INFORMATION SEARCHES for RESEARCH STUDENTS in Engineering, Computing and the Built Environment

1. INFORMATION SEARCHES for RESEARCH STUDENTS in Engineering, Computing and the Built Environment Presented by Dr. David A. Cumming LIS Research Support Advisor 27th November 2008

2. Pertinent Topics • The Research Cycle • Types and Sequences of Information Sources • Half-life and Spread of Information • Purpose, Planning & Scope of Information Searches • Key Search Tools • Source Evaluation • Citation Indexes & Journal Citation Reports • Recording References & Obtaining Texts • The Useful Role of Libraries • Reaching an End?

3. The Research Cycle Research Problem → Analysis ← ↑ ↓ ↑ Model ← Solution ← Comparison Keywords ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ Proof of Concept Results Search ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ Patent Analysis Information ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ Manufacture/Construction Raw Data Evaluation→ ↑ ↓ Surveys/Experiments/Tests ← Hypothesis For example: Kepler’s Planetary Motion Problem

4. Research Information Sources - 1 • Ephemeral Sources: • Phone calls → Recordings & Faxes • Meetings → Agendas & Minutes • Seminars → Notes & Proceedings • Conferences → Proceedings • Lab. Work → Note books and CDs/DVDs • Office Work → Letters, Diaries, Memos, Reports, Grant Proposals, Bills • Personal IT → Blogs, Wikis, Texts, Photographs Should these be preserved?

5. Research Information Sources - 2 Primary Published Sources: • Theses – Thousands each year across the world • Conferences – Tens of thousands of articles per year • Journals – Hundreds of thousands of articles per year • Govt. Tech. Reports – Millions per year • Product Data - Hundreds of thousands of data sheets per year • Patent s - Tens of thousands of items per year This flood needs thorough searching and may be online, open access, full-text.

6. Research Information Sources - 3 • Half-Life & Scatter: • Half the use of a source occurs in a period which varies with the discipline and half of the remaining use occurs in the next period, so the value of data declines quickly. • In a given discipline the following equation describes the numbers of journals which contain the same number of relevant articles – kX::kX2::kX3 where k is a constant for the discipline . So catch information early and know the core journals!

7. Research Information Searching - 1 • Purpose: • Searches help to define the topic or problems to be researched • Searches enable the researcher to explore and review relevant knowledge to gain understanding • Searches identify key journals, papers, authors and problems • Searches reveal anomalies or gaps in knowledge, together with unanswered questions • Searches reveal potential applications of new theories, methods or materials • Searches demonstrate systematic approach, thoroughness , precision and selectivity to examiners

8. Research Information Searching - 2 • Analyse the Thesis Title: • Consider the title “Development and evaluation of composite insulated beams” • Development implies construction or manufacture • Evaluation implies structural testing in a laboratory, or surveys in the built environment • Composite implies multilayered , perhaps many materials in use and a joining material or mechanism • Insulated implies energy efficient materials • Beams are used in structural engineering Many topics are packed into a short title!

9. Research Information Searching - 3 • Keywords: • Important terms to be used in searches emerge from the subject analysis • Synonyms should be identified for use as alternative keywords • Alternative spellings should be considered (e.g. US) • Related terms should be listed (e.g. Structural members , I-beams and Box I- beams) • If a thesaurus defines terms for an industry use it to choose keywords and identify subordinate headings Precise keywords create relevant results!

10. Research information Searching - 4 • Logic & Online Technique: • Make a structured list of keywords showing their logical relationships • Build online searches using Boolean Logic where groups of terms are combined by AND, OR, or NOT • To combine terms use the advanced search mode if available in a search engine or database • Use the truncation marks * or $ to obtain all alternative word prefixes or suffixes • Use proximity notation where needed (e.g .composite w/2 beam) • Surround phrases with “apostrophes” or (brackets)

11. Research Information Searching - 5 • Planning & Scope: • Set clear objectives for types and amounts of information required • Keep close to the logical combination of keywords chosen, unless experience leads to revision • Decide on the range of years to be searched • Decide which Databases should be searched • Practice patience and perseverance • Work systematically through the sources • Decide whether the search may be done in sequence or in parallel with other activities Automated searches may supply updates!

12. Key Online Search Tools -1 • NUIN : http://nuin.napier.ac.uk/F • The library catalogue should always be searched in advanced search mode using field and format search to make best use of the facilities available • Remember that journal title searches may be conducted and will lead to both electronic and printed versions for early runs of some journals are available in print but later issues in electronic full-text • Use the electronic bookshelf facility if you wish to save the results of searches The library catalogue finds more than books!

13. Key Online Search Tools - 2 • LIS SUBJECT GUIDES: • Library staff have prepared a range of subject specific guides to internet and printed sources of information • The guides identify internet gateways, key databases, key journals, government and professional body websites, research centre and industrial websites • All the subject guides may be reached at this URLhttp://staff.napier.ac.uk/Services/Library/Subject +Guides/ • There are guides for : Built Environment; Transport; Engineering; Computing and for Business. Subject Guides enable choice of Information Sources!

14. Key Online Search Tools - 3 • General Journal Article Sources: • Blackwell Synergy provides some electronic full-text • CSA-Illuminaenables choice of database but the engineering group is best– usually refs. only • Engineering Village 2 has some electronic full-text • Ingenta provides some electronic full-text • Web of Knowledge provides refs. only but enables citation searching • Science Direct provides some electronic full-text • Zetoc provides refs. only but indexes 30K serials All are available through NUIN or ATHENS.

