searching for geology research literature
DESCRIPTION
Slides to accompany the lecture (Jan 2009) to 2nd year Geology undergraduate students. A guide to searching and available information resources.TRANSCRIPT
Searching for Geology
Research LiteratureFinding quality research information and
publications
Jan 09
Gareth J Johnson
David Wilson Library
Slides online at:
Today’s Session
Aims to
◦ Examine ways to save you time and effort
◦ Give an overview of what is research
literature
◦ Familiarise you with Leicester’s suite of
information resources
◦ Examine database searching techniques
◦ Help you identify keywords and terms
◦ Give you time for questions
Session Outline
1. Research literature
2. Accessing information resources
3. Strategies for effective searching
4. Refining search results
5. Other resources and tools
What is Research Literature?
Other materials
◦ Textbooks
◦ Maps and charts
◦ General website
Research literature
◦ Specialist & professional books
◦ Geological surveys
◦ Peer-reviewed journal articles
◦ Conference papers & reports
◦ Quality web resources
Why do you need it?
To inform your own lab, field and
project work
To find detailed and accurate
information on a specific subject
To discover professional techniques
and insight
To provide information for your
studies and project work
Journal Articles
Primary sources of research information
Professional communications from
geologists and scholars
Peer-reviewed before publication to
ensure quality and accuracy
Articles not listed on Library Catalogue
or Leicester e-Link
Journal Variations
Generalist◦ Cover news, opinion, comment and articles for non-
specialists
◦ E.g. Geology Today
Research◦ In depth, peer-reviewed quality research
◦ E.g. Journal of Geology
Review◦ Overviews of areas within a subject
◦ May be or may not be peer reviewed
◦ Invaluable for identifying key authors and topics
◦ E.g. Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Geological Surveys
Surveys on geological aspects of country/regions
Cover aspects of mineralogy, geochemistry, hydrology and mapping
Produced by governmental bodies responsible for geological work
See the Geology Subject Room for more information
Find surveys in the Library on the catalogue
Conference Proceedings
Collections of lectures delivered at
professional conferences and events
Quick dissemination of research
Often available in advance of journal
articles
May be peer reviewed but often not
Sometimes published as books or journals
Reports
Produced by institutions, societies,
government or independent bodies
◦ Known as grey literature
Will not be peer reviewed
◦ Risk of bias so consider when reading
Recent years generally available on the
web
◦ Older editions harder to obtain
Questions?
Resources at Leicester
All accessed via Library Webpage◦ Library Catalogue
◦ Leicester Digital Library
◦ Leicester e-Link
Nearly all available off campus too
Each indexes a different range of material
You will need to be familiar with them all
Finding Literature
Library Catalogue
◦ Lists all books, maps and reports held by the Library
◦ But only lists journal titles not the articles within
Searching
◦ Try Subject search E.g. petrology
◦ Use advanced search for more options
◦ Finds books on a subject not just in title
◦ Search for journal titles to see if in stock
E.g. Japanese journal of geology and geography
Bibliographic Databases
Often referred to as just databases
Contain descriptive (bibliographic) information for a range of publications
◦ Including books, journal articles, reports etc
Provide a reference and abstract
◦ Enough to track down the article
◦ Must be careful to record all the information
◦ Can email or download references for later use
No single database indexes all geology research literature
Which Databases to Use?
Depends on your research area
Some multidisciplinary ones
◦ SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge
Some more subject specific
◦ GeoRefs, Crossfire. Biosis
Subject Rooms have some guidance
◦ See booklet and Digital Library A-Z pages for
more information
Key Geology Databases
GeoRefs◦ Geology and Earth-Sciences coverage◦ Includes journals most other resources don’t◦ Covers 1785 on (N/America) & 1933 on (international)◦ Updated biweekly
Scopus◦ General Science coverage◦ 7,000 science journals indexed◦ Covers 1966 to date◦ Updated daily
Web of Knowledge◦ Multidisciplinary coverage◦ 5,300 major science journals indexed◦ Covers 1970 to date◦ Updated weekly
Leicester E-Link & Digital Library
Leicester E-Link
◦ Searchable list of all e-journals available
◦ Links to subscribed full text journals
◦ Most available on or off campus
CWIS login required from off site
Digital Library
◦ A-Z of all databases and access information
◦ Additional help and support
◦ Access to subject room for Geology
Search Methods
Preparation of a search strategy is the key
Searches can be built up
◦ Single search element at a time
◦ Portions of larger search statement
Need to be familiar with Boolean Logic
◦ AND – makes search more specific
◦ OR – includes synonymous terms
◦ NOT – eliminates irrelevant results
Boolean Logic
ore or deposit
broad search,
many results
ore and deposit
ore not deposit
focussed search results
omitted useful results?
