Evaluating Digital Scholarship Tools for Research
Offered by: Josh Chalifour, Digital Scholarship Librarian, Concordia Library
- Format: Consultation
- Time: 45 min
- Stage: Developing an Idea, Active Research
- Pathway: Academic Scholarship, Communications
- digital
- tools
- literacy
Research practices are shaped by the digital tools we adopt. Thoughtful evaluation of technologies and methods can align digital scholarship with research goals, values, and impact ambitions.
Why this
This consultation will support you considering factors for software or digital techniques to support your research project’s objectives and processes.
Evaluating and selecting tools for digital research projects (digital scholarship or digital humanities) requires finding the right tools. It means determining their fit for your objectives and the broader context of their influence in the research process. For example, would you like to present data on a website with an interactive way to explore it? Can your work support a group of people collaboratively annotating it online? Do you need to tie geographic locations to portions of text in a novel? Gain awareness of where to find the tools or platforms, and how to select approaches that align with your research goals, ethics, and impact ambitions.
Relevance for impact
This consultation addresses a growing challenge in research practice: digital tools are often adopted without clear alignment to research goals, values, or impact intentions. By building critical evaluation skills and digital literacy, it helps researchers make more intentional choices about technologies and methods. This supports responsible, ethical digital scholarship and strengthens the ability of research outputs to be accessible, sustainable, and meaningful beyond academic contexts.
Who it’s for
Researchers exploring or using digital humanities or digital scholarship methods, including those building new workflows or evaluating technological options for their projects.
What you’ll learn / outcomes
- Reflect on digital humanities approaches and how they align with research questions
- Analyze technology options using clear, practical criteria
- Improve digital literacy for choosing appropriate tools
- Build on practices for selecting and integrating digital methods into your research process
Format
- Consultation (45 minutes)
- Virtual (in-person by request)
- Group size: 1 or more participants
- On-demand scheduling
What to bring
- Nothing required
- Background about your research project and its scope or objectives will be useful, including any technologies already tried or explored
Materials provided
- Guides, evaluation criteria templates, examples of digital scholarship tools, and links to resources.
Service provider
As a Digital Scholarship Librarian with Concordia University, Joshua Chalifour identifies and assesses new possibilities that emerging technologies open for academic work. This involves collaborating in cross-disciplinary research processes, as well as engaging in teaching and learning through digital scholarship initiatives and services. Additionally, Chalifour is the subject librarian for Communication Studies and Journalism.