15. Key Online Search Tools - 4 • NUINLINK: http//nuinlink.napier.ac.uk/V • This software enables everyone to search several databases at once • Predetermined subject groups exist and may be selected before conducting a search • The Cross-Search option enables selection of a multi-disciplinary database set to be searched • Not all databases available through LIS are compatible with NUINLINK so they must be searched individually NUINLINK alone enables searches of multiple DBs.

16. Key Online Search Tools - 5 • Accessing Databases: • ATHENS is a control gateway through which the Napier research community may access most databases to which the university subscribes. Use this URL http://www.athens.ac.uk for access or approach databases through NUIN • SHIBBOLETH is a new access software which gives automatic access to subscribers and no user name or password is required, but few databases yet use it • Check mode of access through the list of electronic databases at http://staff.napier.ac.uk/Services/Library/ Electronic+Resources/Databases

17. Key Online Search Tools - 6 • Online Books: Use Myilibrary and Safari which may be found in NUIN. Both sources provide electronic full-text. • Finding Theses:http://www.theses.com The Index to theses of Great Britain and Ireland has references and abstracts for all accepted theses. The details are then sent to the British Library Inter-Library Loan Service. Soon the ETHOS project will supply online access to theses in electronic full-text. • Finding Conference Papers: EV2, CSA and ISI Web of Knowledge give refs and abstracts to conference papers. ACM and eWIC provide electronic full-text computing conference papers.

18. Key Online Search Tools - 7 • Internet Sources: • Use library databases first then the internet • Use portal gateways: see Subject Guides for details but try EEVL, TechXtra, BUBL and Pinakes • Google Scholar may locate electronic full-text research papers, but access often needs payment • Major search engines are listed at this URL http://www.researchlaunchpad.com • Websites, wikis and blogs may provide indications of current thinking and problems but need evaluation Do not conduct random searches on the internet!

19. Source Evaluation • Provenance: Is the source from a reliable, respectable academic, industrial , professional or governmental research body? Or from an experienced engineer? • Accuracy: Does the information presented match other observations, is it carelessly presented? • Currency: Was the information collected and published recently, within the chosen research period? • Content: Is this source news, product data, experimental data, survey data or theoretical? • Accessibility: Is a website easy to use and permanent? Can an article be obtained locally, by ILL or online? • Potential: Is this data new , useful and relevant?

20. Citation Indexes & Journal Citation Reports • Purpose: To record references to current research papers and to record all the citations in each, so that the usefulness of scientific papers and author influence may be discovered by citation searches . • Use to discover the sources others consulted • Use to discover the key players in a discipline • Use to identify the principal journals in a discipline • Use to discover journal half-life and discipline half-life • Use to discover impact factors of authors and journals Bibliometrics will be used in the REF

21. Recording References • Record references at the time they are found or used: • Notes created from articles or books should always be preceded by a reference to the source • References should always be written on photocopies if not already present • Digital extracts from books should always have a complete reference – create it if needed • All relevant details must be recorded see: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/Services/Library/Information/Research/ where the Graduate School Referencing Guide is located. • One referencing styleshould be used consistently • EndNoteprovides online reference management - use it! Lost or incomplete references create work!

22. Obtaining Electronic Full-Text • Online Full-text information may be found using NUIN, NUINLINK and some Databases or Websites • Click on the title of an electronic source in NUIN and a URL will appear, then click on that link • Click the Sfx button in NUINLINK and it may lead to an electronic full-text source • Databases indicate access points to full-text in different ways (e.g. EV2 has a yellow box labelled Fulltext, whereas others have a PDF box) • Websites and databases refuse access to full-text at times where no subscription exists Conventional sources may have to be sought!

23. Libraries are Useful - 1 • Local Cataloguesidentify the location of books and journals not available from Napier. For example try: • Edinburgh Univ. Lib. http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/resources/catalogues/ • Heriot Watt Univ. Lib. http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/ • National Lib. Scotland http://main-cat.nls.uk/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First • SALSER http://edina.ac.uk/salser which is serials catalogue for Scottish Academic Libraries Find relevant material before visiting!

24. Libraries are Useful - 2 • Sources of Hard–Copy: • Napier libraries will supply Inter-Library Loans on receiving a request form , which may involve payment but some schools pay ILL costs for research students • The National Library of Scotland may give long-term access to PhD students if items are unavailable elsewhere, but items are not loaned • EUL, HWL & QMUCL are accessible and may give limited lending rights if students complete the SCONUL Research Extra form obtainable at issue desks in Napier library and receive a SRE card Timely ILL requests and visits yield information!

25. Reaching an End? • Decision Criteria: • Compare information collected to original objectives • Is there information on all topics? • Is there duplication of references from different databases? • Are key authors/research groups clear? • Are gaps in the published work emerging? • Can problems in current knowledge be identified? • Can you recognise similar work in different papers? • Could you be selective in use of references collected? These criteria indicate that the initial search is fairly complete.

26. Updating the Search • Alerting Services: Others will publish papers while a research project proceeds. Use automated saved search patterns in databases to identify relevant new work so that it may be considered in your work. • Zetochttp://etoc.mimas.ac.ukprovides author or subject related references as updates on all subjects • Science Direct http://www.sciencedirect.comconduct a search and save the pattern as an alert • EV2 http://www.engineeringvillage2.orgwill provide alerts to those who register (free) Now perhaps the search is under control!

27. Summary • Search to meet clear objectives • Plan the search carefully • Be patient, persistent and thorough • Use search tools in a logical sequence • Use alternative tools if the first produces nothing • Evaluate sources • Use citation indexes to discover research groups • Record references accurately and systematically • Obtain both online and physical information • Use local libraries and local expertise • Assess the resultant information • Set up alerting services