This document provides an overview of essential library skills for students. It discusses finding resources like books, journals, and articles for assignments. It explains how to search the library database to find relevant sources and refine searches when there are too many or too few results. The document also covers how to reference sources using the referencing guide Cite Them Right and where to get help from library staff.

1. Essential
Library Skills
SES1242 03/10/2016

2. © Middlesex University
Welcome to Week 1!
• How’s it going?
• Can you find the books on your
reading lists?
• Have you found/downloaded your
personal e-textbooks?
• Do you know who to contact for
help?

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Reading lists

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Today we are going to cover...
• Different types of resources available for
your studies
• Finding information for your assignments
• Using Cite Them Right, your online
referencing guide

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Assignment 3 – Literature Review
• This assignment requires you to
• use your research skills and
• find several journal articles
• on the topic of ‘Effective feedback methods in sport’
• to produce a literature review.
• You need to select a maximum of 5 articles
from academic journals that are
• relevant to your degree programme and
• on the same topic.

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So what is a journal anyway?

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Thinking about resources

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Types of information
Task 1:
1. Each group will be given a pack of cards
2. The cards contain the names of 4 different
resources
3. Match together the correct: Resource Type +
Definition + “Good for” + “Not so good for”
Time: 5 mins

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Books
What are they:
A written or printed work of fiction or fact.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Clear overview
Not so good for:
Up to date information

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Web pages
What are they:
An information resource which can
be easily created by anyone on any
topic.
Electronic.
Good for:
Very up to date information
Not so good for:
Accurate and reliable
information

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Newspapers
What are they:
A regular publication containing current
events, informative articles, diverse features
and advertising.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Daily information
Not so good for:
Balanced and well researched information

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Journals
What are they:
A regular publication containing
articles on a particular academic
subject.
Presents new research.
Good for:
Latest research,
critically reviewed by experts
Not so good for:
Broad overview of a subject

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Finding resources
myUniHub > My Study > My Library
Select Summon and
search for articles for
your Literature Review
task
Login to
MyUniHub

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Keywords - What are the main things we need to find
information on?
• Feedback methods
• Video feedback
• Visual feedback
• Verbal feedback
• Performance feedback
• Effectiveness? Motivation,
improved performance,
skill acquisition…
• Sport
• Specific sports?
• Specific groups of athletes
e.g. elite, youth,
adolescents, students,
female athletes etc?
Broaden it out / narrow it
down
Any synonyms or
alternative words?

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Over to you
• Try the example on the handout
• Have a go with the assignment topic – try
and focus it on something that interests you
• Save or print articles that look useful

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Refine your search
 Full text online
Scholarly &
peer review
 Journal
Articles only
 Date range
 Discipline,
e.g. recreation &
sports

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If you have too many results...
• Add more keywords (narrow it down)
• Be more specific (sprinting vs. running)
• Use phrases (“penalty kicks”)
• Add limits, e.g. date

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If you do not have enough results...
• Use synonyms (football or soccer)
• Be less specific (team sports vs. basketball)
• Split the question into single concepts/words
• Try variations of the same word, e.g. swim, swimmers,
swimming

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Referencing - easy marks!
Marking criteria
1-4 5-8 9-12 13-16 17-20
References:
Reference to
sources
including
directions for
further study
Broad and
relevant
readings
examined
and used
selectively in
the work
Good range of
appropriate
references used
during the review
Conventional
references
and readings
used within
the review
Adequate but
limited use of
references
during review
Review relies on
none or one
reference.
Evidence of
unexamined
personal opinion

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Referencing guide – Cite Them Right
Presentation title | 21

22. Task 3: Using Cite Them Right…
Write a full reference for this article

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Referencing
• Irwin, C., Desbrow, B., Ellis, A., O’Keeffe, B., Grant, G.,
Leveritt, M. (2011) ‘Caffeine withdrawal and high-intensity
endurance cycling performance’, Journal of Sports
Sciences, 29(5), pp.509-515
• In text citation: (Irwin et al., 2011)

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Where can you find them?
Where are the Sports books?
1st floor wing
(right)
3rd floor
1st floor
Online

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Library Subject Guides
Presentation title | 25

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Need help?
Presentation title | 26
• UniHelp – in person, online, by phone
• Librarians in the Study Hub (1st floor of the library)
Monday – Friday 9-5
• LET drop-in help 12-3 Monday-Friday, Study Hub
• SES ‘My Subject’ Guide
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/sport
• Ask!