Introduction to the techniques of systematic literature searching at Dundee University

1. Literature Searching
Finding what you need to support your studies
Informatio
n

2. This …you should
A literature
Information always
search is the
Bite shows perform a
first step
you how to literature
towards
plan and search before
completing a
execute a you start to
piece of written
Literature write an essay
work…
Search or report.
This
presentation
shows you how!

3. If you are
looking for
These search
information toto
tools are easy
help you write
use, and have
an essay orin
their place
helping you, but
report, how
they don’tgo
do you reveal
aboutthe finding
Hidden Web
it?

4. Much of the
What is hidden
This the Internet is not
Hidden
content includes retrieved
Web?
database search through a
tools, most Google search
electronic journals – mainly
and nearly all because it is
electronic books not freely
available to the
public

5. To access it, we start from
Your the LLC home page
membership
of the
Library &
Learning
Centre gives
you free
access to
much of the
Hidden Web

6. But wait! Before we start
searching let’s pause and think
about what we are actually
We may have an essay
looking for…
title or a report or project
to complete.
Alternatively, we may
just be looking for
background information on
a topic First, we need to consider a few things which
will help us define our search strategy

7. Which topics are we going to search for? Let’s ask ourselves a
few questions
Are there other topics which mean the
same thing which we could use?
What kind of information are we
looking for, e.g. statistics, research?
How far back in time
should our search go?
These questions
Are we only interested in results
from a particular country or area?
help us to develop
our search strategy
Do we only want resources in a
particular format, e.g. journal articles?

8. Our searchitstrategy couldthat you are as
The important thing is look like this :-
Or could look like this :-
specific as possible about what you are
looking for from the start…
“I want to find books or journal articles
“I want describe the influence of Frank
which to find journal articles which
Lloydat whether Type-2 diabetes is
look Wright on architecture in the
connected to diet among middle-aged
United States in the 1930s and 1940s.
The books Scotland. mustarticles must
people in or articles The contain some
photographs statistical evidence and
contain some or designs but can be from
have anybe from the last 50 years.”
to time in the last five years.”

9. We need to decide which search
So, assuming we have our
tools we are going to use to help
search strategy…what next?
us find the resources we need…
For subject-specific tools,For a general look at what the Library
we would
look in Resources for your Subject can use LLC Search
has, we

10. There are linksto the the key
There is a link to all
databases and search tools in
LLC Search tool
This issubject
this the page for
Civil Engineering, for
example.
The page contains
several sections, each
pointing to different
kinds of tool or
resource.

11. LLC Search is as easy to use as
Google - just type in the topics
you want to search for
You will retrieve a lot of
material from the Hidden Web
which a Google search would
not find…
…a lot of which is available
online in full-text form.

12. Unlike with Google, you can
refine your search using a
variety of criteria…
…which allows you to follow
the search strategy you
developed at the start
You can build up complex
searches to suit your need

13. Clicking the Online If something is available online in
icon should open full-text form, LLC search will
up the full-text of display the Online icon next to it
the resource you
wish to see

14. Using a subject-specific
database to search for things
is more complex
– each database may work
in slightly different ways
However, the
main features
and techniques
are common to
most databases
Let’s look at Web of Knowledge, a
broad-ranging database of journal articles

15. Then use the Limits section to refine your search
results to match your search strategy
Web of Knowledge works in a
similar way to LLC Search…enter
the keywords or subjects you want
to search for in the boxes

16. The Library catalogue automatically a
Each record retrieved represents
checks to see if a full-text copy is available
journal article which meets your
search criteria
To see if a full-text copy of an article is
If a full-text copy is available,
available, click the Link To button next to it
you can click on Go to access it

17. Sometimes you will need to
navigate through the online
journal by volume and part to
find the article
But remember - not every
journal article is available online in
full text format (although a large
proportion of them are).

18. Searching individual databases in your
subject can be tricky at first – your
Subject Librarian may run training for
your class as part of your curriculum
Alternatively, you can arrange with your
Subject Librarian to get training on the
databases you want to use on a one-to-
one basis or in small groups. Just Ask!

19. Googling for You need to
Getting your information can develop a
literature work well coherent and
search right sometimes, but effective search
takes a little your studies strategy to be
practice, but require you to able to find the
it’s an take a more resources which
important skill. professional Google cannot.
approach.
Your Subject Librarian
can help you so Just Ask!

20. Literature Searching
Finding what you need to support your studies
Just Ask if you need more help!
Informatio
n