Library Services

SMLLC Academics Skills: Information & Research Skills

libguides.rhul.ac.uk/modernlanguagesNovember 2013

Russell Burke

Library Services

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Aims of the session

• Overview of Library Services available to support your essay research

• Step 1 - Plan and conduct a literature search

• Step 2 - Use LibrarySearch and subject specific resources to find information

• Step 3 - Use more advanced search techniques

• Step 4 - Manage references to generate bibliographies using RefWorks

• Access eresources off-campus

• Using other libraries

Library Services

My essay question / research topic:

What do I want to find out?

Library Services

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Library Services

Developing your search strategy

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“In the avant-garde films of the 1920s, everything we see, including the human being, is subservient to rhythm & movement.”

Main concepts Alternative terms1. avant-garde films Experimental, art,

modernist / cinema, filmmaking …

2. 1920s Early 20th Century, pre-war, silent era …

3. What we see on film

Mise-en-scène, frame(d), screen, shot, represented …

4. Rhythm & movement

Pace, flow, repetition, flow, editing …

Step One: Think about your own research topic & related concepts and write down the keywords that you need to search for

Library Services

Now that I know what I want to find out:

What resources would I use?

Library Services

Selecting information sources

Drama Subject Guide: libguides.rhul.ac.uk/Drama

Online databases: libguides.rhul.ac.uk/Databases

LibrarySearch: librarysearch.rhul.ac.uk

Senate house library catalogue: ull.ac.uk

Other internet resources…

These can also be found on the main Library webpage

Library Services

Why can’t I just use Google?

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Step 2: Go to the Modern Languages Subject Guide and note down which resources or types of resources you think you would use to carry out your research

Library Services

Now that I know what I want to find out & where to find the resources:

How do I search for information on my

topic?

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Making the most of synonyms

Use wildcard characters ($ ? * -) to replace letters in search terms

Examples

theat* - finds theatre, theater, theatrical, etc.

wom*n - finds women, woman, etc.

NB: Help pages in online databases will explain which character is used as the wildcard

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Library Services

Combining keywords - too many results?

Narrow your search using AND

e.g. avant-garde AND film

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Results containing AVANT-GARDE

Results containing

BOTH TERMS

Results containing

FILM

Library Services

Combining keywords - too few results?

Broaden your search using OR

e.g. role OR function

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Library Services

Combining keywords – phrase searching

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“French New Wave”

“À la recherche du temps perdu”

Step three: think about how you will combing keywords and enter your search queries (adjusting terms as you need to)

Library Services

Now that I have found information on my topic:

How do I know that it is what I want and good

quality material?

Library Services

Reviewing & evaluating your research

Do you have enough / too

much information

?

Is it relevant to

your research?

Does it answer the

whole question?

Is the information

current / within the date you require

Do you need to review

your underlying research question?

Library Services

Now that I have the information (books, chapters, journal

articles, webpages etc) that I need:

How do I manage & reference them?

Library Services

Keeping track of useful items

• Emailing links to yourself

• Using the e-shelf in LibrarySearch• Log in to LibrarySearch

• Click on the star icon beside useful results

• Go to ‘e-shelf’

• Create baskets, email, export results

• Most other eresources provide these functions

• Exporting references to RefWorks

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Library Services

RefWorks

Bibliographic management software

Capture, save and organise references

Access it via the Online Resources A-Z lists

Contains online self-help tutorials

Library RefWorks sessions:

Check the Library Information Skills Training Session on the Subject guide: http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/

Step four: save the results that you need (references, abstracts, URL links, full text) and organise these so that you can find them when you need them

Library Services

Access online resources off-campus

Royal Holloway ‘Campus Anywhere’ (VPN)

The only way to access all of our electronic resources off campus is to install the Virtual Private Network (VPN) service, known as 'CampusAnywhere'. 

Library Services

Using other libraries

You all get free access to Senate House Library (SHL)

Online registration for SHL’s eresources see the Library subject Guide for Modern

Languages

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Questions?

Russell Burke

Information Consultant

2-07 Bedford LibraryRoyal Holloway University of London

Russell.Burke@rhul.ac.uk

01784 414065

SEE THE LIBRARY SUBJECT GUIDE FOR MODERN LANGUAGES / SMLLC

Leo Reynolds. Flickr. CC-BY-NA