Computer Science MSc Project briefing – Researching for your project Clare Ackerley Academic Liaison Librarian for Computer Science May 2014

Session aims After today you should: be aware of the resources available be able to select appropriate resources to use know some effective searching techniques

Library resources

Searching the catalogue Only view items that are available Refine by Subject

Searching everything Choose to expand search beyond our resources if you wish Limit to peer- reviewed journals Refine your results to select resource type. E.g. conference proceedings

Your Subject Guide

Subject guides – journals and databases Provides links to the most relevant databases and full- text journal collections for you BUT…. Not everything For a comprehensive list use the e-resources guidee-resources guide

E-resources – Bibliographic databases Electronic indexes of published work Examples, INSPEC and Web of Science – databases cover different subject areas and materials – not limited to the Library’s collections – always use more than one database! Access via E-resources Guide or Computer Science Subject Guide.

Some key Computer Science databases Science Citation & Proceedings Indexes (via the Web of Knowledge) – General Computer Science date – citation searching – Proceedings section for conferences & meetings present – Register to customize your search experience – Recorded training materials available. Links on the database.

Some Key Computer Science Databases INSPEC leading abstract publication for information in physics, electronics, electrical engineering, computer science and information technology. - updated weekly present - Also an archive available dating back to 1898

Other useful Databases Zetoc (British Library Electronic Table of Contents) – One of the world most comprehensive research databases – multi-disciplinary 1993 to date – Provides access to over 28,000 journals and more than 52,000 article citations and conference papers. – Set up Zetoc Alerts or RSS feeds to keep track of new research in your area. – Choose to search journals, conferences or both

Electronic resources – e-journals IEEE Xplore All IEEE and IET journals, magazines, transactions and conference proceedings, and all approved and published IEEE standards, excluding drafts. – Complete backfiles to 1988 – Selected content back to 1913 ScienceDirect – World’s largest full text database of scientific journals, 2,500 journals and 20,000 ebooks

Locating full text of the papers you discover Look for Find York button

Electronic resources – e-books Lecture Notes in Computer Science – archive also available. Access through Computer Science subject guide or YorSearch. There are also many more e-books available on YorSearch from other e-book providers such as Dawsonera, MyiLibrary, and Safari

Electronic resources – theses Index to Theses – lists all UK PhD theses and includes an abstract for each. Non-York theses can be obtained via InterLibrary loans White Rose eTheses Online– Collection of doctoral level theses from York, Leeds and Sheffield Universities. EThOS – Electronic Theses Online Service DART – Europe E-theses Portal - Doctoral-level electronic theses which are held in European repositories. Provides a link to at least one electronic copy of every thesis listed in its database Access via Theses subject category on the E-resources Guide.

Electronic resources – web search engines and subject gateways Web search engines Google and Google Scholar CiteSeer – scientific literature digital library and search engine CiteSeer Internet subject gateways TechXtra – cross searches 31 different collections for articles, websites, books, latest news, theses, in engineering, maths and computing TechXtra

Electronic resources – web search engines

Google Scholar Full text freely available Available from York

Google Scholar off campus Go to: Settings Library links Enter University of York Save

Google Scholar AdvantagesDisadvantages More results – a range of resource types, e.g. books, journal articles, theses Too many results(?) Simple to searchLess quality control. Coverage: what is and is not covered? Duplication. Inclusion of some non-academic materials Links to full text items available at YorkInconsistent bibliographic information Few sophisticated search options, e.g. difficult to apply limitations

Open Access Repositories White Rose – Full text available Results will display on YorSearch. Search the repository directly.

Effective Searching - Planning Plan out your search on paper – easy to keep a record if computers crash! – helps clarify your searching strategy Consider the scope of your search – what is the time period you are searching within? – try a quick simple search first Remember to think about synonymous terms – use truncation or wildcards as appropriate (e.g. * ?) e.g. col?r will find colour, color (but also coloniser) e.g. comp* will find computer, computers, computing etc

Effective Searching - Reviewing When you have some results ask yourself – do they answer your question? – are they appropriate for your needs and of sufficient quantity AND quality Be prepared to search more than one database for a comprehensive search – INSPEC does NOT cover everything you need – if you are unsure of which ones to use - ask! Leave enough time to find, and read the full articles!!!

Troubleshooting Searches Too few or no results? – are my keywords the right ones? – am I using the ‘right’ database for the subject? Too many results? – should I include more specific term(s)? – could I eliminate unwanted concepts from my results?

Items not held in the Library Inter-Library Loans £2 each Interlending link on YorSearch British Library Boston Spa minibus on alternate Wed/Fridays, bookable on YorSearch Further information at: SCONUL Access Enables you to visit and borrow from other institutions, apply online

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