University Library

Moira BentFaculty Liaison Librarian

Finding and managing information for your final year project

University Library

You asked about….

How the Library’s changed LibrarySearch – what’s that? Building up complex searches Which resources? EndNote

We’ve changed…

The Robinson Library has changed…

Summarise, synthesise, critically evaluate

Identify gaps

Track key issues/debates/people

Inform your research Contextualise your work

Literature review – essential for projects

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It needs to be

thorough….

…but selective

University Library

A search strategy can help you get started

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Keywords and phrases?What kind of info?

Which databases?

Check keywords and revise

Did you find what you need?Which are the best?

In print?Online?Inter Library Loan?

University Library

Mindmapping

University Library

Use search techniques

Use a phrase

• “environmental policy”

Use AND, OR and NOT to make logical connections

• conservation AND land• (Regeneration OR redevelopment) AND (UK OR Great Britain OR

England)

Use truncation

• Conserv* finds conserve, conservation, conserving (and also conservatory!)

University Library

Building up a search

UK OR GB OR England

Polic* OR legislation

Redevelopment OR Expansion

OR regeneration

Resources to help

you

Books: print and

electronic

Journal articles and conference

papers

Official information

Social media and

news

Company information

Full and mo

Library Search is a good place to start

Includes data from the library catalogue and a range of electronic resources

Full & mobile views

University Library

Use Library Search

To find printed books in the Library To find electronic books To get a general overview of a topic To find a few journal references for an

essay

DON’T rely on Library Search as the only source for your literature review – not all our resources are included.

University Library

Library Search is easy!Why use specific databases?

CAB and Scopus – journal articles Unique content not covered by Library

Search Index of search terms

Lexis for newspapers Environment online for official

documents

To download results to EndNote

Use your Library Guide to identify key resources:libguides.ncl.ac.uk/environment

Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place altogether?

Or perhaps it doesn’t exist at

all?

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Reserve

• For books on loan• Place a “hold” on books which are on loan• Borrow when book is returned

Request

• For articles and conferences we don’t have• Apply for an Inter Library Loan• 25 requests @ £1.50

Recomme

nd

• New books to buy• ‘Books on Time' service to recommend

new books for the library to buy