Finding and managing information for your doctorate (including Endnote): part 1

David Heading and James Bisset

Part 1 overview

• Finding information - Basic search techniques: Keyword searching

• Managing information - Introduction to Endnote• Further searching and limiting options• Break• Endnote and Word• Accessing information

Find resources on researcher behaviour in higher education

What is the first thing you would do?

Ask:

• What is it for?

• What do you want me to do with it?

• How much information do I need?

Define your information need

• Background and context• Basic facts/ definition• In depth secondary information• Critical responses• Data• Primary material

Purpose of searching effectively

• Effective searching should – Reduce the time spent looking for information – Maximise the quality and appropriateness of results

• Keywords – Part 1• Further search options – Part 1• Citations and references – Part 2• Keeping up-to-date – Part 2

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

• Narrowing your search– Phrase searching “Truth and Reconciliation

Commission”

• Narrowing your search– Proximity Truth AND reconciliation

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

• Narrowing your search– Proximity Truth within 3 reconciliation

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

• Narrowing your search– Additional keywords AND Chile

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

“truth and reconciliati

on committee

”

ChileAND

• Narrowing your search– Excluding irrelevant results NOT South Africa

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

• Narrowing your search– Phrase searching “Truth and Reconciliation

Commission” – Proximity Truth within #

reconciliation– Additional

keywords AND Chile– Excluding

irrelevant results NOT South Africa

Keyword searching – Narrowing your search

Truth within 5 words reconciliation

Truth w/5 reconciliation

Truth /5 reconciliation

Truth N5 reconciliation

Truth adj5 reconciliation

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

• Broadening your search– Synonyms butterfly OR lepidoptera

butterfly lepidopteraOR

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

Via Flickr Creative Commons, by Pink Sherbert Photography. Original available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/70873497@N02/6935006104/

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

Via Flickr Creative Commons, by Pink Sherbert Photography. Original available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/70873497@N02/6935006104/

The problems of spelling…

Donut

Doughnut

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

• Broadening your search– Alternative spellings (wildcard searching)– organi?ation will find: organisation and

alternative letters organization– labo?r will find: labor and missing letters labour– do?nut donut and multiple missing letters doughnut

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

• Broadening your search– Word stems (truncation searching)– negligen* will find:

“the police were accused of negligence”“the police were accused of acting negligently”“the police were accused of being negligent”

Keyword searching – Broadening your search

• Broadening your search– Synonyms butterfly OR lepidoptera– Alternative spellings organi?ation

labo?r – Word stems negligen*

Terminology and symbols vary, depending on which database or catalogue you are using

Example

Examining the impact of crime

enacted by teenagers in the

inner city

Example

Examining the impact of crime

enacted by teenagers in the

inner city

teenagers

youth

juvenile

adolescent

crime

shoplifting

Anti-social behaviour

theft

inner city

urban

cities

London

teen*

youth

juvenile

adolescen*

crim*

shoplift*

“Anti-social behavio?r”

theft

“inner city”

urban

cities

London

teen*

youth

juvenile

adolescen*

OR

OR

OR

Example

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR adolescen*)

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR

adolescen*)

Example

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR adolescen*)AND

(“inner city”OR urban OR cities OR London)

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR

adolescen*)

(“inner city”OR urban OR cities OR

London)

Example

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR adolescen*)AND

(crim* OR shoplift* OR “anti-social behavio?r” OR theft)AND

(“inner city”OR urban OR cities OR London)

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR

adolescen*)

(“inner city”OR urban OR cities OR

London)

(crim* OR shoplift* OR “anti-social

behavio?r” OR theft)

(teen* OR youth OR juvenile OR

adolescen*)

(“inner city”OR urban OR cities OR

London)

(crim* OR shoplift* OR “anti-social

behavio?r” OR theft)

Keyword strategy hands-on

• write a research question connected to your subject or any area of interest in the box at the top

• identify the key concepts within your title / question and write these at the top of each column

• write synonyms below each keyword• Use wildcards, truncation symbols where possible

teen*

youth

juvenile

adolescen*

crim*

shoplift*

“Anti-social behavio?r”

theft

“inner city”

urban

cities

London

Further search options

• Narrow results either before or after you search

• Limit to location, format, subject area, date range, document type etc.

• Database or catalogue specific

Accessing Print Resources

• Borrow 40 books for up to 6 months• Renewals and recalls• Copy service and postal loans for p-t students• For print not in stock

– Ask if the library can purchase it– Use Document Delivery Service and check to see if

your department covers costs– SCONUL Access allows you to visit and borrow

from other institutions

Which resource?

• known item OR resource discovery• introductory OR in-depth• subscription OR freely available• full text OR bibliographic• current OR historic/non-recent• generic OR subject-specific• primary OR secondary

Finding the right tool for the job

• Overview of what available: Google Scholar• Manageable number of results: subject specific

database such as IBSS, Westlaw UK, Econlit, PsycINFO, Embase

• Full text journal articles: Jstor• Multi-disciplinary, up-to-date: Science Direct • Primary material: EEBO• Popular and Trade commentary: Nexis UK

Accessing Electronic Resources

• Connexions link works to link you to where you might find electronic or print full-text copies.

• Find a print version

If we don’t have a copy…

• - make use of Document Delivery Service or SCONUL Access if we don’t have what you need.

Accessing Resources Hands-on

• Look at what is available at other institutions in print using COPAC or WorldCat

• Try accessing e-resources from references-only database using ConneXions

• Look at Document Delivery options for your department

• Look at the information about SCONUL Access if you are not already a member

Summary

• Spend a little time in preparation– Consider what sort of information you need– Think about how you are going to search– Identify what sort of resources you want and how

you will access them• Save time in the long run• Endnote saves you time and improves quality

and consistency of citations and references

Measuring Researche

r Developm

ent

Measuring Researcher Developm

ent

Measuring Researcher Development

Part 2

• Using citations and references• Finding related material • Styles of referencing in Endnote• Keeping up to date with new research

Same time next weekBook online at www.dur.ac.uk/training.course/