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EFFECTIVE USE OF LIBRARY
Abdul Waheed Chief Librarian GCU, Lahore December 12, 2007 At Fazl-e-Husain Reading Room GCU
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Effective Use of the Library
The GCU Libraries Finding and Locating Information Understanding Information Sources of Information in the GCU Libraries The Classification Scheme HEC Pakistan Digital Library Internet, Web and Search Engines Planning a Search Strategy Evaluating Effectiveness of Your Research Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques Electronic Search Tools Library Use and GCU Faculty Managing Your Time
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Purpose of University Libraries
The purpose of university library is to create a learning environment in which faculty and students are provided with a variety of library resources and ultimately, become competent users. However, the assessment of the use of resources in each academic institution is very complicated. Administrators as well as the library need to know whether faculty and students do make use of the resources in the library And whether the use of these resources genuinely help students with their assignments and faculty with their teaching and research responsibilities. Finally, they need to identify the factors that affect this use.
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1- The GCU Libraries
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GCUL Library Mission The Mission of the GC University Library Lahore is to support the educational goals and instructional needs of the programs by providing professional reference services and information resources to supplement classroom and laboratory learning as well as participating in the teaching/learning environments of the academic departments, centers, institutes, schools and online operations with the goal of contributing to the development of student applied research skills and information literacy competencies.
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Library Locations 1- Central Library (Fazl-I-Hussain Library)
Urdu Section English Section Archives British India Documents Theses GC University Publications Personal Collections Computer Lab Photocopy Service 2- Postgraduate Library Arts Hall Science Hall Periodical Section Personal Collections/Museum Acquisition/Tech. Section 3- Departmental Libraries Persian,Geography,Chem,Phy, Psy,Clin Psy, Bot, Zool,CASP
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Introduction Bound volumes 2,53,801
Staff Professionals+ 26 other staff Local news papers Five No of computers in the library 60 International English newspaper Two Urdu dailies Five Virtual Library > book & > journals Free Full text journals (digital library) 25000 Monthly newspapers index since 1998 (25 topics). Research Articles (51 academic topics) Journals/ magazines of English and Urdu 77 The Library covered area SQF Central Library 9103 Postgraduate Library SQF
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Opening Hours - Library Building
Library Timings Opening Hours - Library Building Day Building Open Service Counter Opens Service Counter Closes Monday 8:00am to 08:00pm 8.30am 7.30pm Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday* Saturday 8:00am to 06:00pm 5.30pm * Library remains close for Juma Prayer from 01:00pm to 03:00pm
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2- Finding and Locating Information
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
What do you need to do? You need to find books and journals in the library You need to access electronic sources You would like to use other libraries
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
Why should you use the library catalogue/website? The library catalogue/website allows you to: Locate printed materials e.g. books, reports, archives etc Check if above library holdings are available or issued Locate journals and newspapers Access on-line information Search a number of electronic resources
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
Collections General Collection Periodical Collection Personal Collections Special Collection Digital Library Government Documents University Publications Theses Research Articles Working Papers a. World Bank b. Asian Development Bank (ADB) c. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) d. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) e. Working Papers of Academic Subjects f. Statistical Working Papers
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
Access to Collections General Collection ( (ML/PG Library ) Periodical Collection (Visit ML and Pg Library for Urdu and Eng Journals) Personal Collections ( (ML/PG Library ) Special Collection ( (ML) Digital Library ( ) Govt. Documents ( (ML) University Publications ( (ML) Theses ( (ML) Research Articles (Periodical Section, PG Library) Working Papers (Periodical Section, PG Library) a. World Bank, b. Asian Development Bank (ADB) c. SBL, GoPak, GoPb, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) d. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) e. Working Papers of Academic Subjects f. Statistical Working Papers
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
Personal Collections Arshar Mir Mian Muzaffar Hussain Malik Meraj Khalid Muhammad Hassan Siddiqui Chaudhry Ghulam Jilani Naqoosh Collection Bashir Mojed Dr. Agha Yameen Dr. Laeeq Babri Muzaffer Hussain Prof. Zahir Ahmad Siddiqui Munir Ahmad Prof. Waqar Azeem Iftikhar Jalib Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ajmal Prof. Jilani Kamran Prof. Dr. Waheed Qureshi Abdullah Malik Prof. Dr. Razi Wasti
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FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION
Personal Collections 20. Sardar Karim Nawaz 21. Prof. Dr. Abdul Hameed 22. Muhammad Ajmal Kardar 23. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Aslam Qureshi 24. Kamal Azfar 25. Prof. Mirza Maqbool Baig Badakshani 26. Muzafar Ali Syed 27. Munir Ahmad Sheikh 28. Prof. Dr. Ebadat Bralevi 29. Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab 30. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Mirza 31. Dr. Muhammad Idrees 32. Ashfaq Ahmad 33. Prof. Qayyum Nazar 34. Zaka Rehmat Ullah 35. Shahid Hameed 36. Prof. Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum
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Both available at GCU Library website
FINDING AND LOCATING INFORMATION GCUL’s Library Publications Monthly GCU Newspapers Index ( ) Doing Research and Referencing Both available at GCU Library website
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3- Understanding Information
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Understanding Information
What do you need to do? You need to understand what information is You need to find out how information is organised You need to understand the difference between primary and secondary information sources
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Understanding Information
Information Sources
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Understanding Information
Primary sources Primary sources contain information from research undertakings, either experiments, observations or analysis. These research findings are usually published in journal articles, reports and theses. Letters, paintings and photographs are also considered to be primary sources. Secondary sources Secondary information takes that original study and discusses the outcomes, using it to support the author’s own theories in relation to the subject or topic. This secondary information can be found in general texts such as books or indexes.
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Understanding Information
Sources of Information What do you need to do? You need to find out about the different types of information sources available in the GCU Libraries You need to find out about the advantages and dis-advantages of different sources of information
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4-Sources of Information in
the GCU Libraries
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Sources in the Libraries
Sources in the library include: Books Newspapers Reports Abstracts GCU Library intera-net Theses Journals Indexes Statistical sources Bibliographies Audio/Video Material
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Sources in the Libraries
You won't use all these, but they do contain different types of information which you may be able to exploit in your research. Books Books often provide comprehensive analysis and discussion of a subject. Academic textbooks are usually written by experts in their field. However, you should be aware of the fact that it takes a long time from the commissioning of a book until its final publication. For subjects in which rapid developments are taking place textbooks may be less relevant.
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Different types of books
Sources in the Libraries Different types of books Some books as reference sources simply to verify facts. (e.g. encyclopedias or year book) Other books may be more subjective, and written from a particular author’s viewpoint. Some may be collections of essays on a specific topic. If you can't find anything then try other sources available at the GCU Libraries.
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Electronic References on GCU Library Website
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Sources in the Libraries
If you can’t find anything on the catalogue which matches your topic don’t automatically assume that there’s nothing in our book collection on that subject. Think about your topic in broader terms and then check the index, or list of contents in a more general textbook. If you still can not find your required piece of information, search your topic in journals or electronic sources accessible on the GCU LAN.
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Sources in the Libraries
Journals Journals are published regularly which means the content is very up-to-date in comparison with books. They are sometimes known as periodicals. Even with a particular subject journals may be either general or more specific There are several different types of journal. Some trade magazines may simply include news items. Other journals may be issued by a society or institution and contain news, proceedings, transactions and reports of work carried out in a particular field.
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Sources in the Libraries
There are two main types of journals: Peer-reviewed/academic/scholarly journals/Int’l repute This category of journals have an editorial board of subject experts who approve content for publication. This means you are reading quality information. Peer-reviewed articles are often long (over five pages) and may include current theories, models and research. Trade press/magazines The trade press usually consists of magazines. The articles in these journals will be much shorter and more "newsy".
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Sources in the Libraries
Newspapers Newspapers may be a good source for verifying the occurrence of particular events (a natural disaster for instance). GCU library website will enable you to search a variety of different newspapers at the same time. Be aware that there are some shortcomings too. Articles tend to be short and may lack academic rigour. Sometimes searching for a keyword on a newspaper database can uncover too many results. This is known as information overload. A newspaper's opinion is likely to be politically influenced.
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Sources in the Libraries
Overcoming the difficulties Supplement newspaper sources with academic journals. Use any advanced search facilities available on databases. Use a variety of different newspapers to overcome political bias. Advanced search techniques of newspaper sources Search for a keyword in the headline of a story and combine this with a word in the text. If you know the names of particular authors who are reputable in their fields search for these. A specific name, particularly an uncommon one may help.
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Sources in the Libraries
Reports There are many types of reports. Depending on your subject specialism you may be using government reports, company reports, conference proceedings or technical material.
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5-The Classification Scheme
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Major Classification Scheme
DDC is an international Classification Scheme that is used all over the world especially for the arrangement of libraries and information knowledge houses. According to this scheme Knowledge can be divided into ten Main Classes.( ) Generalities Philosophy Religion Social Science Languages Natural Science and mathematics Applied Science The Arts Literature Geography and History
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7-HEC Pakistan Digital Library
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How do you find information on a subject in e-journals?
