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Napier University Learning Information Services (NULIS)

Napier University Learning Information Services (NULIS). Faculty of Engineering and Computing - Postgraduate Research Skills. What is an Information Search?. a systematic and methodical search of published sources of information to identify items relevant for a particular need

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Napier University Learning Information Services (NULIS)

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  1. Napier University Learning Information Services (NULIS) Faculty of Engineering and Computing - Postgraduate Research Skills Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  2. What is an Information Search? • a systematic and methodical search of published sources of information to identify items relevant for a particular need • published = in print or electronic format, e.g. book, journal, video, web site, etc. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  3. Why do a search? • Topic selection • Find specific project information • Discover structure of information in a particular subject • Locate information on research methods - questionnaire design, data analysis, report writing etc. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  4. Searching Cycle Concept Clarification Search statement Evaluate Information Sources Modify Search Strategy SEARCH Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  5. Keywords (example) • Broad topic area: Information systems design • Key concept: Human computer interaction (HCI) • Broad keywords: interface design, user, cognitive psychology, • Narrower terms: graphical user interface (GUI), • Related terms: artificial intelligence, ergonomics, software design, anthropology, applications etc. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  6. The research cycle PUBLISHING CYCLE PRIMARY SOURCES Journals Dissertations Theses Books Newspapers Conference papers Patents & Standards Reports SECONDARY SOURCES Indexes Abstracts INFORMATION SEARCHING TERTIARY SOURCES Catalogues Bibliographies Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  7. Why use journals? • Articles on the latest news, trends and research • Letters / opinion • Job vacancies • Equipment • Meetings, conferences, courses • Contacts • Subject matter and level do vary • Currency is their strength Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  8. Academic/Professional Primary research Authors identified Refereed Specialised topics Notice of work in progress Foster debate Commercial Interpret developments Anonymous Not (usually) refereed Readable & inexpensive News & current developments Profit making Journals (cont) Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  9. Consult the NULIS Catalogue and Subject Guides for full details on all of the services referred to in this presentation. Information sources web site http://nulis.napier.ac.uk ** New ** • Plus helpsheets, resource guides, research methods on the NULIS web site Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  10. Accessing the Catalogue Covers material in different formats- books, journals, electronic resources, videos, websites 1. WEBPAC http://webpac.napier.ac.uk • Direct links to web 2. Telnet PAC telnet://library.napier.ac.uk/ • Dedicated terminals in Learning Centres Place holds Renew loans Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  11. Other catalogues http://nulis.napier.ac.uk/Catalogues/OtherLibs.htm Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  12. Abstracts & Indexes • Retrieve relevant journal articles, conference proceedings etc. • Electronic - still some print sources • Search by keyword, subject or author • Provides bibliographic details plus abstract • Wider than NULIS holdings N.B. The NULIS catalogue lists journal titles only. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  13. Example of an abstract • Title:Internet Scrapbook • Author:Fay, D. • Ref:Byte, Apr 1997, pg 23-28 • Abstract:This article describes an intelligent Web browsing system called Internet Scrapbook, which allows users to automate repetitive browsing tasks... • Subjects:Internet, Browsing, Automation Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  14. Evaluating Results Apply RUDOLF against your search results: R - relevant to your needs? U - useful for the problem in hand? D - date of publication appropriate? O - obtainable? L - level of information correct? Too simple/advanced? F- fresh information? Do you know this already? Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  15. Ei Compendex & Ei Engineering Village 2 • All aspects of engineering and computing • Indexes 5000 journals, conference proceeding and technical reports • Website Abstracts (10,000+ Web sites) • US Patents-full-text, Standards-various • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://edina.ed.ac.uk/compendex Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  16. Inspec • Physics, electrical engineering, electronics, communications, control engineering, and computing • Indexes journal articles, conference proceedings, reports, dissertations, patents and books from 1969 onwards • Currently c. 5 million records • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://edina.ed.ac.uk/inspec Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  17. Web of Science • Subject coverage: • Social Sciences Citation Index • Science Citation Index • Arts & Humanities Citation Index • Web of Science Proceedings (Science & Technology) • Indexes journal articles, editorials, letters, conference proceedings book reviews etc. • Search search for references which cite a particular author, article, or book. • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://wos.mimas.ac.uk Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  18. Cambridge Scientific Abstracts • Umbrella service for 30+ databases • Subject coverage includes computing, engineering, and science • Indexes journals, conference papers, and reports • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://www.csa1.co.uk Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  19. ANTE- Abstracts in New Technologies and Engineering • Via Cambridge Scientific Abstracts • Computing, electronics, engineering, (including construction, electrical, and chemical engineering), biotechnology, and medical technology) • Indexes 350+ journals, 14,000+ records • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://www.csa1.co.uk Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  20. Transport • Transportation research and economic information, combining: • Transportation research information services (TRIS) from TRB; • International road research documentation (IRRD) from OECD; and • TRANSDOC from ECMT • http://arc.ucl.ac.uk:8590/ • Username and password available from Learning Centre Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  