking at journal articles, are they published in peer-reviewed journals? Asking these kinds of questions will help you identify which resources will be of use.

Cite your References

Remember when preparing your bibliography to cite all of the references in your paper using the citation style required by your instructor. Some commonly used formats at Ryerson are APA or MLA. Please also see the information available on RefWorks, a web-based bibliographic citation manager which allows you to create correctly formatted bibliographies in the style of your choice.

Books and Audiovisual Materials

Books

To identify books on your topic, search the Library Catalogue using the keyword option. Remember to use Boolean logic to link multiple keywords. The books in the library are located on floors 6 through 10. Reference and Reserve books are located on the 2nd floor. Books are shelved according to the Library of Congress classification system.

Most books related to Occupational Health and Safety are located in the HD call number section on the 7th floor. Additional material is found in other call number ranges. To assist you in browsing the collection, try the following areas:

If you do not have a specific author or title of a book, search the Library Catalogue using the keyword option.

Ryerson Library Audio Visual Collection

The Library has a number of videos, DVDs and films related to occupational health and safety. AV materials are located on the 5th floor, and can be located by using the Library Catalogue.

You can use the keyword option to find AV items related to your topic:

Example: ergonomics and videorecording

You can also use the keyword option and limit by material type:

Example: ergonomics, and then under material type, select Visual Media, or DVD if the preferred format.

Statistics

To find relevant statistics in the area of Occupational Health and Safety, you can check the Library catalogue for print or electronic publications by adding the keyword statistics with your other search terms. For more comprehensive coverage of statistics, please go to the Map and Data Resources site on the Ryerson Library website to look for Social Science Data. Links to Canadian, U.S. and international statistics are available.

For assistance with finding statistical information, contact the Data, Map and GIS librarian or technician at: librdata@ryerson.ca.

Finding Articles

Finding journal articles on a particular topic involves selecting a database, executing a keyword search, and then determining if the article is available at the Ryerson Library, either in print or electronic.

Selecting a Database

To find an appropriate database, choose the Articles and Indexes page, and then view the suggested databases for your subject area under Find an Article/Index by Subject. If your topic is interdisciplinary or not subject-specific, you may also want to look at the databases under All Purpose Indexes/Databases.

Executing a Keyword Search

Once you've chosen a database, you can enter the keywords you wish to search, using the same Boolean logic used to search the catalogue. You may wish to review use of the Boolean connectors 'and' and 'or' before you begin searching. For example, if you were looking for articles on ergonomics and lower back pain, a keyword search could be:

ergonomics and back pain

Databases often contain large numbers of records spanning a number of years, and you may find that you retrieve too many records. Databases are extremely flexible, and will allow you to limit the amount of items you retrieve through a number of ways, such as applying a date range, allowing you to specify the material type, and limiting to peer reviewed articles only. Make use of these limits when appropriate.

Determining Article Availability

When you are searching a database or an index, generally only the journal citation, which includes the article title, author(s), journal title, volume, issue, year and abstract, if available. A sample journal citation is below:

In some cases, the full text of the article will be available in the database, either in HTML or PDF format. Where it is not available, you will see the Get It! Ryerson button. When you click on Get It! Ryerson, a search is done of the Library's holdings to determine if we have access to the journal, either in print or electronic. If the journal is available in print, a link to the catalogue record is provided. If it is available electronically, a link to the full text of the journal is provided. If the journal you are looking for is not available at Ryerson, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request via RACER.

Need help?

Remember to ask for Reference help when you are experiencing difficulty. Assistance is available in-person, over the phone, via e-mail and on-line chat.

Selected Internet Resources for Occupational Health and Safety

A variety of web based resources are available to support research on topics related to occupational health and safety. It is crucial to use the same critical evaluative skills in looking for information on the Internet that you would use in evaluating a paper-based resource. In addition, the Internet requires some unique critical skills. For more information, check out the Library's Evaluating Internet Resources link.

The following list represents a selection of web sites relating to occupational health and safety:

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
• CANOSH - Canada's National Occupational Health and Safety
• Ontario Ministry of Labour - Health and Safety
• Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) - Occupational Health and Safety
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
• National Institute for Occupational and Safety Health (NIOSH)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• The Office of the Fire Marshall - Ontario

Finding Peer Reviewed Articles

The range of journals the Library subscribes to includes scholarly journals, trade publications, popular magazines and newsletters. Many scholarly journals are peer reviewed, and your instructors will expect you to be able to find this kind of information for your research papers.

What is Peer Review?

Peer review is the process through which experts in a field of study such as occupational health and safety assess the quality of articles that are submitted to a journal for publication. They differ from non-scholarly sources, which do not require this level of assessment and review prior to publication.

A number of databases the Library subscribes to which are useful for research in OHS provide limits which will isolate peer reviewed articles from other kinds of articles. Health and Safety Science Abstracts (HSSA), Academic Search Premier and Proquest Research Library support subject searches that limit results to peer reviewed articles.

You can also determine which journals are peer reviewed by consulting the electronic versions of the Ulrich's Periodical Directory or the Serials Directory. The full record for any journal listed in these directories indicates if it is peer reviewed.

The information provided at the following web sites will also assist you in distinguishing between the various types of periodicals and in evaluating their contents.

• Characteristics of Scholarly Journals, Trade Journals and Popular Magazines
• Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals (Cornell)

Journals

Journals, including both scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and non-scholarly magazines or newsletters, frequently provide the most up-to-date information on topics related to occupational health and safety. The Ryerson Library provides access to a broad range of journals both in print and electronic formats.

The print collection is located on the 5th floor of the Library and is shelved in the same alphanumeric sequence that is used for books. Periodicals may not be borrowed - photocopying facilities are available on the 5th floor. Electronic journals can be accessed from workstations in the Library or on campus, and from remote locations via the Internet for users with a valid library card.

Detailed holdings information for both print and electronic journals can be obtained from the Library Catalogue , or through the Journals by Title A-Z list.

For a selective list of journals in the field of Occupational Health and Safety, try OHS journals by title.