This document provides a brief guide to effective literature searching. It discusses strategies for choosing relevant resources, using databases, and checking access to articles. It recommends planning searches well in advance and considering search terms, keywords, and alternative terms. It describes tools for literature searching like PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, Google Scholar, and Zetoc alerts. It also covers reference management software like RefWorks and Mendeley as well as subject guides on the library website.

1. Brief Guide to Effective
Literature Searching
 Best strategies for choosing relevant resources
 Using databases and keeping up to date
 How to check for access to articles
Judy McSorley
Senior Liaison Librarian for Psychology 10.2011

2. Plan well ahead
 It may take you some time to decide on
your research topic/focus
 It may take you longer to do your
literature search than anticipated
 You may need to visit other libraries or
order items through inter-library loan
 Not everything is freely available on
the internet!

3. Plan your search
 Find general background information
before using more specific and recent
resources
 Think about the possible search terms
or keywords for your topic
 Arrange into broader  narrower terms
 Consider any alternative terms or
spellings: eg. murder/homicide or
behavior/behaviour

4. Evaluating Internet Resources
How do you know if a website is reputable and offers reliable
information? Compare these three websites:-
http://worldtradeorganisation.com/
http://www.wto.org/ http://www.gatt.org/
Which is the genuine World Trade Organization?
How can you tell?
Remember – P.R.O.M.P.T
Provenance: who has produced it?
Relevance: is it what you want?
Objectivity: what are the creators interests?
Method: is research explained fully?
Presentation: is it clear and easily accessible?
Timeliness: how recently updated?

5. Google or Google Advanced Search
Compare Google searching with Advanced Search, which offers
numerous refinements. http://www.google.co.uk/advanced_search

6. Or Google Scholar ???
http://scholar.google.co.uk/ Use the Preferences
link to select
notification for
Middlesex accesses
and save

7. Google Advanced Scholar Search

8. Library and IT Support Web Page
http://unihub.mdx.ac.uk/study/library/
Start from UniHub to
link to Library and
IT under the Your
study tab.

9. Library and IT Support Web Page
Scroll down the screen to Study and Research Resources
These are the
most useful
resources for
Literature
Searching

10. myUniHub for alternative access to the catalogue etc.
Logging in here enables access to electronic resources without
further authentication.

11. myUniHub

12. Library & IT Support Web Pages

13. PsycINFO
BASIC SEARCH : ADVANCED SEARCH : ACCOUNT and ALERTS

14. PsycINFO
Advanced Search offers the option to “map term” which might speed
up the search.
It also provides the option to “Combine” searches which is not
available from the Basic Search

15. PsycINFO
Using single terms and Combining from Search History using AND
will narrow results in a gradual but focussed way enabling evaluation
of individual term results – quality and quantity. The search can be
adjusted as necessary, trying different terms or revising topic.

16. PsycINFO – updating results
If you create a PsycINFO
Personal Account you can
Save Searches, which can
then be re-run. You will also
be able to set up RSS feeds.

17. PsycINFO – updating results

18. PsycINFO – updating results
RSS Feeds can be saved in a number of different types
of web site Readers: Yahoo, Google, Bloglines or your
preferred browser.

19. PsycINFO – updating results

20. RSS feeds into Google Reader

21. Social Science Citation Index

22. SSCI: Search History & Results

23. SSCI – Managing Results

24. Register and Sign In

25. Citation Alerts- set up from single record

26. Saved Searches – from Search History

27. Zetoc Alerts
 Zetoc provides access to the British Library's
Electronic Table of Contents of around 20,000
current journals published per year.
 The database covers 1993 to date, and is
updated on a daily basis.
 It includes an email alerting service,
to enable you to keep up-to-date with
relevant new articles and papers.
Zetoc is accessible from Learning
Resources Databases listing.

28. Zetoc Alerts
Use the drop down Universities menu to select Middlesex, click “Go”
and login next screen with your university network login as before.

29. Zetoc Alerts
Create your account with your email address and name or a search
or journal name . Click Create then click the ZETOC Search button.

30. Zetoc Alerts
There are options to search
for articles in Journals and
or conferences, plus Zetoc
Alert set up.
Article search

31. Zetoc Alerts
The Alert can be set up for contents lists of several journal titles, and
also for article Title Keyword searches

32. Zetoc Alerts
 You can have a number of alerts for Contents Lists or article
keywords and add to them or make changes as required.
 They are set up for one year and will require renewing after that
period.
 Email Alerts will be sent whenever the British Library database
is updated with new issues and articles relevant to your searches.

33. Finding the Journal: Full-Text: via
Library Catalogue A-Z:Print & Online

34. Reference Software - RefWorks
• RefWorks is the system subscribed to by Middlesex
University and is for the use of Middlesex staff and students
• RefWorks comprises of two parts:
Bibliographic Manager
– provides folders for storing your bibliographic citations
– enables precise organisation of and
immediate access to records
Write-N-Cite
– requires downloading to the desktop
– use to place saved bibliographic citations
directly into your own text
– and to instantly create your Bibliographies
in appropriate styles

35. Reference Software - RefWorks
Items stored in RefWorks folders cannot be
accessed after leaving the University.
RefWorks can seem rather clunky and is
dependent on Reference Software compatibility of
databases and catalogues etc.
A full comparison of the two products can
be viewed here (scroll down the page) :
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/content.php?pid=58195&sid=426206

36. Reference Software - Mendeley
https://www.mendeley.com
Freely available software
Go to the web site and create
an account.

37. Reference Software - Mendeley
Installing the web Importer button on the browser bar
enables swift importing of citations and references from
databases, Google, Amazon and other bibliographic
websites into your Mendeley files and folders.

38. Reference Software
RefWorks files articles into folders which are visible from drop-down
folders. Mendeley displays all articles and authors on the Desktop

39. Library Subject Guides
Psychology resources brought together: http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk

40. Library Subject Guides
Under the tab Searching for Journal Articles information about relevant
databases and guides for using them. Also details for contacting your
librarian and booking appointments.