Finding literature for 3 rd /4 th year projects James Webley Subject Librarian Mathematics 19 October 2015

Today’s talk : Introduction to Library search tools and the Mathematics support pages. Highlight a few key resources. Google Scholar – pros & cons/search tips Accessing electronic resources off campus and using ILL Cited reference searching Referencing Further help and advice 19 October 2015

Locating material Select appropriate resources and search for a variety of materials – Print and online, primary and secondary. ‘Library Search’ for books and journals (print and E) Subject Databases, Ejournals and websites: One-stop shop: ‘Library Maths Bristol’Library Maths Bristol Search engines – Government /Inter-governmental and corporate reports, open access material. Follow a ‘research trail’ – bibliographies, references, citations. Find/access material not held at Bristol - COPAC/ILL /SCONUL/Subject Lib 19 October 2015

‘Library Search’ Two types of search:search ‘UoB Collections’ – books, ebooks, journals, ejournals. ‘Everything’ – UoB collections plus articles from a Central Index. Huge collection, but for a more comprehensive and refined article search use Subject-specific Databases… 19 October 2015

Mathematics Support pages Google: ‘Library Mathematics Bristol’ Links to ejournals, ebook collections, Library Search Databases of scholarly research literature 19 October 2015

MathSciNet and Web of Science MathSciNet Over 3 million records/approx journal titles covering most of mathematical sciences literature. Also includes conference proceedings, books and PhD theses. Links to review articles (particularly useful for overview of current literature) Web of Science Over 46 million records/12,000+ journal titles covers 256 disciplines Citation searching 19 October 2015

Search Techniques Use search tools and tabs in databases Boolean (AND, OR) Truncation - * (e.g. spher* = sphere, sphericity, spherical) Search within results and citation searches Refine by year, type of publication, subject etc. and search engines: Phrase searching – “Ramsey theory” Boolean (AND, OR) Limit by file type, date, language etc. Limit by domain -.org,.ac.uk,.eu,.co.uk/.com,.gov.uk 19 October 2015

Cited Reference Searching Enables you to track related research literature forward in time as well as backwards in time based on key references. Start with a key reference. Identify previous references cited by the paper. Identify future papers that have cited it. Citation searching offered by Web of Science, MathSciNet and Google Scholar 19 October 2015

Google Scholar Searches scholarly literature. Useful for reports, blogs, OA material Links to UoB material What is being searched? How are results ranked? Personalizes and localizes results. Poor metadata – publication dates. Limited search tools/’added value’ Search tips: Mathematics Subject pagesMathematics Subject pages 19 October 2015

Evaluating results Read the abstract – is it relevant? – Coverage Is it free of errors backed up by reliable sources? - Accuracy Who wrote it? Expert? Academic? Corporation? – Authority Is it cited, peer reviewed/edited – Academic Bias? Commercial interest? - Objectivity When was it published? - Currency 19 October 2015

Search Engines only?! “...a searcher who is unwilling to search multiple databases or to adopt a sophisticated search strategy is likely to achieve average recall and precision by simply using Google Scholar.” “Researchers value the ease and speed of Google Scholar, but should also perceive its quality and precision limitations.” So why not use the academic resources at your disposal? 19 October 2015

Accessing online resources and ILL Access based on IP address, so if off-campus or using your own PC/Laptop… 1. University username and password (Shibboleth/UK Federation) 2.Remote Student Desktop or Off-Site Proxy …and if we don’t have access to a resource you need then request via the ‘ILL requests’ link on ‘Library Search’. The article will be ed direct to you within 48hrs. if 19 October 2015

Referencing Referencing is… Not simply including a reference list at the end of your project, but also acknowledging within the text of the project if you have taken an idea OR exact wording (quotation) from a source. This acknowledgement within the text of your project is known as a citation Choose a reference style and be consistent. Referencing help: Mathematics support pagesMathematics support pages Upcoming EndNote sessions: 20 th October, 1pm – 2D3, Priory Road Complex and 29 th October, 1pm – Frank LT, Physics 19 October 2015

Good research habits : An awareness of the search tools available to you. A knowledge of how to refine/sort your searches. Follow a ‘research trail’ – cited searching. Use appropriate tools to manage your information. 19 October 2015

For help and advice… Queen’s Library ‘Library Maths Bristol’: 19 October 2015