Information Skills for Projects

Roger Mills and Catherine DockertyMarch 2007

This session

• How to do subject searches for journal articles, conference papers, book chapters etc

• How to cite electronic sources correctly

• How to avoid plagiarism

Subject searching

• OLIS and TDNet cover Oxford holdings only

• Better to use specialist indexes covering the world’s literature

• Use inter-library loan for items not held in Oxford and not online

Major sources

Today we cover:• Web of Knowledge• Biological Abstracts• Zoological Record• Many others available: see OxLIP

Going home

• These are mostly subscription databases

• Only available on Oxford network• To use outside Oxford, use VPN• Register for it at OUCS and get

software BEFORE you leave Oxford• Also get ATHENS personal password

https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk/

ATHENS

VPN

Citing your references

• An article in an online journal which also exists in print can be cited in the same way as print

• To cite something which only exists electronically, e.g. a web site, follow special rules which include the date viewed

Avoid plagiarism

• Easy to copy and paste paragraphs and make it look like your own work

• Heavy penalties if caught!• Make sure you always give correct

citation• See:

http://www.jiscpas.ac.uk/referencing.php[or Google ‘plagiarism uk’]

• http://www.jiscpas.ac.uk/referencingcitations.php

Keeping track of your references

• Make sure you keep a systematic listing of your references, so you can find them again when you need them

• A simple listing in Word should be fine, but if you have a large number of references, software like RefWorks (free) or EndNote (£90 from OUCS) can be very helpful.

• Some databases allow you to export references directly to RefWorks of EndNote.

Maps

• If you need to do much mapping, consider using the MapInfo software. The Bodleian Map Room staff can give you guidance.

www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/oxlip

• To find the databases go to OxLIP and look in title index:

• Web of Knowledge• Electronic Reference Library

• Nb turn off pop-up blockers!

Quick Reference Guides

• Web of Knowledge: http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/support/documentation/present_version/newwok101.pdf

• WebSPIRS:http://www.ovid.com/site/pdf/WebSPIRS5.1_QRC.pdf

• Biological Abstracts: http://www.biosis.org/media/pdf/qrc/BIOSIS_on_SilverPlatter_QRC.pdf

• Zoological Record: http://www.biosis.org/media/pdf/qrc/ZRonSP.pdf

These slides are available on

• www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/isbes/training