postgraduate (research) - databases
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Postgraduate (Research) - Databases. University Library. Karen Chilcott | Faculty Liaison Librarian. Research Design. Preparing Research Strategy. Identify key concepts / ideas / themes Breakdown each concept into keywords or phrases, synonyms and word variations - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Postgraduate (Research) - Databases
University LibraryKaren Chilcott | Faculty Liaison Librarian
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Research Design
› Identify key concepts / ideas / themes
› Breakdown each concept into keywords or phrases, synonyms and word variations
› Identify limits – date, language, document types
› Research Plan available from Library’s Information Skills webpage at http://sydney.edu.au/library/subjects/researchplan.pdf
› Think about the different sources you may need to consult: library catalogue and collections, databases, internet, people, organisations
Preparing Research Strategy
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Research Sources
Research Sources to consult
My Research
DatabasesFor: Journal articles, book chapters, reports, conference papers, etc• wide range of journals searched• some full text• sophisticated search methods• subject headings & mapping• items may not be held by our library
Library CatalogueFor: books, journals, reference, reports, conference proceedings, AV, reserve•items held at USYD•some full text journal articles•limited to what USYD holds•can access other libraries’ catalogues
InternetFor: material not found through other sources+ can give links to subject related sites, organisations, etc-need to assess credibility of the site
EjournalsFor: full text journal articles by volume/issue+ full text articles-limited collection of journal -titles searched
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Background Information
› Use Background Information to:
• Define or clarify terminology
• Obtain an overview of a theoretical area
• Locate key readings on a specific topic
› Find Background Information by
• Searching the Library catalogue
• Look for Dictionaries & Encyclopedia
• Available in hardcopy or eBook
• Internet Search Engines or Wikis
Background Information
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Finding Journal Articles
› You can find articles in journals by searching our databases and ejournal collections.
› Databases:
- provide access to the content of journals within broad or specific subjects areas
- index articles, essays, conferences papers, websites, book reviews, reports and occasionally book chapters
- sometimes provide full-text versions of articles
› Summon:
- a simple and fast search engine that searches multiple collections at the same time,
- Searches the library catalogue as well as a variety of bibliographic databases
How to find Journal Articles
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› The Library has access to over 300 databases
- See listing at http://sydney.edu.au/library/databases/
› Use the Subject listing to find databases specific to a particular topic
› Many different types of databases including;
- General (eg. Expanded Academic or Proquest)
- Subject Specific (eg. Worldwide Political Science Abstracts)
- Resource Specific (eg. Factiva, or ABS)
- Other (eg. JSTOR (retrospective) or Web of Science (citation) )
Selecting the right Databases
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Common Database Features
› Many databases look different, but they all have some common features:
- Search a range of years
- Search by subject headings or your own keywords
- Download, print or email results
- Limit references retrieved by date, language or document type
Using Databases
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Search Syntax
› Truncation
- To use truncation, enter the root of a search term and replace the ending with the truncation symbol.
- Common symbols used are ; * or ? or $ or % or !
› Wildcards
- The wildcard indicates the symbol used is a placeholder for any unknown term(s) and then find the best matches.
- Common symbols used are * or ? or $ or % or !
Common Search Syntax
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Common Search Syntax
› Phrases –
- use double quotation marks - “ ”
- determines a search for the exact words in that exact order without any change.
› Boolean Operators
- Term X and Term Y: search results display articles containing both terms
- Term X or Term Y: search results display articles containing either term
- Term X not Term Y: search results display only articles containing Term X, excluding any articles also containing Term Y
› Nested Searches
- (A or B) and (C or D)
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Further Help
› Contact your Faculty Liaison Librarian
Karen Chilcott Arts Library Services Team | University LibraryThe University of SydneyT: 02 9351 7289 | F: 02 9351 6722 | M: 0431 606 898 E [email protected]
› Use “Ask a Librarian” service
http://sydney.edu.au/library/contacts/askemail.html
Need further assistance?