Select Digital Library from the GCU/GCU Library website or Choose a subject, e.g. Economics Look for the subject (A-Z details given with the databases on GCU digital library pages) Click on the required title to access the database Type in keywords of database which describe what you are looking for
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
Provides access to over 30 peer-reviewed journals and magazines in all fields of chemistry Two AAPT publications provide up to date physics knowledge. Provides access to 11 highly-rated Journals and conference proceedings Provides access to 9 prestigious research publications. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Provides access to 11 high-quality on-line journals This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
It is a comprehensive database covering the world's mathematical literature. Includes full-text articles from all ACM journals and magazines. Full text Access to just over 600 leading learned journals in life sciences, medicine/health, ecology, accountancy and economics, cultural studies (especially Asian studies, African studies, Australian studies, international studies), development issues, history, management studies, social policy There is a range of catalogues for different types of material, thousands of images and some sound samples. This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
nearly 200 peer-reviewed academic Journals across a wide spread of subject areas. EBSCO provides access to 7 databases of information which can be searched individually, in selected groups or altogether, (i) Academic Search Premier, (ii) Business Source Premier, (iii) ERIC, (iv) Masterfile Premier, (v) Newspaper Source, (vi) Health Source Nursing Academic, (vii) Health Source Consumer Edition. Emerald publishes the world's widest range titles - of management and library & information services journals. The service also provides access to leading titles in marketing, business disciplines, engineering and materials science. Provides access to Prestigious journal of Physics This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
JSTOR is archive of important scholarly journals and provide full text access to these journals. These journals cover Business, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Language, Law, Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology, History, Geography, Biological Sciences, Political Sciences and Education areas of knowledge. biomedical research, clinical medicine, surgery, law, and science. It has over 12,000 papers from 55 leading journals many going back to 2000's. The Archives of the Journal is available in Hard Format from GCU Libraries, Lahore. full text abstracts and TOC alert service over 120 leading titles in medicine, neurology and neuroscience, oncology, life sciences, esp. biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, area studies, law, history, political sciences, philosophy, business and economics This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
Palgrave Macmillan has a reputation as a dynamic, flexible and responsible journal publisher within the social sciences and humanities. RSC is providing includes online journals database (chemistry) giving access to 36 online journals spanning all branches of chemistry It Provides full-text access to the prestigious Science publication with additional online enhancements Largest electronic collection of science, technology and medicine full text and bibliographic information. Access to 432 full text journals on computer science, mathematics, physics and astronomy, life sciences, chemical sciences, medicine, engineering, geosciences, environmental sciences, law and economics This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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E-Resources Available at GCU Digital Library
Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database. It covers 15,000 peer-reviewed journals from more than 4,000 international publishers, including coverage of: Over 1,000 Open Access journals 500 Conference Proceedings Over 600 Trade Publications Over 125 Book Series 33 million records, of which: 16 million records include references going back to 1996 17 million pre-1996 records go back as far as 1869 This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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BRITISH LIBRARY
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British Library Request Form
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Why do You Need the Library When Google Provides Everything You Required?
It's very important that you distinguish between quality, academic information and unreliable information early in your studies. The Internet certainly has its place in academic study, but over-reliance on Internet sources has many pitfalls you should be aware of: they're not quality controlled - anyone can publish whatever they want they're frequently out-of-date they're frequently incorrect The journals and books we buy for you have gone through quality control processes and recommended by the Heads of Departments. So, if you use the resources in the GCU Libraries, you will find that the junk has already been removed for you.
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8-Internet, Web and Search Engines
This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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The Web is not the Internet
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
What Is the Internet? Machines Computers, routers, switches Circuits Wire and fiber Information and applications People
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
A Waste of Time The Internet connects you to information and people around the World. It’s easy to get distracted, lost, confused Saving Time Learn how to be a focused, efficient Internet user
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Poor Quality Anyone can publish anything on the Internet - you need to be careful not to degrade your work by using poor quality information High Quality Learn how to evaluate Internet resources and think critically about them
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Types of Internet Connections Wide area network (WAN) –less complex than Internet; can connect geographic locations or within school district Local area network (LAN) – a network within a school or lab; can even connect computers between rooms at home. Allows you to share files and other resources. Relies on a central file server that “serves” all the others Intranet is a proprietary or closed network that connects multiple sites across the country-- usually private and accessible with passwords etc. Allows different departments with different computer platforms (hardware and/or operating system) to communicate. Sometimes a software package called a firewall prevents external users from accessing the internal network ( sometimes makes it hard to get outside access) Extranets – networks of intranets These type of “connections” allow people to connect and communicate with each other even if using different applications (word vs. works) or platforms (Mac vs. PC)
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Internet Services Bulletin boards Information search capabilities (including database of pictures, texts etc.) Access to highly specialized computer programs not readily available to individuals Live chats (Tappedin, WebCT) Audio Video-based communication (CU-see Me or NetMeeting)
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
What is the Web? The Web includes millions of Web sites composed of billions of Web pages The front page of a Web site called a home page Browsers are used to view Web pages Internet Explorer Netscape Navigator The Internet is not just the Web. Locate Web pages with Web addresses
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Web vs. Internet The Internet connects thousands of computers across the world, but it is the web that allows communication to occur Web - abstraction and common set of services on top of the Internet Web - set of protocols and tools that let us share information with each other
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
WWW System of Internet servers that support hypertext to access several Internet protocols on a single interface Almost all protocols accessible on Internet are accessible on web (commonly – FTP. Specially – Telnet, Janet etc) In addition, WWW own protocol: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Why learn to search? Mastering the Web: A real challenge! Vast amounts of material No organization Sites come and go Constant change What’s reliable?
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Web Address URL (Uniform Resource Locator) http tells your software what protocol to use www indicates web pages gcu.edu.pk is the domain name or server QMQA is the name of the requested document htm or html (any one by default) is the language
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
URL’s Specific Location Domain Web Server Protocol
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Internet, Web and Search Engines
Domains .com - for commercial enterprises .org - for non profit organisations .net - for networks .edu - for educational institutions .gov - for government organisations .mil - for military services .int – for organisations established by international treaty Countries -- .ca; .pk; fr; in; au, uk…(however in case of USA: nothing is mentioned but gov is authentic.) e.g for academic institutions (USA) texas.edu, (UK) lse.ac.uk, (Germany) uni-bonn.de (Pak) pu.edu.pk, (India) amu.ac.in
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9-Planning a Search Strategy
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Planning a Search Strategy
What do you need to do? You need to find out what a literature search is You need to find out the benefits of planning an effective search strategy You need to discover how to choose effective keywords for my search You want to improve your chance of finding relevant information
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Planning a Search Strategy
What is a literature search? A systematic and exhaustive search for published material on a specific subject. “It is often the first step in a research project, patent search, or laboratory experiment and sometimes reveals that the proposed action is unnecessary, having been carried out previously.” Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and reference book” 9th ed. Gower, 2000 p.458
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Planning a Search Strategy
Why do you need a search strategy? To save your time To uncover previously published research and identify a research gap
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Planning a Search Strategy
Online databases There are a large number of online databases available to you at GCU. These databases cover many subjects and represent a fast and efficient means of acquiring relevant information for your research topic. Unlike printed information sources, online databases are continually updated. If you adopt and follow a plan of action you are more likely to succeed than if you rush headlong into your search.
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Planning a Search Strategy
Choosing keywords Firstly define your topic : Break the topic down into keywords in order to search for them. Consider the following possible assignment: “The influence of modern youth culture on the behaviour of teenagers” Which keywords could you use to find information on this topic? Possible keywords ----
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Planning a Search Strategy
Choosing keywords A few keywords you might use include: Youth (s) Culture Behaviour Media Newspapers Music/Popular Music Crime Popular Culture Young/Adolescent (s) Teenager (s)
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Planning a Search Strategy
Choosing keywords When choosing keywords, you need to be aware that different terms and spellings are used in different countries. Use a Thesaurus to find alternative keywords and synonyms. You could just use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Office to help you. Alternatively, you may use the same on the GCU Library Website on
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Planning a Search Strategy
The scope of your search Having decided upon your keywords, the next stage is to decide whether your search is broad or narrow in scope. For example - The search youth crime is a very broad and unspecific search. Whilst influence of Cable on youth crime is a much more specific and narrow search. The scope of your search may vary depending on the word count you are required to meet, the level of detail required, and the time you have to complete the work.
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Planning a Search Strategy
Linking terms You can make your searches broad or narrow by linking your keywords using the words AND, NOT, OR: Use AND / NOT for narrow searches Use OR for very general searches OR Retrieves occurrences of any of the terms AND Both terms appear in the resources retrieved by your search NOT Eliminates unwanted information
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Planning a Search Strategy
Refining your search If you retrieve too many results from a search, you can effectively reduce the number by applying limits to your search strategy. Some of the ways you can limit your search are: Limiting where in the journal article your keywords should occur, e.g. title Limiting your search to specific journals Restricting by date of publication, e.g. last three years only Limiting to full-text results only The above options are often found in the "Advanced Search" of a database. Look for this option in the database you are in, and check the search screen carefully for advanced search options.
