UCL Library

Lynne Meehan (Room 314, Science library)Tel: 020 7679 2634 (ext 32634)Email: l.meehan@ucl.ac.uk

Useful Links: http://delicious.com/LynneMeehan/natsci3

Introduction

Sources of Information

Search Techniques

Evaluating Information

References

Current Awareness

Further Help

Where do you look?

Search Engine

Database

Library catalogue

Encyclopedia

Type of information

Overview of Topic

Where to look• Encyclopedia• Dictionary• Websites• Lecture notes

This will help you decide concepts and keywords for searching

Search techniques - Define your topic

“Current problems with understanding polar ozone loss”

Work in groups and define the concepts and find keywords and synonyms for them.

Boolean logic for combining search terms

Polar regions Polar ozone Ozone layer

Polar OR Ozone

Polar AND Ozone

Polar NOT Ozone

• Phrase search

e.g. “ozone layer”• Nesting

e.g. ozone (loss or prevention)

• Wildcards

e.g. Wom?n• Truncation

e.g. deplet*

Search tips

• Google is not the only search engine, try• Yahoo www.yahoo.com • Exalead, www.exalead.com/search • Librarians’ Internet Index -- www.lii.org

• Think “full text” = be specific e.g. war of 1812 economic causes vs. history

• Use academic & professional termse.g.domestic architecture vs. houses

• Limit your search to …• Web page title• Website or domain• File type• Definitions

• "Invisible Web", a.k.a. the "Deep Web"?

Web search

What databases to use

Go to library website for access: www.ucl.ac.uk/Library

Finding References

Bibliographic databasesonly link out to full-text

ILL

Other libraries

PROMPT

•Presentation•Relevance•Objectivity•Method•Provenance•Timeliness

Evaluate

Citing your Sources

Citing styles: Harvard and Vancouver Systematic notes Note the content

Reference management software

Reference Manager (10 or 12)

Endnote

Zotero

Mendeley

Set up a new reference manager database

• Click on File• Click on New

• Choose file location (remember where• Type in file name e.g. natsci

• Click on New

Login to Cluster WTS

Click on Start

Programs P-R

Select Reference Manager

Select Reference Manager 10

Reference manager Demo

Current Awareness

Current awareness is a term that describes the methods used to keep up to date with the most recent information in your subject area

ZETOC - http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/

TicTOCs - http://www.tictocs.ac.uk/

Database search alerts – see individual database pages for details

Access to e-resources

• Most electronic resources can be accessed on or off campus

• The best route to these is via the library website• You will need your UCL userid to log in• For further information go to

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/e-res.shtml#res-home

Help!

WISE: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/moodle Click on WISE, then choose your core stream

faculty Ask at the Enquiry Desk

Ground floor, Science Library

020 7679 7789

Come and ask me http://delicious.com/LynneMeehan/natsci3

Thank you

Please fill in the evaluation form at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W2JY2F9

Lynne Meehan (Room 314, Science library)Tel: 020 7679 2634 (ext 32634)Email:l.meehan@ucl.ac.uk