focussed search, fewer
but more specific results
Basic Searches
Find articles on earthquake detection sensors
◦ earthquake and detection and sensors
This will work
◦ But it is NOT comprehensive
Many articles will be missed
◦ Results will be too broad
Good for finding random papers of possible interest
Need to consider alternative terms too
Keywords & Variations
Identify key concepts and words
◦ Earthquake/Detection/Sensors
Think about keyword
◦ Earthquake
earthquake, earthquakes, tremors, seismic etc.
◦ Detection
detection, detectors, identification, monitoring etc.
◦ Sensors
sensors, sensor, seismograph, seismographs etc.
Questions?
Your Turn
Find out about ore deposits in the
UK
What are the:
◦ Main concepts?
◦ Keywords and alternative terms?
How does that match up…?
Ore
◦ Lode, ore, ores, orebody, mineral, minerals, aggregate
Maybe specific ore types too (e.g. magnetite hematite, haematite, goethite, limonite, siderite. Etc)
Deposits
◦ Deposits, deposition, sedimentation, accretion, accumulation
UK
◦ United Kingdom, Britain, England, Wales, Scotland, British isles, northern Ireland etc.
Truncation & Parenthesis
Truncation/Wildcards
◦ Substitutes for part of a word or letters
◦ Good for finding plurals or alternative spellings
E.g. ore* finds ore / ores / orebody
E.g. minerali?ation finds mineralization and mineralisation
Brackets ( )
◦ Allow Boolean logic to function correctly
◦ Order of priority NOT > AND > OR
◦ fish or sausages and chips
◦ (fish or sausages) and chips
A Better Search
Articles on earthquake detection sensors
1. earthquake or seismic
2. detection or identification
3. sensors or monitors
Run each search independently
◦ Then combine to make final search
(earthquake* or seismic) and (detect* or identif*) and (sensor* or monitor*)
◦ Good for finding papers specifically concerned with our interests
The Best Search (?)
Articles on earthquake detection sensors
1. earthquakes or seismic or tremors
2. detection or identification or monitoring
3. sensors or seismograph
4. Not nuclear
Revised in the light of test search
Run each search independently
◦ Then combine to make final search
((earthquake* or seismic or tremor*) and (detect* or identif* or monitor*) and (sensors or seismograph )) not nuclear
Refining Your Search
Expect to revise your initial search
◦ Rarely work exactly right first time
May need to expand
◦ Include more synonymous terms or truncation
May to need to focus
◦ Use more specific terms or use limits/filters
May need to rethink approach
◦ Try different resources
◦ Reconsider search terminology or logic
Citation Searching
Search for (more recent) articles that
refer to a classic (older but significant)
paper
◦ Brings thread of research up-to-date
◦ Can broaden your results into otherwise
hidden areas
Only available on WoK, Scopus & Google
Scholar
Identifying Relevant Articles
How recent is it?
◦ Is there a more recent version available?
Is an abstract available?
◦ Does it mention your mine/ore suite?
◦ Does it talk about your class of ore deposit?
◦ Does it contain information about regional
geology?
Where are the author(s) based?
Where does the article appear?
Other Tools
Saved searches
◦ Can be used for search alerts on some resources
Subject index searching
◦ Using controlled terms rather than keywords
Open Access
◦ Freely available quality research
◦ Online search engines available OpenDOAR Search, BASE Academic Search
◦ No need to worry about if the University subscribes to the journals
◦ Reliable quality alternative
Other Tools
Intute Earth Sciences Portal
◦ http://www.intute/sciences/earthsciences/
Geology Subject Room
◦ Link from Library Webpages
◦ http://rooms1.library.le.ac.uk/rooms/portal/
Wikipedia
◦ Okay for general information
◦ But not good for research literature
Bibliographic Software
There to aid you in managing your search results
◦ Build a personal bibliography
◦ Eliminate duplicate results from multiple databases
◦ Citation insertion into Word documents
◦ Inserts custom bibliography formatted to house or particular journal styles
On campus support for RefWorks and Endnote
◦ Further training and help online
Help & Assistance
For searching/database support
◦ Gareth J Johnson (Physical & Biological
Sciences)
For general enquiries (password
problems, off site access etc)
◦ 0116-252-2043