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10- Evaluating Effectiveness of Your Research
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Evaluating the effectiveness of your search What do you need to do? You need to know the difference between search results which are and aren’t helpful for your research You need to know what to do when searches don't produce the results you want
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
What's your search problem? In trying to achieve effective results, you may need to overcome many common search problems. Let's look at some common problems. Common problems Results are not relevant Results are too basic Results are too advanced Too many/too few results Results are too old
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Results are not relevant You've done a search and scanned down the list of article titles. None of them seems relevant to the research you are doing. Ask yourself: Which keywords did you use? Did you make a list of alternative words? Did you search for specific aspects of your topic? For example advertising campaign and success, rather than just advertising? Do your keywords have other meanings? Overcoming the problem The problem of irrelevant results is often a keyword problem. Try some alternative keywords and be as specific as possible. If you continue getting irrelevant results, you may be in the wrong database, contact the Librarian at GCUL for the same.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Results are too basic You've run a search, but all the resulting articles are very short, don't give you enough detail and are a bit too basic. Ask yourself: Did you search a database that covers academic and scholarly journals? Have you tried limiting your search to peer-reviewed journals? Can you pinpoint specific sources that have consistently produced too basic results? Can you rule some sources out ? Overcoming the problem When resulting articles are very short and basic, they have usually come from trade journals or magazines, and not from academic journals. This problem is often overcome by selecting a database that includes peer-reviewed journals and limiting your search within the database to exclude magazines. There's often a box you can tick on the database search screen that allows you to limit your search in this way.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Too many/too few results Finding too many results is probably the most common search problem. This is closely followed by the common problem of finding nothing! Before asking yourself how you cope with 1000s (or no) results, ask yourself why you might have got so many or so few: Which database have you been searching? Where else could you search? How far back have you searched? Did you try using SCOPUS at to find additional results in other databases? Have you been too broad or too specific in your search? Have you considered broader, narrower and related terms?
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Overcoming the problem Finding too many or too few results is almost always a keyword problem. This is often remedied by using broader search terms if you got too few results, and narrower search terms if you got too many. If you got too many results, try limiting your search by date e.g. only look at the last couple of years or only search for your keywords in the title of the article. These search options are available in most databases. Check the Advanced Search, if there is one, for more options. If you didn't get enough results, make sure you are searching across all dates and all articles in the database, and that no limiting options e.g. "searching titles" only, have been selected. If broader terms don't work, you may not be using the right database for the job.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Research
Selecting results Once you are broadly satisfied with the search results, open up each reference for the fullest outline. Check each reference for: Authority (Author/Publisher/body) Currency (Current information excluding retrospective) Language of publication Geographic or cultural relevance Length of article Ease of obtaining full text
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11-Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
This module is perhaps one of the most important of the workshop. As more and more electronic resources become available (and the volume of information within them grows), effective searching becomes increasingly important. Not only do we need to be able to conduct effective and efficient searches of these resources ourselves, but we need to be able to pass these skills on to others. Hopefully, this module will provide some useful ideas and prompts in this area. Credits: some of the content for this module is based on online materials from the University of Bristol Information Services – the content is used with permission.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Types of Search Tools Five-Step Search Bad Strategies Quest for Quality Choose the Best Search for your Information Need The objectives of this module: To understand why effective searching is important how to plan and implement a search: defining your information need and thinking about which sources you need to use how to structure and effective search: understanding how search tools function so as to ensure effective searching. Many search techniques are generic and can be applied from one electronic resource to another. However, there are peculiarities with some resources that users should be aware of. And finally to get some hands-on experience of carrying out effective searches. Quick searches and advanced searches can produce very different results and are appropriate in different circumstances.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Types of Search Tools There are five types of search tools Search Engines Meta-Search Engines Subject Catalogs & Directories Invisible Web Beyond Web Electronic resources can mean huge volumes of data: In January 2003 Google claimed to have a database containing 3,083,324,652 web pages—and it is widely accepted that Google only gets about half of the available content! There are also more than 20,000 full text journals available online—which means there are a very large number of high quality academic papers out there. Add to this newspaper archives and similar online databases and we are dealing with a lot of information! Its not unusual to get 1,000s or 10,000s of hits when doing searches of various electronic resources and it can be difficult to sift and sort this information. Before you know it we are faced with an information overload situation. It some ways it’s a “nice” problem to be faced with—maybe it’s better too much information than too little — but we all only have a limited amount of time with which to find the best and most appropriate information. Obviously quality and evaluation issues are important (and these will be considered later in the workshop), but narrowing down the number of ‘hits’ should be a high priority. Additionally, with time online and access to computers at a premium, effective searching can be seen to be very important.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Search Engines These are the most commonly used type of tool for finding information on the internet. Search engines utilize software to automatically generate a database of websites and pages loaded on the web. Search engines generally have three major parts: first is 'spider' or 'crawler'; it crawls and visits web pages continuously to create the database with new uploaded web pages. Second is database, also sometimes called a catalogue or index, which contains a copy of every web page that the spider finds. and third is the search engine, the program that answer our queries by sifting though its huge collection of pages to find matches to our queries. While to update its collection normally spider crawls weekly to find updates of existing pages and new web pages. Anybody who is familiar with looking for material in the print world will have a range of skills that are also appropriate in the electronic world. Facilitator: you could ask the participants to think about what searching skills they already have. …BUT it is important to understand that searching in the electronic world relies on machines, and they do not have the same capacity as we do to interpret information. Therefore it is important to understand how these tools work and how to use them effectively so that we get the best results from the time we spend searching.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Ranking Normally search engines like Northern Light ranks the result through most relevance, it shows percentage against each searched record while listing most relevant first. The higher the figure more relevant a site is deemed to be. It assumes more relevant where your searched terms appear in the title of the page, near the top of the page, or appear frequently in the text. Remember you should not assume the ranking is always successful. Think of this as a checklist that should be in every library user’s head. The process of planning a search strategy clarifies your thinking about your topic and helps you ensure that you are looking for information appropriate to your task. The following recommended process can be applied to any searching situation, electronic or otherwise, and should be encouraged amongst all users of information resources (especially electronic resources as these are often searched directly by users without the aid of a librarian). Searching training for all new library users would be a great ultimate objective (if not currently provided)—it might save time and resources in the long run and should raise the quality of any searching/research done by users.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Search Engine Google All the Web Advanced Type alltheweb and click Advanced Search Links to help Google help pages All theWeb help pages Size, type Size varies frequently and widely. HUGE. Over 2 billion. Claims over 3 billion but about 1 billion are not fully indexed (i.e., cannot be full-text word searched). Un-indexed pages are retrieved if your search matches their titles or match other pages linking to them. HUGE. Over 3 billion fully indexed, searchable pages. Sometimes ties for first in tests. Advanced Search worth mastering. Specific information Are you looking for specific information (such as the date that the Antarctic Ozone hole was discovered) or for more general information (maybe an overview, or a literature survey, of a particular subject)? Specific information can normally be answered quickly by using a reference source (e.g. data book, encyclopaedia, dictionary, the World Wide Web) or even a textbook. General/research type information may require more thought, including how much information is needed and at what depth. These considerations will affect the next steps in the searching process. You may also need to consider who is going to use the information. Information needs and requirements may vary from user to user and so there may be different methods of searching and searching strategies that are appropriate. Think about the different kinds of information needs and therefore searching requirements that each of the user groups listed may require: Librarians Researchers Academics Students Etc. And discuss them with the participants.
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Search Engine Google All the Web Advanced Type all the web and click Advanced Search +Requires/ -Excludes (term definition) - excludes + will allow you to retrieve "stop words" (e.g., +in) In top box, - excludes Sub-Searching (term definition) Sort of . At bottom of results page, click "Search within results" and enter more terms. Adds terms. Sort of. At bottom of search results. Terms entered will be added to terms previously searched. Results Ranking (term definition Based on page popularity measured in links to it from other pages: high rank if a lot of other pages link to it. Automatic Fuzzy AND. Also seems to use "importance" and links to pages. In Boolean Search, rank:word is supposed to rank by that term. This planning stage of the search can be done away from the computer, using pen and paper. For example if I put in the search ‘water pollution’ I would get a huge number of results including topics in the fields of ecology, health, chemistry, shipping, agriculture, and more. By including the appropriate concept (e.g. if I was interested in the health implications of contaminated water and used the keyword ‘health’) I could narrow down my search to match my information needs and get a more focused group of results. Including synonyms (words with similar meaning) or related terms, alternative spelling, plurals and capital letters will also help ensure that I search for all documents that may be related to my query. For example, if I searched for ‘health’ ‘water’ and ‘pollution’ I may miss articles which talk about ‘illness caused by contamination of drinking supplies’. Some databases, abstracts and indexes have a thesaurus which can help identify synonyms, etc. As well as considering the search terms we use we should also be aware that the way that we input and combine terms will affect our search results, and depend on the source that we are using.
