Post on 30-Jun-2015
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Session Two: Techniques for Effective Searchinglibguides.rhul.ac.uk/English12 November 2014Kim Coles
@RHUL_Library
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Last Session
Types of information and where to access them using Library (and other resources)
Accessing Primary Sources
Literature Online
Early English Books Online
Founder’s Library
Evaluating Information
Presentation is online: libguides.rhul.ac.uk/EnglishYearOne
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Primary, secondary, or tertiary sources?
A primary source is first-hand information. It could be a novel, poem, interview in a newspaper, letter in an archive…
A secondary source is an analysis or commentary on existing information. It could be a review in a newspaper, criticism in an academic journal, a book on an author/novel/poem…A tertiary source is a summary or collection of primary and/or secondary sources. It could be a dictionary, encyclopaedia, bibliography…
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
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Key Library Resources
Use LibrarySearch to search a range of databases: http://librarysearch.rhul.ac.uk
Use your Subject Guides for subject-specific databases: http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/English
Pre-lecture task – comparison of searches Go to http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/englishyearone
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Things to Consider
• How many results are returned?
• How many results are relevant?
• How many results are ‘scholarly’?
• Are the results up to date, or out of date?
• What kind of information do you need?
• Is the database easy to use?
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Comparisons
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Evaluating information
Criteria Cambridge Collection WikipediaAuthority
Cambridge provides information, and links to author’s other publications – you can also google them if you want to follow up who they are.Information has been peer-reviewed and edited in an academic sense.
Wiki does not provide editor information on this page, cannot tell who has edited what.Information has been edited and reviewed, but not in a rigorous academic sense
Accuracy
Reference lists are provided, and are likely to be of academic sources – you may not be able to access these.
Reference lists are provided, and may not be academic sources – you may not be able to access these.
Objectivity
Aim is to provide information, and is aimed at university students. No advertising.
Aim is to provide information, and is aimed at all levels – basic to advanced. No advertising.
Date Last updated on publication date. Very regularly updated, very regularly maintained.
Coverage
Easy to locate the information you’re after by subject e.g. contents. May be too advanced, or not?
Easy to locate the information you’re after by subject e.g. contents. May be too advanced, or not?
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How to find good information
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1. What exactly is the topic you are searching for?
2. What are the main concepts or keywords for your topic?
3. Are there are alternative terms for these concept?
4. How might you combine these keywords to search effectively?
Lego bicycle by Do-Hyun Kim CC BY-ND. Flickr.
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Thinking about keywords
Think about the ways in which the words you are searching for might be interpreted.
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Searching for the essay question
Search engines and databases organise information using a controlled vocabulary e.g. assigning certain words to certain concepts.
cakes, bakery, pastries, French pastries…
PATISSERIE
PROFITEROLE, choux pastry, choux bun
GATEUX, cake
L-R clockwise: Ein Eclair fur Kevin aus New York City by ingrid eulenfan CC BY-SA. Miniature French Patisserie by Stephanie Kilgast CC BY-NC-ND. Mango Mousse Gateaux by suziedepingu CC BY-NC-ND. Profiteroles by Danielle Tsi CC BY-SA. All: Flickr.
ECLAIR
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Look out for subject headings or a thesaurus in databases to quickly find this information
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Finding secondary sources using LibrarySearch
Use the All search to include articles, or the Books, Music and Films search to find new books
Use the Peer-reviewed journals limit to only display academic articles
Use the Full Text Online limit to only display online books and journals.
Use the Date range to specify a particular date
Use the Subject links to narrow by subject headings.
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Finding secondary sources using Literature Online
1. Use the Quick Search box
2. Choose the Criticism limit from the left-hand side.
Click ‘Full Text – PDF’ to download a copy of the article.
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Finding secondary sources using Literature Online
Choose Criticism, and carry out an advanced search
Click ‘Full Text – PDF’ to download a copy of the article.
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Finding secondary sources using The Shakespeare Collection
Use the Basic Search to select search terms – be specific if you can!
Select Criticism and Commentary
Select documents with full text
Browse ‘Magazines and Journals’, ‘Book articles’, and ‘Multimedia’
Literature Online includes full text access to book chapters too!
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Combining keywords
AND – narrows results by returning results with both terms listed as keywords
NOT – narrows results by returning results with only one term listed as a keyword
OR – broadens results by returning results with either term listed as keywords
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Combining search terms
AND
NOT
OR
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Phrase searching
“Pride and Prejudice”
Anything within the quotation marks is searched for in that order.
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Saving information
Saving the citation information at the top of each article…
Use Zotero.org or RefWorks to keep on save useful references
OR
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What’s the difference?
Endnote RefWorks Zotero
Installation Web service Web service
Cost and Storage
Free – unlimited no. records Free – 300MB references (there is a charge for larger amounts
Use with databases
Results from all of our databases can be imported.
References on any web page, including our databases, can be imported.
FindIt button Yes YesOrganising references
Can have any number of folders Can have any number of groups
Citation formats
500 recognised styles 6750 recognised styles
Citing references
Can control the numbering and formatting of citations in a long document
Can insert citations into a document and format them, while you are connected to the internet.
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Further information on saving references
libguides.rhul.ac.uk/referencing
http://libraryblog.rhul.ac.uk/?s=referencing
Access
RefWorks: libguides.rhul.ac.uk/RefWorksZotero: zotero.org
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Questions?
Kim Coles
Information Consultant
2-07 Bedford LibraryRoyal Holloway University of London
k.coles@rhul.ac.uk
01784 404107
libguides.rhul.ac.uk/EnglishYearOne
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Leo Reynolds. Flickr. CC-BY-NA
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