21. Emerald Abstracts - Computer Abstracts International Database • All aspects of computing • Indexes 200+ journals • Currently c, 30,000 records • Remote access requires ATHENS username & password • http://www.emerald-library.com Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  22. Emerald Abstracts - International Civil Engineering Database • All aspects of civil engineering • Indexes 200+ journals • Currently c, 30,000 records • Remote access requires ATHENS username & password • http://www.emerald-library.com Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  23. Info4education • Construction Information Online • for architects, civil and structural engineers, building control officers, building services engineers and other professionals in the construction industry • Specify-it • Comprehensive collection of product catalogues covering the construction industry • E4data- Comprehensive collection of product catalogues • Occupational Health and Safety • Full-text collection of key health and safety, fire safety, and environmental health guidance material. • http://www.info4education.com Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  24. IngentaJournals • This multidisciplinary database indexes and abstracts articles from over 2,500 journals • Incorporates full-text links to a number of engineering and computing journals • Requires ATHENS username & password • http://www.ingenta.com Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  25. Finding conference papers • Index of Conference Proceedings • Web of Science Proceedings formerly Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings • (via Web of Science) • Abstracts & Indexes (see previous slides) • ACM Guide to Computing Literature(now ACM Digital Library) • The Collection of Computer Science Bibliographies Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  26. Finding theses/research in progress • Index to theses of GB and Ireland • http://www.theses.com/ • COS Expertise • http://expertise.cos.com/ • COS Expertise, our knowledge management service for individuals and institutions, contains more than 460,000 first-person profiles of researchers from over 1300 institutions worldwide. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  27. Finding standardsand patents • Technical Indexes: British Standards (http://bsonline.techindex.co.uk) • Full-text British standards • Requires ATHENS username and password • EEVL(http://www.eevl.ac.uk) • Select EEVL catalogue, tick resource(s) required, select resource operator (or/and) • Ei Engineering Village 2 (http://edina.ed.ac.uk/compendex) • US patents full-text Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  28. Databases, Training materials, Professional societies, Product Information, Company sites Government E-Journals Reference Recruitment Patents & Standards Research Projects Software Discussion Lists Conference announcements EEVL: Internet guide to Engineering, Mathematics and Computing (Hub) Coverage Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  29. Finding software • UK Mirror Service • The Higher Education National Software Archives http://www.mirror.ac.uk/ • EEVL • Select Resource type, Software • Search engines Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  30. Finding company and industry information • Company/Professional association websites • Company directories (Ref Collection in Learning Centres) • ABI Inform global & Proquest Newspapers (Web) • full text journal articles (business and IT) • Mintel Marketing Intelligence (Web) • consumer market research reports • Newspapers (Learning Centres, Web) • Findex on Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  31. Finding Internet resources • Search Engines e.g. AltaVista • Directories e.g Yahoo • NULIS Catalogue • NULIS Web pages • Subject guides • Information Gateways Subject based links to Web sites vetted by experts. Consult the Internet Resources section of the NULIS Subject Guides for a list of gateways in your subject area. Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  32. An ATHENS username & password are required for access to most of these databases User name = nap + matriculation number e.g. nap00101305 Password = the initial of your forename + date of birth (ddmmyy) e.g. David Smith, born on 25th April 1981 password = d250481 Full details from the Services link on the NULIS homepage ATHENS username & password Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  33. Electronic Searching • Free textsearches the whole record • Field searchtitle/abstract/author • Thesaurus/Index controlled vocabulary • Boolean and = both terms or = either 1st or 2nd term not = find 1st but not 2nd term • Truncationcomput* • Wildcard organi?ation • Proximitysatellite w/3 wireless Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  34. Finding the Full-text • Check WebPAC - Books & Journals • include print and electronic subscriptions • For Journals in Edinburgh check SALSER (Scottish Academic Libraries Serials) • http://edina.ed.ac.uk/salser • For Electronic Journals check IngentaJournals (http://www.bids.ac.uk) &/or Science Direct (http://www.sciencedirect.com) • requires special ID & Password for remote access • Request an Inter-library loan Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  35. Finding Full-text -Access to Electronic Journals • Ingenta Journals • ScienceDirect • Emerald • Catchword • IDEAL • Expanded Academic ASAP International • etc, etc Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  36. Inter-Library Loans Items obtained from the British Library: • Be sure you want them • Get them countersigned • Prioritise them • Batch your requests • Allow plenty of time… (1-2 weeks) Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  37. Bibliography = list of books, journal articles, reports, theses and any other material consulted during the preparation of a report (or essay, project, article etc.) Purpose: To acknowledge the sources consulted To enable other readers to access the material themselves To provide an overview of the literature relating to the topic Bibliographies Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  38. Remember... • Think about what you want • Structure how you get it • Keep notes of references • Extend search beyond this Library • Allow plenty of time Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

  39. And finally…the literature review! As appropriate to your project, show • knowledge of current literature and your own reading • present it thematically or in an order that relates to the rest of the project structure • identify trends, gaps etc in the literature • analyse, evaluate and otherwise demonstrate that you have understood what you have read • NB ALWAYS check your project guidelines Research Skills Faculty of Engineering and Computing

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