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Search Engine Google All theWeb Advanced Type alltheweb and click Advanced Search Truncation (term definition) No. Search variant endings and synonyms separately, separating with OR (capitalized): airline OR airlines No. Enclose variants in ( ) in top box to create OR search. (airline airlines) Case sensitivity (term definition) No. Language Yes. Major Romanized and non-Romanized languages in Advanced Search. URDU OPTION IS HERE Yes. Major Romanized and non-Romanized languages. Allows you to specify matching character sets. Read Help and Customize. Choose which sources to use and search them out Thinking about the subject and, bearing in mind your information needs, you can select the best information sources to use. It is often best to search for recent information first as good sources will lead you to earlier ones, through the lists of references at the end of chapter of books or end of journal articles. If you need specific information try: Reference sources including data books, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, handbooks, compilations of spectra, directories, or the Internet. Relevant text books often include specific data also. If you need an introduction to a subject try: Reference works including encyclopaedias, dictionaries and handbooks; textbooks, monographs, readers, theses or dissertations; broad subject journals (most have yearly subject indexes), a review article. It is really these last two tasks that are most suited for using electronic resources although searching catalogues, etc, can be useful to alert you to the existence of a particular book, etc, even if it doesn’t allow you to see the full text. If you need a comprehensive literature search on a subject use: Databases, abstracts, indexes, and citation indexes, bibliographies , or reviews should enable you to compile a list of references to relevant books, journal articles, conference papers, reports, theses and patents which you can then go and locate. The Internet can also be useful, by using subject gateways or search engines, though be wary, as the quality and accuracy of information on the Web can be very variable! If you need to keep up with new developments use: Databases , recent issues of abstracts and indexes and current awareness publications will alert you to new references on your subject that you can then go and locate. Additionally, if your subject is well covered by a few key journals then you could look at these as they are published. The Internet can also be useful, by using search engines, bookmarking useful sites and re-visiting, and by joining relevant newsgroups (though be wary, as again the quality and accuracy of information on the Web can be very variable!)
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Search Engine Google All the Web Advanced Type alltheweb and click Advanced Search Limit by age of documents In Advanced Search. Translation Yes, in Translate this page link following some pages. To English from major European languages. No. Having worked out the most appropriate search terms and sources for your information need, it is now time to input the search. This can be done through a variety of search tools, all of which function slightly differently. We will go on to look at the different ways in which search tools interpret your query.
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Meta-Search Engines In a meta-search engine, you submit keywords in its search box, and it transmits your search simultaneously to several individual search engines and their databases of web pages. Within a few seconds, you get back results from all the search engines queried. Meta-search engines do not own a database of Web pages; they send your search terms to the databases maintained by search engine companies. It is possible to do both simple and advanced searches and they are appropriate in different circumstances. Quick, simple searches may be good for an overview but they can produce thousands of results and are not suitable in many electronic environments. So we will now consider the more advanced search features.
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Smarter Meta-Search Engines There are two families of smarter meta-search engines at this time: Meta-searchers that search good databases, accept complex searches, integrate results well, eliminate duplicates, and offer additional features such as clustering by subjects within your search results. Some of the famous names are; Vivisimo (GCU Web), Metacrawler & Ixquick. Tools for serious digging in many resources, with powerful abilities to help you find what you seek within search results. These are appropriate for very serious researchers to use for in depth probing of a topic. Some of the famous names are; SurfWax, Copernic Agent Boolean operators can provide a powerful way of entering your search as they allow you to specify how the search terms are combined. To do this you need to use Boolean logic or logical operators, AND, OR, and NOT or their equivalents on the system you are using. It is important to find out how the particular resources you are using uses these commands: some use symbols such as AND + - * etc. There is almost always a ‘help’ section which will explain how that particular resources works. Although different symbols may be used to represent the Boolean commands or operators—what the operators do is the same.
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Meta-Search Engines Ixquick.com Searches AltaVista, Ask Jeeves/Teoma, MSN, Yahoo & more. Uses whatever search operators engine searched uses. Great feature: Aggregates and ranks results. Eliminates duplicates Vivisimo.com Searches AltaVista, MSN, Lycos, BBC, CNN, NYTIMES & more. (For complete details Select Advanced Search Button). Also searches subject engines on topics such as News, Business, Technology, & Sports. Clusters results. Good for topical and current event searching. Query: I would like information about education or literacy. In this search, we will retrieve records in which AT LEAST ONE of the search terms is present. We are searching on the terms education and also literacy since documents containing either of these words might be relevant. This is illustrated by: the shaded circle with the word education representing all the records that contain the word “education" the shaded circle with the word literacy representing all the records that contain the word “literacy" the shaded overlap area representing all the records that contain both “education" and “literacy" OR logic is most commonly used to search for synonymous terms or concepts. Some search tools use the words ‘include at least one of these words’ to indicate an ‘OR’ search.
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Ask Jeeves “ Answers to millions of questions from evaluated sites. Also searches Teoma.com. No Boolean - use natural language. Good for simple questions. Use Remove Frames feature to see URL of search result. The BigHub “ Searches from several search engines, you can search people, yellow pages etc. Uses AND as default search operator Simple search Query: I'm interested in the relationship between education and literacy. In this search, we retrieve records in which BOTH of the search terms are present This is illustrated by the shaded area overlapping the two circles representing all the records that contain both the word “education" and the word “literacy" Notice how we do not retrieve any records with only “education" or only “literacy" The more terms or concepts we combine in a search with AND logic, the fewer records we will retrieve. Search tools may use ‘include all of the words’ or + or a number of other symbols to carry out an ‘AND’ search.
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Subject Catalogs & Directories Like gateways and Virtual Libraries, Subject catalogues or directories are created manually. Sites are submitted by the authors or developers, and then assigned to an to an appropriate subject category or categories by the catalogue or directory maintainers. However, unlike gateways and virtual Libraries, there is no selection and evaluation of the information to access its quality and authenticity of the material. (e.g BUBL, SOSIG, BIOGATE etc on GCUL Web) To confuse matters, many search engines like Google also include subject catalogue element and many real catalogues connect users automatically to a search engine to expand their search results. Some search tools allow you to use phrase searching, i.e. if you enter the phrase in quotation marks it will look for pages with that exact phrase in it. For example searching for “information literacy” may give you very different results than looking for information AND/OR literacy. The NEAR command is used in order to specify how close terms should appear to each other. You use the command like this: information NEAR literacy Please consider whether you really need to control proximity within your searches. Most search engines will try to find the terms you indicate next to each other, or within close proximity to each other, by default.
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Subject Directories Infomine infomine.ucr.edu Academic Info Recommend Browsing Yahoo! dir.yahoo.com Size, type Over 115,000 Great, reliable annotations. Cooperatively compiled by university & college-level, academic librarians of the UC campuses. Rich selection of about 25,000 pages, selected as "college and research level Internet resources" aimed at "at the undergraduate level or above." Brief annotations. About 2 million. Scarce descriptions and annotations. Often useful, especially for popular and commercial topics. Phrase searching (term definition) Yes. Use " " |term term| requires exact match No. " " make searches fail. Yes. Use " " These terms are often used interchangeably, but generally truncation refers to using a symbol at the beginning or end of a word to search for a portion of the word—this means you find any variations your search term might have. For example looking for librar* would find libraries, librarians, library, librarianship, etc Some search tools also allow you to use truncation at the beginning of a word, e.g, *phobia would find agrophobia, arachnophobia, xenophobia, etc. Wildcards, or ‘internal truncation’ allows you to search variations on spellings with the symbol representing one or more characters within a word. For example col*r would find colour, color, colder, collar, collector, etc Stemming is related to truncation and refers to the ability of a search tool to look for variations of a word such as its plurals, singular forms, tenses, etc. So a search for water would find water, watering, watered, waters, etc. Many symbols including * $ : ! and # are used and search tools vary in how the symbols are used, for example some search tools require you to place at least four letters before or after the truncation symbol.
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Subject Directories Infomine infomine.ucr.edu Academic Info Yahoo! dir.yahoo.com Boolean logic (term definition) Automatically expands words. No. Truncation (term definition) AND implied between words. Also accepts OR. OR implied between words. Accepts AND, OR, NOT and ( ) Field searching Select boxes under search box to limit to KW (keyword) SU (subject) TI (title) AU (author) AN (annotation) t:requires terms in title field u:requires terms in URL Some search tools are sensitive to which case you use in your search terms, with for example ‘The Times’ returning different results to ‘the times’. They may also allow you to require your search term to appear in a particular field of the page, e.g., in the title or URL of the page. Many search tools ignore very common words during searches, but may allow their inclusion if, for example, they are prefaced with a + e.g. ‘+The Times’ Different search engines will also rank or sort your results differently, maybe by how near the top of the page the terms you are searching for appear, or by who has paid them money to place their page first when someone searches for particular terms. Again, most search tools have a FAQs or help section which will explain the details of how it operates. Some may also use brackets to allow you to order your search e.g. ‘education AND (“information literacy” OR “IT literacy”) allow you to specify limits, such as the time limit ‘within the last 6 months’ or language limits of ‘only documents in English (or French or Russian).
