pir advanced information skills
TRANSCRIPT
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Library & Information Training for PIR:Advanced Research Skills for Projects and Dissertationshttp://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/pir
Emma Burnett, Information Consultant
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To begin …
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http://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/library
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Session Outline
• Developing a search strategy• Searching information sources –
hints & tips• Citation and referencing• RefWorks• Using other libraries• Accessing online resources off-
campus
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My dissertation topic:
What do I want to find out?
LibraryDeveloping a search strategy
1. Identify keywords that define your research question
2. Select relevant information sources
3. Evaluate and modify your searches
4. Select and save results
5. Locate copies of promising texts
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Identifying key concepts & keywords
Alternative terms e.g. governance / policy / regulation
Alternative spellings e.g. colour or color; theatre or theater
Changing terminologye.g. global warming / climate change
LibraryAnalysing your query - an example
Finding information on: ‘population trends in Fiji’
Main aspects Alternative terms
1. population trends demographics, statistics or data
2. Fiji South Pacific, southern hemisphere, Oceania
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Activity
1. Think about your own dissertation topic and spend a couple of minutes thinking about it, noting down keywords.
2. Explain your topic to the person sitting next to you – can they think of other keywords?
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Now that I know what I want to find out:
What resources would I use?
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Types of Resources
BooksJournals Statistics
Websites Databases Reports
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Selecting information sources
• Credo Reference (good starting point)
• Online databases (e.g. JSTOR, Project Muse, Web of Knowledge/Science)
• LibrarySearch
• Senate house library catalogue
• Other internet resources
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Now that I know what I want to find out & where to find the resources:
How do I search for information on my
topic?
LibraryReviewing your results – hints & tips
Too many results?
Narrow your search using: AND
e.g. Civil war AND Syria
Too few results?
Broaden your search using: OR
e.g. global OR international
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Reviewing your results – hints & tips
• Use quotation marks around phrases:
“global crime”, “counterfeit goods”• Use truncation/wildcard characters ($ ? * -)
to replace letters in search terms:Crim* = crime, criminal, criminologyWom?n = woman, women
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Now that I have found information on my topic:
How do I know that it is what I want and good
quality material?
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Evaluating Information
Prezi on evaluating information
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Reviewing your research
Do you have enough / too
much information
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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?
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Now that I have the information (books, chapters, journal
articles, webpages etc) that I need:
How do I manage & reference them?
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Selecting & saving results & full text
Most databases allow you to:
Select and save results to a ‘folder’
Save, download or email results to yourself
Save search ‘history’ & re run them
Always make a note of your search queries and which database you used.
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Citation and referencing
Acknowledge the author of the source
Enable the item to be traced
Evidence of scope and depth of your research
Reference style – the layout & format of your bibliography - CHECK WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT
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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:
http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/training
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Legal & ethical issues
Copyright:https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/library/teachingsupport/copyrightadvice.aspx
Plagiarism:https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/ecampus/academicsupport/studyresources.aspx
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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'.
How to set up the VPN connection: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/it/faq/itfaqs/vpn/faqwebvpn.aspx
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Using other libraries
Senate House Library
SCONUL Access Scheme
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/library/usingourlibraries/otherlibraries/otherlibraries.aspx
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Any questions?
For more help & guidance on any of the topics explored in this course, or for one to one training sessions, please contact the Library Information Consultant for PIR:
Emma Burnett [email protected]
and see the subject guide http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/PIR
Further information can also be found on the Library website www.royalholloway.ac.uk/library