12. Need further help?
Your Librarian is:
Vanessa Hill v.hill@mdx.ac.uk
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/MathsStats/Help
Editor's Notes
The range of resources we provide
The value of resources in an academic context
How to select the appropriate resources
Accessing resources
Develop an effective search strategy eg. Identify keywords, refining your search
Evaluating the information for quality and relevance
Your finished product (or essay, project etc) is just the tip of the iceberg.
Below it is should be loads of research ie. looking at theory and facts, being inspired, getting ideas, stimulating your imagination etc.
Limited research = less creativity.
Finished design might not be as good as it could be.
Find out as much as you can.
Question, discuss, be inspired, think etc
Feed your creativity…….library resources can help you do this.
Below it is should be loads of research ie. looking at theory and facts, being inspired, getting ideas, stimulating your imagination etc.
Research at Uni of Huddersfield shows that students who use library resources get better degrees.
We’re going to start off with an exercise to get you thinking about keywords.
Sources game
Magazine (A regular publication aimed at a profession, business or interest....trade/popular)
Good: Latest news: events, jobs, products etc, concise info, easy to obtain
Bad: lacks detail, can be bias, old issues hard to come by
Standards (An agreed, often legally binding level of quality or way of doing something....regional, Nat, Internat, profession/sector)
Good: Created by experts, confidence
Company/market research report (Well researched overview of a company or product market. Could contain future trends, financial data, competitors and SWOT analysis)
Good: Up-to-date: latest research/data, Insider information: information not freely available elsewhere, objective, accurate
Bad: Hard to locate
Webpage
Good: All subjects covered, easy to use, mobile
Bad: accuracy, no editorial control, anyone can add information, provenance
Newspapers
Good: Daily information ie. up-to-date, edited, current issues accessible
Bad: Sensationalist, biased (unbalanced), harder to get back issues
Conference proceedings (Collof aca papers distributed after a conference, cont the contributions made by researchers, academics etc)
Good: Up-to-date: latest research, ideas, thinking on a subject, focussed/specialist, stringent quality control
Bad: Too specific
Journals
Good: Up-to-date, Focussed: specialist subject areas, quality
Bad: Too specific
Books
Good: overview, background knowledge, edited/quality
Bad: Currency, detailed/specific information
Accessing resources
Click on MyStudy.
You can now access library resources from the MyLibrary box……detail on next page.
More information about the range of resources available on the Library Subject Guide plus lots of useful online guides eg. how to search for information for your project.
What can you see in the picture…fruit
If type ‘fruit’ into database will get millions of hits, how can you break it down ie. search for something more specific to get more manageable results
Can you be more specific ie.
Type of fruit: apples, oranges, bananas etc
Location: Stall, market, outdoor market, fruit market, Britain
Detail: boxes, signs, astroturf, prices, colour of fruit, lights, pound £ signs, special offer etc
People in background: old, young, male, female > stall holder, customers, browsers etc
Think of related subjects eg.
retail, commercial, financial, point-of-sale
Shopping, shops, fish/meat/clothes market, shopping centres, high street
Town, city, centre, British town
Nutrition: vits and mins
Also:
Orange or Blackberry: fruit NOT telephone
Apple: fruit NOT computer
Thinking beyond the obvious, looking for the detail that might make a difference.
Explain how they can broaden their search using an asterisk* e.g. given will find computer, computers, computing, computerisation, computation etc
Explain how they can refine their search using “quotation marks”.
These two refining tools work well on Summon, but can also be used on the Internet.
Finally it is important to evaluate the quality of the information found. It is easy to find information, so it is more important than ever to make sure what you select is good.
Evaluation exercise
Ask students to stay in their groups.
Hand out one Evaluation worksheet to each group.
Ask groups to go to the website noted on the screen and on their worksheet.
They will find links to 4 items on the subject of Brexit (click on red links).
Look at each item and consider how we know if the information is reliable (c10mins). If time is running out then allocate an item to each group. It doesn’t matter if more than one group looks at the same item as long as they are all covered.
Students should use worksheets to record their thoughts.
After 10 mins take feedback.
These are the four items with some pointers:
Item 1 Wikipedia:
Good overview
Lots of references, but eclectic mix.
Can see contributors if click on ‘View history’ (top right) but authors often use pseudonyms such as BurritoBazooka, Luigi Boy, David in DC etc
Can click on contributors names to see a profile, but not useful. No idea of who they are and what they do/know etc
Item 2: Get Britain out Blog:
Has a derogatory tone e.g. “Cameron & Co.”, “interfering busybodies” etc.
Jingoist, historic overview of Britain success and power and how we can cope without Europe.
Author is knowledgeable, but has a very particular perspective.
No references.
Item 3: Guardian newspaper article:
Left wing paper so some bias.
Author is the Science Editor, although this might not mean that he is a science expert. However if you click on his name you can get an overview of his science background.
The article is well written and cross-referenced against other Guardian articles and refers to expert opinion.
No references.
Item 4: LSE Centre for Economic Performance paper:
Reputable, academic source.
Contact details.
We are told that the centre has no institutional ties, the views are those of the authors and that one of the authors did not and does not support joining the Euro.
Funding for the centre is made explicit.
The paper is well written.
Citations, cross-references, expert sources, further reading etc.
Authority : Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? How have they carried out their research?
Relevance : Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?
Intent : What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic etc?
Objectivity : Balanced view? Opposing views represented? Links to supporting information?
Currency: How old is this information? When was it last updated and by whom?