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Invisible Web The "invisible web" is what you cannot retrieve ("see") in the search results and other links contained in these types of tools. Searchable Databases Most of the invisible web is made up of the contents of thousands of specialized searchable databases that you can search via the Web. The search results from many of these databases are delivered to you in web pages that are generated just in answer to your search. Such pages very often are not stored anywhere: it is easier and cheaper to dynamically generate the answer page for each query than to store all the possible pages containing all the possible answers to all the possible queries people could make to the database. Search engines cannot find or create these pages. Citation searching, which is also known as cited reference searching, is useful if you already have a useful reference to a book or journal article on the subject you are researching. It allows you to search forward in the published literature, starting from your known reference, to locate new articles which cite your known reference in their bibliographies (the lists of references usually found at the end of chapters, or journal articles). Citation searching is not available on all databases or electronic resources, but when it is available it is can be a powerful tool to use. citation searching is a useful alternative to other methods of subject searching, and can sometimes give better results. It is probably best to try various approaches citation searching usually works best if your known reference is of high quality by leaders in the field, and limited to the subject you are researching citation searching is not the same as searching for articles by an author to make a citation search on a databases that supports this kind of feature, it is usually best to use the first named author of the reference you have, and its date of publication the number of references you find in a citation search is not necessarily a measure of the quality of the cited reference — a notoriously bad paper can be cited often! Citation searching is available on the following resources: Web of Science, Some IDEAL journals, and many others are developing this feature.
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Invisible Web Excluded Pages There are some types of pages that search engine companies exclude by policy. There is no technical reason they could not include them if they wanted. It's a matter of selecting what and what not to include in databases that are already huge, expensive to operate, and whose search function is a low revenue producer. Citation searching, which is also known as cited reference searching, is useful if you already have a useful reference to a book or journal article on the subject you are researching. It allows you to search forward in the published literature, starting from your known reference, to locate new articles which cite your known reference in their bibliographies (the lists of references usually found at the end of chapters, or journal articles). Citation searching is not available on all databases or electronic resources, but when it is available it is can be a powerful tool to use. citation searching is a useful alternative to other methods of subject searching, and can sometimes give better results. It is probably best to try various approaches citation searching usually works best if your known reference is of high quality by leaders in the field, and limited to the subject you are researching citation searching is not the same as searching for articles by an author to make a citation search on a databases that supports this kind of feature, it is usually best to use the first named author of the reference you have, and its date of publication the number of references you find in a citation search is not necessarily a measure of the quality of the cited reference — a notoriously bad paper can be cited often! Citation searching is available on the following resources: Web of Science, Some IDEAL journals, and many others are developing this feature.
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How to Find the Invisible Web Simply think "databases" and keep your eyes open. You can find searchable databases and other invisible web stuff in the course of routine searching in most general web directories. Of particular value in academic research are Librarians Index Academic Info Infomine Use Google and other search engines to locate searchable databases by searching a subject term and the word "database". As you can see from the previous slides there can be a lot of variables in the way a search tool will run your search. So, it is very important that having decided on your search terms and which resources you are going to query, you find out how the resources you are using works. Look up the help/FAQs section and to help ensure that you find as nearly as possible the information you are looking for without having to sift through thousands of irrelevant documents or missing out any vital ones.
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Beyond Web This is the most important portion of scholarly and quality information on the web, but usually researcher is not conversant with these mines of resources available. These resources may be virtual libraries and/or highly classified web catalogs etc. having specific information. These resources have their collection development policy and charges fee from the authors of the sources they are indexing and making part of their libraries. These libraries are manually constructed where each source is evaluated and rated. For theses selection reasons the sources like these have very less collections normally about three to fifty thousand. Review and revise your search You may find that you need to revise your search strategy in the light of the results you find, perhaps by using other sources of information, by searching using other search terms (or combining them in other ways in the search) or by using another type of search, such as citation searching. The problem with the initial search may be that you are finding too many, or too few, or not enough relevant references. Another problem could be with the references you find; they may not be available in the University Library here, they may be to items that are in a language that you cannot understand, or they may be at a too advanced (or basic!) level for your needs.
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Title URL Comments Search Tips UCB Internet Resources by Subject /Collections/ acadtarg.html Many links to Internet resources on many academic disciplines selected by UC Berkeley Library subject-specialists. Britannica's "Web's best sites" Select "Web Sites" instead of "All Britannica" to focus on selected sites. AND (default), OR, NOT, ADJ may be used; * accepted for truncation. " " makes phrase. BUBL link bubl.ac.uk/link/ Large subject directory with British focus, covering many academic and other topics. Search at bottom of subject categories. Collect the information Once you have chosen your sources and located them, search them to see if they include references or information relevant to your information need and subject. Points to remember: The way you search a source will depend on what it is, and what you are searching for. Printed sources usually have a subject index, and sometimes an author and other indexes. Databases usually provide more types of search, and greater flexibility in searching for particular search terms or combinations of terms. Special types of search you may encounter include citation searching and combining search terms using AND, OR and NOT (Boolean searching). Make a careful note of relevant references, or information, you find, perhaps photocopying or printing the relevant section (make sure that you are complying with Copyright Law) and be sure to note the source of any information you use as you will probably need to supply a list of the relevant references that you used. If the source gives you further references to follow up make sure you copy them correctly, as a small mistake can make the item difficult to track down. Use the appropriate resource (this could be one of the electronic resources, the library catalogue, etc) and look up the references to find if the items are available locally or as full text electronic copies. You may wish to consider using a Inter-Library Loan service or document delivery service for material not available locally. Remember that the quality and accuracy of information is important, and often the more up to date the better. Permanence can also be a factor, for example will an Internet site still be there when someone follows up your references?
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Five-Step Search Step #1. Analyze your topic to decide where to begin Step #2. Pick the right starting place using this table Step #3. Learn as you go & vary your approach with what you learn Step #4. Don't bog down in any strategy that doesn't work. Step #5. Return to previous strategies better informed
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Step #1. Analyze your topic to decide where to begin Does your topic... have distinctive words or phrases? methodical, unique meaning "affirmative action", specific, accepted meaning in word cluster have NO distinctive words or phrases you can think of? You have only common or general terms that get the "wrong" pages. "order out of chaos", used in too many contexts to be useful sundiata, retrieves a myth, a rock group, an African warrior, etc. seek an overview of a broad topic? Victorian literature, alternative energy sources specify a narrow aspect of a broad or common topic? automobile recyclability, want current research, future designs, not how to recycle or oil recycling or other community efforts
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Step #2. Pick the right starting place using this table YOUR TOPIC'S FEATURES: Search Engines Subject Directories Distinctive or word or phrase? Enclose phrases in " ". Test run your word or phrase in Google. Search the broader concept, what your term is "about." NO distinctive words or phrases? Use more than one term or phrase in " " to get fewer results. Try to find distinctive terms in Subject Directories Seek an overview? NOT RECOMMENDED Look for a specialized Subject Directory focused on your topic Narrow aspect of broad or common topic? AltaVista's Boolean searching Look for a Directory focused on the broad subject.
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Step #3. Learn as you go & vary your approach with what you learn Don't assume you know what you want to find. Look at search results and see what you might use in addition to what you've thought of. Step #4. Don't bog down in any strategy that doesn't work Switch from search engines to directories and back. Find specialized directories on your topic. Think about possible databases and look for them. Step #5. Return to previous strategies better informed Having a result, analyze and learn better experiences by slightly changing the strategies/sources etc. Let the participants know how much time they will have for the PERI hands on.
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Bad Strategies Because of their inefficiency and often haphazard and frustrating results, we do not recommend either of the following two approaches to finding Web documents: Do not BROWSE searchable directories. If you can find a search box, then search a directory. BROWSING is a sometimes fun rarely as efficient. The term "directories" refers here to any collection of web resources organized into subject categories. Browsing locates documents by trying to match your topic in first that will lead you to your target. Browsing encounters the difficulty of guessing under which subject category your topic is classified. The category "health" may contain documents on medicine, homeopathy, psychiatry, and fitness in one directory. Searching (typing keywords in a search box) retrieves occurrences of your words no matter where they may be classified by subject. Use broad terms in searching any directory.
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Bad Strategies Do not FOLLOW links. Often in search engine results, you will see links to sites that are selected based on how often they are visited by others, or based on fees paid to the browser. Or you may see recommended "cool" sites. Use these with caution! Others may visit sites for reasons having no relation to your information interests, and the best sites for you may still be largely undiscovered by the vast public searching the Web. Taste varies and should vary. Make your own evaluations.
