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Physics 3501 Search Strategies & Resource Selection

Physics 3501 Search Strategies & Resource Selection. Phillip Fitzsimmons Reference and Digitization Librarian Al Harris Library phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu. Capstone Research Class.

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Physics 3501 Search Strategies & Resource Selection

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  1. Physics 3501 Search Strategies & Resource Selection Phillip Fitzsimmons Reference and Digitization Librarian Al Harris Library phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu

  2. Capstone Research Class Your class Web page, containing all of the information presented in this session, is available at the link: Physics 3501.

  3. Remember: • Make sure you understand your assignment completely. Plan ahead so that you satisfy all it its requirements. • Get most of the information for your assignment through the Library Home Page. Use Web sites mostly for getting ideas, not as sources for your assignment. • When in doubt ask your Professor.

  4. Three Places for Resources: Place Resources • Catalogs Books • Databases Articles • Internet Web Pages

  5. Search Technique Number One: Keywords

  6. Identifying Keywords: • Identify the significant terms and concepts that describe your topic from your thesis statement or research question. • These terms will become the key for searching catalogs, databases, and search engines for information about your subject.

  7. Keyword Phrases: • Single concept, multiple words • Some electronic resources require keyword phrases be enclosed with punctuation • Quotation marks – SWOSU Catalog • Parentheses

  8. Examples of Keyword Phrases: • “Renewable Energy” • “Energy Independence” • “Nuclear Energy”

  9. Search Technique Number Two: Basic Boolean

  10. AND = Narrow OR = Expand Boolean • NOT = Exclude

  11. Boolean Operators • Connect keywords only • Must be placedbetween keywords --AND Narrows your search --OR Expands your search with synonymous terms --NOT • Excludes words from your search • If used too much, it can work against you!

  12. The Resources:

  13. Resource I: Books • Al Harris Library holds 300,000 volumes. Use the library catalog to find print and ebooks. • We have more than 70,000 ebooks. They are exactly like print books except they don’t have to be checked out and can be read on your computer. Many are about current scientific topics. • Books will provide information for the scientific and social aspects of your topic.

  14. Use keyword and Boolean strategies when searching the catalog:

  15. Click link to Other library catalogs to get to Open WorldCat:

  16. Open WorldCat: • Open WorldCat can be searched using keywords to find out what books have been written about your topic. • If Al Harris does not own the book you need, you can use Open WorldCat to request the book from another library. This is called an Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

  17. Open WorldCat: (Linked to the Library Home page.)

  18. Source II: Databases • American Chemical Society Journals • Ebsco: Computer & Applied Science • Today’s Science • Web of Science or Web of Knowledge Also Try: • Ebsco: Business Source Complete • Ebsco: Academic Search Complete

  19. Click Science & Math link to find appropriate Databases:

  20. Search: “solution” in the database Today’s Science The Switchgrass Solution—Green Gold? February 2008

  21. Use keywords from the end of the article to do searches in other databases.

  22. American Chemical Society (ACS) publishes peer-reviewed research on chemical and related sciences:

  23. Source III: Web sites • Domain Names are the last letters at the end of web addresses such as .org, .com, .edu, .gov. • Including .edu or .gov in your Web search will improve the quality of your search results by retrieving only educational and government Web sites. Examples: Biofuels .gov , Biofuels .edu • Consider the following Domain Names: .edu — education, .gov —government, .biz — business, .eu — European country, .in – India, .cn – China. • For a dictionary of Domain Names go to: http://www.techdictionary.com/domainlist.html.

  24. Source III: Web sites • Google Site Search: • Use keyword and Site search strategies for finding credible information on the Web. • Always be aware of the bias of each site. • Government sites • Use USA.gov to find information in sites you do not know about. • Use key phrases “technical report” or “special report” in your search to get the information you want.

  25. Google Site Specific Search results: Large Scale Nuclear http://nuclearinfo.net/ Hydroelectric http://www.hydro.org/index.php Solar http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar Wind http://www.nrel.gov/wind/ Tides http://www.eere.energy.gov Natural Gas http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/info_glance/natural_gas.html Clean Coal http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/ Biofuels http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_biofuels.html Geothermal http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/ Mobile Hybrid http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/hybrid_power.html CNG http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/CNG.html Hydrogen Fuel Cell http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ Storage Systemshttp://www.sandia.gov/ess/Technology/technology.html Other Sites of Interest http://www.eere.energy.gov/ http://www.nrel.gov http://www.eia.doe.gov/ http://www.ehponline.org/

  26. usa.govis the information clearinghouse for the entire Federal Government. Use it to search all government Web sites simultaneously.

  27. Government Web sites for your assignment: • NASA-- http://www.nasa.gov/ • USGS-- http://www.usgs.gov/ • National Science Foundation-- http://www.nsf.gov/ • Department of Energy-- http://www.energy.gov • Government Information Clearinghouse-- http://www.usa.gov/

  28. Tip for searching Government Web sites: • Include the key phrase “technical report” or “special report” to your search. This will bring science-oriented documents to the top of your results and that are also brochure- and book-length.

  29. Click Instruction link to get to APA citation guide:

  30. APA Citation Guides: Digital Citing Sources in APA Style : Al Harris Library (SWOSU) http://campusguides.swosu.edu/apa OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/

  31. Writing Center Spring 2013 hours • Where: (Al Harris Library--B3) • Calendar: Tuesday, January 22nd. -- Wednesday, May 1st. Spring 2013 Hours • Monday & Wednesday: 11:30am-1:30pm & 2-6pm Tuesday & Thursday: 10am-12pm & 1-7pm • Friday: 9:30-11:30am & 2-5pm (English Conversation Corner 3-4:30pm) • Saturday: CLOSED • Sunday: 7-9pm To schedule an appointment • email writingcenter@swosu.edu. • Call (580) 774-7083, • “like” the S.W.O.S.U. Writing Center on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter (@swosuwrites) for the most up-to-date scheduling information. Please keep in mind that these hours are subject to change depending on consultants’ schedules as the semester progresses.

  32. Recap: • The assignment: Know your assignment and cover all of its requirements. • Search strategies: Keywords/Boolean • Apply strategies to resources • Places of resources: • Catalogs, for Books • Databases, for Articles • Web, for Web sites • Try to find three resources that you can use before you leave. • Contact me or any of the other librarians for future help.

  33. Questions? • Contact me: • Phillip Fitzsimmons • 744-3030 phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu Please evaluate this class at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SHCNFKB

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