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Quest for Quality There are few things that can help you in determining and searching the quality information on the Web. Learn to use Resources like Search Engines, Meta Search Engines ( Gateways ( Virtual libraries ( HEC’s Online Books ( GCU’s Free Online Books ( GCU Online Publications ( AJOL (African Jounals Online):Online access to African journals - AJOL offers the tables of contents and abstracts of articles from 120+ journals in agricultural sciences, science and technology, health and social sciences, published in Africa. British Library - Inside Web: Discovery/bibliographic tool enabling searching of Table of Contents of 20,000 leading research journals. inside web offers a fully integrated current awareness and document ordering service, via the Web, that allows you to search, order and receive documents held at the British Library. It can be used equally by individual researchers or library professionals. inside lets you search the British Library’s journal and conference collection of millions of articles without leaving your desk. Search and order directly over the Web and receive articles within two hours. inside’s searchable index contains article level information from more than 20,000 of the world's most valued research journals, in all subjects, and over 100,000 conference proceedings. The inside database grows by over two million articles every year, and is updated daily to provide one of the most up-to-date services available. Quickly identify the information you need and save time in a competitive world. CABCD: largest professionally-produced database covering international issues in agriculture, forestry and allied disciplines in the life sciences. The database contains over 3.5 million records from over 11,000 journals, books, conferences, reports, and other kinds of literature published internationally Subject Strengths : include animal and crop husbandry, animal and plant breeding, plant protection, genetics, forestry engineering, economics, veterinary medicine, human nutrition, and rural development. Coverage is from 1973 to the present, with abstracts in English prepared from papers originally published in over 75 different languages. CAB Health CAB HEALTH provides an alternative, complementary point of reference with a broad analysis of foreign language journals, books, research reports, patents and standards, dissertations, conference proceedings, annual reports, public health, developing country information, and other difficult to obtain material. The records may also appear in some 50 printed abstract journals published by CAB INTERNATIONAL. Over 16,000 serial sources from more than 130 countries are scanned regularly for inclusion in the CAB HEALTH database, to produce approximately 25,000 new entries per year. Nearly all records have informative English abstracts prepared by scientists and linguists. CAB CD and CAB-Health Available online and as CD-ROM, through Silverplatter
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Quest for Quality … Effectively, using search facilities to maximize quality information retrieval. Use virtual libraries and subject catalogues for quality information, Reason is that these are selected and evaluated resources by Librarians and Subject specialists. These resources have smaller collections but have quality. Avoid using search engines in the quest of quality only if you don't know effective searching strategies. Determine the perfect source for your information need Determine the best keywords or phrase as per your information need. After accessing the source though search engine or any where else assess the quality of the information source by: AJOL (African Jounals Online):Online access to African journals - AJOL offers the tables of contents and abstracts of articles from 120+ journals in agricultural sciences, science and technology, health and social sciences, published in Africa. British Library - Inside Web: Discovery/bibliographic tool enabling searching of Table of Contents of 20,000 leading research journals. inside web offers a fully integrated current awareness and document ordering service, via the Web, that allows you to search, order and receive documents held at the British Library. It can be used equally by individual researchers or library professionals. inside lets you search the British Library’s journal and conference collection of millions of articles without leaving your desk. Search and order directly over the Web and receive articles within two hours. inside’s searchable index contains article level information from more than 20,000 of the world's most valued research journals, in all subjects, and over 100,000 conference proceedings. The inside database grows by over two million articles every year, and is updated daily to provide one of the most up-to-date services available. Quickly identify the information you need and save time in a competitive world. CABCD: largest professionally-produced database covering international issues in agriculture, forestry and allied disciplines in the life sciences. The database contains over 3.5 million records from over 11,000 journals, books, conferences, reports, and other kinds of literature published internationally Subject Strengths : include animal and crop husbandry, animal and plant breeding, plant protection, genetics, forestry engineering, economics, veterinary medicine, human nutrition, and rural development. Coverage is from 1973 to the present, with abstracts in English prepared from papers originally published in over 75 different languages. CAB Health CAB HEALTH provides an alternative, complementary point of reference with a broad analysis of foreign language journals, books, research reports, patents and standards, dissertations, conference proceedings, annual reports, public health, developing country information, and other difficult to obtain material. The records may also appear in some 50 printed abstract journals published by CAB INTERNATIONAL. Over 16,000 serial sources from more than 130 countries are scanned regularly for inclusion in the CAB HEALTH database, to produce approximately 25,000 new entries per year. Nearly all records have informative English abstracts prepared by scientists and linguists. CAB CD and CAB-Health Available online and as CD-ROM, through Silverplatter
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques Choose the Best Search for your Information Need Information need Search strategy I need a few good hits fast. Google - fast search, large index. Uses "collective judgment"1 to order results. View a cached page if site unavailable. Ixquick - metasearch using phrases, Boolean, wildcards, capitals. Weighs value of hits by using major engines' top ten results. About 10% paid listings. I have a broad academic subject and need pointers to quality sites. Librarians' Index to the Internet - "thinking person's Yahoo"3 with weekly updates. Infomine - librarian-selected directory with flexible search options. Oxford University Press (OUP): Access to over 120 leading titles in science, technology, medicine, humanities and social sciences published by the world-renowned Oxford University Press. Subject Strengths Medicine, neurology and neuroscience, oncology life sciences, especially biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology area studies law history political sciences, philosophy business and economics Springer: Springer Verlag is one of world's leading publishers, delivering high quality peer-reviewed journals through its acclaimed online service - SpringerLink. Access is provided to over 400 titles the LINK service Subject Strengths computer science, mathematics, physics and astronomy life sciences, chemical sciences, medicine engineering, geosciences, environmental sciences law and economics.
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Information need Search strategy I need to focus my search. Before searching, fill-in template. Choose options like Boolean or phrase, domain, timeframe or date: AltaVista Search Assistant HotBot SuperSearch - added options: language, media type, page depth. FAST/All the Web - added options: document size. Very large web index While searching, use iLOR mouseover to collect useful sites or anchor yourself.
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Information need Search strategy I need help to improve my results. From your results, choose thesaurus words or phrases to refine your search: Surf Wax - choose "Focus" words (top left) to add broader, narrower or similar words to your search terms. Altavista - shows related phrases that others have used in similar searches. Oingo - search again by selecting alternatives (drop-down menu) for ambiguous words in your search. I bet this search has been done before. Ask Jeeves! - database of answers to natural language questions
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Information need Search strategy I need quality, evaluated pathfinders prepared by a subject expert. Pinakes - a launchpad to major academic subject and multi-subject gateways. About.com - screened and trained volunteers create general-interest subject guides. WWW Virtual Library - worldwide volunteers maintain oldest academic subject-organized catalog of links to full-text, databases, and gateways. BUBL LINK - academic catalog (European focus) organized by Dewey number and subject terms. I need balanced information from verified sources for a school research project to take home. For certain types of research, useful books and magazines may only be available in print. Ask your local librarian.
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Information need Search strategy I want to search on often-ignored words in a phrase AltaVista includes little words (a, to, be, not ) in search. I need a pinpoint search using a unique phrase or word. AltaVista - best engine for needle-in-the-haystack, unique word or phrase search I need information on a proper name (a place, person, or object). A person search on HotBot SuperSearch will retrieve the name in both reversed and normal order (e.g., Picasso, Pablo and Pablo Picasso). I need biographical information. Biographical Dictionary - search for quick identification of a name. Biography.com - search for paragraph-length biographies.
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Information need Search strategy I need accurate, objective information on hot topics (current and controversial). Hot Topics Supersites - sites which have resources on many controversial topics of current interest selected by public-university librarian. Public Agenda Online - surveys public opinion on major social issues I need statistical data. Statistical Information help page
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Information need Search strategy I need perspectives from other countries and regions. Search Engine Colossus links to search engines from countries NewsDirectory - foreign and domestic newspapers, magazines, TV stations, trade associations, comic strips, and many other sources. Abyz News Links - links to international newspapers, news media, internet services, magazines, and press agencies. World Press Review - succinct overviews of issues from international perspectives, views of U.S. from abroad. Regional and local - annotated links to regional and local search engines and country-specific Web directories around the world.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I need simple reference information (basic facts, current statistics, name identification). CIA World Factbook - recent country facts, data. Information Please - cross-searches almanac, atlas, dictionary, and encyclopedia. I need primary sources. Academic Info - browse by subjects, or search by keywords, of digital collections offering unique online content, including annotated subject directories. I need information found in presentations, spreadsheets and other formats [pdf] [doc] [xls] [ppt] [rtf] [ps]. Google Advanced Search - includes Adobe Acrobat, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Rich Text Format and Postscript documents. Search Adobe PDF Online - see summary before downloading.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I need invisible web resources (access to databases not commonly indexed by search engines). Invisible Web - drill down a small, high-quality directory list. Resource Discovery Network - full-text keyword search, or drill down a subject directory, of academic databases. ProFusion - subject search, or drill down a directory, of electronic texts and 500 databases. InvisibleWeb - subject search, or drill down a directory. Large index of 10,000 databases compiled by crawlers and human editors. Complete Planet - search subject, or drill down a subject list. Indexes 90,000 searchable databases Geniusfind - topic-specific databases and search engines Depth of Search: Choosing Invisible Web Databases -
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I need images and sounds (photos, art, designs, logos, videos, music, noises), media types (Java, mp3) or file extensions [.gif]. Multimedia: Fast AlltheWeb - includes Flash search Lycos MultiMedia; AltaVista images, audio, video. Singingfish audio video advanced search HotBot SuperSearch - template for media types and technologies Google Image Search - over 150 million digital images. ClassroomClipart - browse categories suitable for K-12. Fine arts: ADAM, FAMSF, SILS, Richman's list of picture/art sites. American Memory US historical maps, motion pictures, photos and prints, sound recordings. WebSEEk - keyword search or browse content-based images and videos (slow). FindSounds - locates sound effects and sample sounds.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I need free or inexpensive software. CNET - meta search engine for shareware. I need a map. gcu.edu.pk/library (e-References Page) I need a quotation. As above
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I want to get advice and opinions from others. Ask A+ Locator - browse, or search by keyword or subject, a database of high-quality "AskA" services. Google Usenet Advanced Search - searches newsgroups. I need a virtual librarian. Internet Public Library Reference - reference. Ask a Librarian at LoC or to GCU Library at I want notice of new sites as they're announced. Scout Report review or weekly notification of new sites, often not yet listed elsewhere.
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Information need Search strategy I need to periodically rerun a good search I've already composed. GoogleAlert- reruns your search periodically on its large index and sends alerts via .
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Effective Searching Strategies and Techniques
Always Remember when doing effective e-research Be specific Quotation marks around phrases, or select “exact phrase” Use Boolean logic Limit by domain, eg .au Use the “help” link Use more than one search engine Use sign + when requires more and use – when excludes some points Sub-Searching
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12-Electronic Search Tools
It is possible to do both simple and advanced searches and they are appropriate in different circumstances. Quick, simple searches may be good for an overview but they can produce thousands of results and are not suitable in many electronic environments. So we will now consider the more advanced search features.
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Electronic search tools
How they function Electronic search tools may interpret your search terms using Boolean operators Phrase and proximity searching Truncation or wildcard functions Case sensitivity Fields Stop words Relevance sorting It is possible to do both simple and advanced searches and they are appropriate in different circumstances. Quick, simple searches may be good for an overview but they can produce thousands of results and are not suitable in many electronic environments. So we will now consider the more advanced search features.
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Electronic search tools
Boolean searching Uses commands (operators) such as AND, OR, NOT Different search tools may use different symbols AND + NOT – Different search tools may use OR or AND as a default setting Sometimes Boolean operators must be entered in capital letters (e.g. Synergy) Boolean operators can provide a powerful way of entering your search as they allow you to specify how the search terms are combined. To do this you need to use Boolean logic or logical operators, AND, OR, and NOT or their equivalents on the system you are using. It is important to find out how the particular resources you are using uses these commands: some use symbols such as AND + - * etc. There is almost always a ‘help’ section which will explain how that particular resources works. Although different symbols may be used to represent the Boolean commands or operators—what the operators do is the same.
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Query: I would like information about education or literacy
Electronic search tools education literacy Query: I would like information about education or literacy Query: I would like information about education or literacy. In this search, we will retrieve records in which AT LEAST ONE of the search terms is present. We are searching on the terms education and also literacy since documents containing either of these words might be relevant. This is illustrated by: the shaded circle with the word education representing all the records that contain the word “education" the shaded circle with the word literacy representing all the records that contain the word “literacy" the shaded overlap area representing all the records that contain both “education" and “literacy" OR logic is most commonly used to search for synonymous terms or concepts. Some search tools use the words ‘include at least one of these words’ to indicate an ‘OR’ search.
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Electronic search tools
education literacy Query: I'm interested in the relationship between education and literacy Query: I'm interested in the relationship between education and literacy. In this search, we retrieve records in which BOTH of the search terms are present This is illustrated by the shaded area overlapping the two circles representing all the records that contain both the word “education" and the word “literacy" Notice how we do not retrieve any records with only “education" or only “literacy" The more terms or concepts we combine in a search with AND logic, the fewer records we will retrieve. Search tools may use ‘include all of the words’ or + or a number of other symbols to carry out an ‘AND’ search.
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Electronic search tools
education secondary Query: I want to see information about education, but not secondary education In this search, we retrieve records in which ONLY ONE of the terms is present This is illustrated by the shaded area with the word ‘education’ representing all the records containing the word ‘education’ No records are retrieved in which the word “secondary" appears, even if the word “education" appears there too NOT logic excludes records from your search results. Be careful when you use NOT: the term you do want may be present in an important way in documents that also contain the word you wish to avoid. For example, the an excluded article might say ‘In this paper I will be discussing the impact of funding cuts on education, and will consider the tertiary rather than secondary sector…’ Search tools may use—or ‘exclude these words’ to carry out a ‘NOT search Query: I want to see information about education, but I want to avoid seeing anything about secondary
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Electronic search tools
Phrase and proximity searching Using quotation marks allows you to search for an exact phrase, e.g. “information literacy” Using NEAR allows you to specify how close to each other the terms you are searching for should be Some search tools allow you to use phrase searching, i.e. if you enter the phrase in quotation marks it will look for pages with that exact phrase in it. For example searching for “information literacy” may give you very different results than looking for information AND/OR literacy. The NEAR command is used in order to specify how close terms should appear to each other. You use the command like this: information NEAR literacy Please consider whether you really need to control proximity within your searches. Most search engines will try to find the terms you indicate next to each other, or within close proximity to each other, by default.
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Electronic search tools
Truncation or wildcard searches Truncation: place a symbol at the end of the word so you search for variant endings of that word e.g. litera$ would look for literature, literacy, literal Wildcards: place a symbol within a word to find variations on it e.g. analy*e would find analyse or analyze Different symbols - including $ * # ! : - are used by different search tools These terms are often used interchangeably, but generally truncation refers to using a symbol at the beginning or end of a word to search for a portion of the word—this means you find any variations your search term might have. For example looking for librar* would find libraries, librarians, library, librarianship, etc Some search tools also allow you to use truncation at the beginning of a word, e.g, *phobia would find agrophobia, arachnophobia, xenophobia, etc. Wildcards, or ‘internal truncation’ allows you to search variations on spellings with the symbol representing one or more characters within a word. For example col*r would find colour, color, colder, collar, collector, etc Stemming is related to truncation and refers to the ability of a search tool to look for variations of a word such as its plurals, singular forms, tenses, etc. So a search for water would find water, watering, watered, waters, etc. Many symbols including * $ : ! and # are used and search tools vary in how the symbols are used, for example some search tools require you to place at least four letters before or after the truncation symbol.
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Electronic search tools
Truncation Teach* Teach! Teach? Teach# retrieves Teach Teaches Teacher Teachers Teaching
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Electronic search tools
Other variations in search tools Case sensitivity: use of upper or lower case in search terms Fields: searches in fields such as the title, URL or links Stop words: searches may ignore common words such as ‘and’, ‘if’, ‘an’, ‘the’ Relevance sorting: relevance is measured in different ways in different search tools Brackets may be used to order the search, e.g. (literacy AND education) NOT secondary Some search tools are sensitive to which case you use in your search terms, with for example ‘The Times’ returning different results to ‘the times’. They may also allow you to require your search term to appear in a particular field of the page, e.g., in the title or URL of the page. Many search tools ignore very common words during searches, but may allow their inclusion if, for example, they are prefaced with a + e.g. ‘+The Times’ Different search engines will also rank or sort your results differently, maybe by how near the top of the page the terms you are searching for appear, or by who has paid them money to place their page first when someone searches for particular terms. Again, most search tools have a FAQs or help section which will explain the details of how it operates. Some may also use brackets to allow you to order your search e.g. ‘education AND (“information literacy” OR “IT literacy”) allow you to specify limits, such as the time limit ‘within the last 6 months’ or language limits of ‘only documents in English (or French or Russian).
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Electronic search tools
Citation searching Also known as ‘cited reference searching’, Finds all material that cites a particular work Many electronic resources provide easy to use citation searching or include facilities that offer this Useful when cited work is of a high quality, by leaders in a field Citation searching, which is also known as cited reference searching, is useful if you already have a useful reference to a book or journal article on the subject you are researching. It allows you to search forward in the published literature, starting from your known reference, to locate new articles which cite your known reference in their bibliographies (the lists of references usually found at the end of chapters, or journal articles). Citation searching is not available on all databases or electronic resources, but when it is available it is can be a powerful tool to use. citation searching is a useful alternative to other methods of subject searching, and can sometimes give better results. It is probably best to try various approaches citation searching usually works best if your known reference is of high quality by leaders in the field, and limited to the subject you are researching citation searching is not the same as searching for articles by an author to make a citation search on a databases that supports this kind of feature, it is usually best to use the first named author of the reference you have, and its date of publication the number of references you find in a citation search is not necessarily a measure of the quality of the cited reference — a notoriously bad paper can be cited often! Citation searching is available on the following resources: Web of Science, Some IDEAL journals, and many others are developing this feature.
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Electronic search tools
Run the search Take the terms/keywords you have decided on Find the sources you are going to search Read the ‘Help’ page to find out how that particular source uses Boolean commands, wildcards, etc As you can see from the previous slides there can be a lot of variables in the way a search tool will run your search. So, it is very important that having decided on your search terms and which resources you are going to query, you find out how the resources you are using works. Look up the help/FAQs section and to help ensure that you find as nearly as possible the information you are looking for without having to sift through thousands of irrelevant documents or missing out any vital ones.
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Electronic search tools
Review and revise your search Hopefully you have found what are looking for, or at least places to start from, but Be prepared to review and revise your search scope and strategy Try new sources of information (familiarity is sometimes too easy) Start again near the beginning of this process if you need to Review and revise your search You may find that you need to revise your search strategy in the light of the results you find, perhaps by using other sources of information, by searching using other search terms (or combining them in other ways in the search) or by using another type of search, such as citation searching. The problem with the initial search may be that you are finding too many, or too few, or not enough relevant references. Another problem could be with the references you find; they may not be available in the University Library here, they may be to items that are in a language that you cannot understand, or they may be at a too advanced (or basic!) level for your needs.
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Electronic search tools
Collect the Information Evaluate the information to ensure it is relevant, accurate, of high enough quality, etc Collect it either via printing, pen and paper, floppy disk, , saved searches Ensure you keep a complete record of the source of the information for citing later Collect the information Once you have chosen your sources and located them, search them to see if they include references or information relevant to your information need and subject. Points to remember: The way you search a source will depend on what it is, and what you are searching for. Printed sources usually have a subject index, and sometimes an author and other indexes. Databases usually provide more types of search, and greater flexibility in searching for particular search terms or combinations of terms. Special types of search you may encounter include citation searching and combining search terms using AND, OR and NOT (Boolean searching). Make a careful note of relevant references, or information, you find, perhaps photocopying or printing the relevant section (make sure that you are complying with Copyright Law) and be sure to note the source of any information you use as you will probably need to supply a list of the relevant references that you used. If the source gives you further references to follow up make sure you copy them correctly, as a small mistake can make the item difficult to track down. Use the appropriate resource (this could be one of the electronic resources, the library catalogue, etc) and look up the references to find if the items are available locally or as full text electronic copies. You may wish to consider using a Inter-Library Loan service or document delivery service for material not available locally. Remember that the quality and accuracy of information is important, and often the more up to date the better. Permanence can also be a factor, for example will an Internet site still be there when someone follows up your references?
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Electronic search tools
Use the information As a researcher Promote resources and facilities to your colleagues Encourage the adoption of successful strategies and techniques with others As a librarian/information intermediary Promote high quality resources to your users Encourage users to adopt techniques and strategies that you have found successful Pass on your expert knowledge
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Electronic search tools
Techniques for Finding More RELEVANT Results NOT unwanted terms Use AND instead of OR Search specific fields (Descriptors / Subjects) Remove OR’d terms
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Electronic search tools
Remember Know what’s online at your local or university library. Learn how to create your own virtual shelf (file) of information. BROWSERS INDICATORE 1- Bookmarks in Netscape 2- Favorites in Explorer Understand about reliability of Web sources Spelling! Use synonyms Use a simple search engine first Truncate! + means word must appear - means word must not appear Type name of company or Web site
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Electronic search tools
Reliability What does the URL tell you about the site? Is an author listed on a Web site? What evidence is given for the writer’s authority on the topic? Is the site dated? Last update? What kind of links to other sites?
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Electronic search tools
What Next? eBooks eBook reader stores 10 or more titles Portable - A4 size and smaller Own source of lighting - battery operated Turn the page with a button Adjustable font size Searchable text Highlighting and annotation possible Note: For downloading e-books special Software are required e-brary series at HEC DL special mechanism is required , however the same is not applicable in OUP scholarship online books. It directly provide facility using HTML format.
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Electronic search tools
More Help… Ask a Librarian at Central/Pg Library or Contact by phone on /244,245 contact on any of the following s:-
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Electronic search tools
Adobe Acrobat and PDF PDF (portable document format) from Adobe Standard file format and portability to all computers and operating systems providing the PDF viewer is available Preserve the exact look and content of the originals, complete with fonts and graphics Developed for printing and this is still the primary use Ensuring that the file prints as the publisher intended
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Electronic search tools
Choose how the document is displayed using these buttons Save, search or print the document using these buttons Navigate within the document using these buttons Pages numbers, copyright mark, layout, etc, exactly the same as the paper version
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Formatting of complex mathematics remains in original layout
Electronic search tools You can choose to view ‘thumbnails’ of the document to help you to navigate Formatting of complex mathematics remains in original layout
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NEXT OMNIPAGE MAY BE USED?
Electronic search tools More on PDF Liked by publishers as they can be distributed by or stored on the World Wide Web, and ensure standard layout on all systems But they are generally large files Significant download times are often needed If the alternative of HTML is available, select it for faster download speed Internal searching within PDF – useful for long documents NEXT OMNIPAGE MAY BE USED?
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Electronic search tools
Support and library requirements Software now becomes crucial in accessing information resources Planning and resourcing should ensure that the resources are efficiently used Proactive resourcing rather than reactive Do these skills exist in-house to support this? Involvement of the computer centre? Who should support computers on a day-to-day basis? Prevention rather than cure
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Electronic search tools
Software Support Costs/time of initial set-up and configuration of computers will be an overhead New computers should come with all the appropriate software pre-installed, older ones will need this installing All computers that will access resources should be configured with the latest or supported versions of the required software Liase with the computer support staff or librarian with these responsibilities After initial set up, upgrades to software should be rare and infrequent
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15-Library Use and GCU Faculty
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Role of Faculty (Creating Effective Library Assignments) Through the assignments faculty have the power to influence students' development as seekers and users of information. Many students are not information literate when they arrive at GCU or begin work in a new subject area. They may not understand how to locate relevant information, or how to think critically about the information sources they encounter. A well-designed library assignment can teach students valuable research skills and improve the quality of their papers. Unfortunately, library assignments also have the potential to confuse and frustrate students, leading to a poorly-written product……..
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Components of norm standard assignments Objectives Research Strategies Resource Lists Alternative Designs Common Problems Internet/Library’s e-resources Last but not Least Consult Librarian (if it is needed)
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Some suggestions for developing good assignments that require library research. (1)_- Set objectives and make them clear to students A statement of objectives helps students focus on the research-related skills they should learn as a result of the assignment. As a result of assignment, students should learn to: Develop a suitable topic for research, using the library reference collection and other sources of background information. Select and use the most appropriate catalogs, indexes, full-text databases, and Internet search tools to locate relevant and timely materials.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Some suggestions for developing good assignments that require library research. Cont…. Distinguish between popular and scholarly sources and detect signs of bias, whether the material is in printed form or on the Internet. Quote and cite sources in a way that gives proper credit and avoids plagiarism. The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education provide an extensive and thought-provoking set of possible objectives.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
(2) Teach Research Strategies Research strategies may seem obvious to experienced researchers but are often unknown to students. Breaking down the assignment into research strategy steps will help them accomplish your stated objectives. The following research strategy might be appropriate for the term paper described above. Define your topic using an encyclopedia article or textbook chapter for background information. Develop a list of relevant keywords and phrases to search in the library catalogs. Use the library catalogs to find books on your topic. Use periodical indexes and full text databases to find more recent information in magazines and journals.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Teach Research Strategies. Cont… Use Internet directories and "search engines" selectively to locate authoritative, high-quality web sites. Research, whether in a library or on the Internet, is a complex process that requires—and teaches—flexibility and adaptability. Students benefit from opportunities to reflect on their research strategies and think critically about what they are doing.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
(3) Provide resource lists Resource lists give students a starting point, directing them to the most useful information sources for a particular assignment.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
(4) Consider alternative designs for the assignment Here are some possible examples: Students prepare an annotated bibliography of information sources on their topics. Starting with a significant event or publication in your discipline, students find out more about the people and issues involved. Students, working in groups, prepare a guide that introduces others to information sources in a subject field. Students analyze the content, tone, style, and audience of three journals and/or web sites basic to your discipline. Students compare how a given topic is treated in several different reference sources, both print and electronic. Students keep a log of their research process, what they found, and how it affected their thinking on the topic. For other alternatives that incorporate library research on a smaller scale than the traditional term paper.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
(5) Avoid these common problems An entire class looking for one piece of information or researching the same specific topic; especially difficult when printed materials are involved. Students required to use printed materials the library does not own (or does own, but not in sufficient quantity), or online sources they are not licensed to access. Students working from incomplete/incorrect information. Students assigned excessively vague or general topics, e.g., "women in Rural Areas of Pakistan," without guidance on narrowing a topic. Students given obscure trivia questions and told to find the answers. Resentment toward rather than appreciation of library research is the likely result of these assignments. Library assignments are more meaningful if students use the information they find for an authentic task related to the topics covered in the course.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
(6) Consult with librarians and use their services Librarians are regularly available to meet with faculty who are designing or revising library-related assignments. This collaboration helps to generate assignments that refer to the best possible sources, and also lets us make arrangements within the library to accommodate the needs of the assignment.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Integrate Information Literacy into GCU Curriculum The following guidelines are offered to help you in thinking about how to integrate information literacy into your curriculum. Define your outcomes Develop the assignment for students Require your students to exercise critical thinking Ask students to find information which they can use Test your assignment Do the assignment yourself Show the assignment to a colleague in your department or in the library Ask your students for feedback on the assignment.
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Library use and GCU Faculty
Tips for Effective Library Instruction Sessions If your curriculum requires significant library use Prepare your students for the library instruction Follow the instruction with class discussion of your students' experience in the library Assess your students' learning Check your students’ cited works
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16-Managing Your Time
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Managing Your Time Managing your time What do you need to do?
I need to manage my time effectively I need to get organised I need to make contact with staff who can help me
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Managing Your Time Getting organised
The three key stages of any project are likely to be collection of material, analysis of collected material, and writing up your project. Don’t forget however that any material you have collected will be worthless if you can’t locate it later. Have a system for organising material you have collected. Keeping records You should keep a record of all the sources consulted (for example on cards or a spreadsheet). These records would typically include details of authors, book and journal titles. In order to find the journals later, and to include them in your references you would also need volume, part and page numbers. Why keep records? This will help you later on when you are preparing your bibliography.
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Special Thanks To Librarian Librarian Data processor Samreen Lateef
MLISc, MA(Pol.Sc) Abid Iqbal Abid MLISc (PU) Data processor Qaiser Naveed Awan
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