Finding Information in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

September 2005, AOS 907

Jean PhillipsSchwerdtfeger Library

Space Science and Engineering Center

Discussion Threads

• MadCat overview• Subject databases• Finding dissertations• Searching Google• Evaluating what you find• Citation guides• Recap

MadCat Overview

• The Library catalog, used to find books, government reports, journal titles and their locations

• Journal articles or contents of books (specific chapters) ARE NOT in MadCat – find them in appropriate database, then search for journal or book title in MadCat or use

• Schwerdtfeger Library holdings in MadCat

My MadCat Account

Patron Information

• Update address/contact information• Check for patron blocks• View and renew items checked out• Check on requests pending or items available

(important)• Check fines and fees

Basic Search: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology

Place Request

Recall or Retrieve

ID, Pickup Desk, Submit Request

Basic Search: IRS ‘84

Guided Search: IRS ‘84

Results

Searching

• Plan your search

• Remember variant word endings, Boolean connectors and synonyms

• Limit search terms to specific fields (title, subject heading), within a certain proximity to each other, year ranges

• To narrow a search: limit by theoretical approach, one aspect of subject, by time, by geographic location

• To broaden a search: generalize your topic, check more databases, limit jargon, check Web or newspaper databases if topic is too new

• Note controlled vocabularies

• Perform search, review results, refine search, search again, refine search, search again, export results

Finding Journal Articles

• UW-Madison Libraries have licensed many databases for your use

• Information cannot be accessed by using Google

• Emphasis is on finding literature related to the atmospheric and oceanic sciences

• After finding specific articles, search for the journal title in MadCat for location on campus

• Some databases may have links to full-text

• Links to databases from our home page

Subject Databases

• Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts (MGA)

• Oceanic Abstracts

• NTIS

• Web of Science

• Inspec

• Georef

Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts

• Updated quarterly, July 1974 –• MGA covers meteorology, climatology, oceanography,

remote sensing, atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, etc.• Indexes journal articles, conference proceedings, books,

technical reports• Includes abstract for most entries• Includes links to full-text for AMS journals and other

journals if the campus has a license• Pre-1974 literature can be found using print

equivalent

Oceanic Abstracts

• Updated monthly, 1984 –• Premier database for marine resources• Covers biology, ecology, marine geology,

geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography, marine pollution, environmental protection

• Same interface as MGA, NTIS and Oceanic Abstracts

NTIS Bibliographic Index

• Updated quarterly, 1964 –• Contains descriptions of U.S. government sponsored

sci/tech research from DOD, DOE, EPA, NASA, NOAA…

• Covers astronomy, atmospheric science, biotechnology, computers, energy, engineering, etc.

• Included are: reports on contracts/grants, technical memoranda, technical reports, dissertations, etc.

• Pre-1964, consult Government Reports and Announcements Index in print

• Same interface as MGA

Finding Government Documents

• What are they? Conference literature, government reports, internal reports, reports on contracts, etc.

• Why are they important? Cited in literature and historically have provided a rapid means of scientific communication.

• Who publishes them? Agencies, governmental bodies, professional societies, federal contractors, etc.

• What characteristics do they have? Alpha-numeric report numbers, accession numbers, grant or contract numbers, sponsoring agency, no commercial publisher, distributed through facility like NTIS.

• Where can I find them? 1)Libraries: Campus libraries have most reports distributed 2)NTIS, DTIS, NASA, STI 3)Author

4)Issuing agency

Define Research Problem

• What papers have been published that define the urban heat island phenomenon and its relation to global warming?

• Synonyms: urban climate(s), urban influences on (temperature, climate…), urban meteorology, urban microclimate(s), climate change

Open MGA, Select Database(s)KW=urban heat island*

(KW=TI,AB,DE)

Results

Refine Search:KW=urban heat island* AND

KW=global warming

Results: Review, Refine, Save

View Abstracts and Descriptors for Additional Search Terms

Refine Search

• KW=(urban heat island*) OR (urban environment*) OR (urban influences on *) OR (urban climat*)

• AND

• KW=(global warming) OR (climate change) OR (climat* trend*) OR (heat reflection)

Web of Science

• Updated weekly, 1970 –

• Combination of three databases

• Indexes peer-reviewed journal literature only – does not include reports, conference proceedings, dissertations…

• Known for its currency and meticulous indexing

• Used to do general, cited reference or author searching

• Pre-1981, use Science Citation Index in print

• Journal Citation Reports is companion database

Search/Database Options, Limits

Topic Search: urban heat island* AND global warming

Review/Mark Records

Check Cited References and Times Cited

Cited Reference Search

Cited Reference Results

Print/Save/E-mail Records

• Mark records

• Print/Save/E-mail records

• Use to locate full-text

• Use MadCat for other locations

Other Databases

• INSPEC, updated monthly, 1969 -

• Covers physics, electrical engineering, electronics, computers, etc.

• Includes journal articles, conference papers, significant books, tech reports, dissertations

• Pre-1969, consult Computer and Control Abstracts

• Georef, updated bimonthly, 1785 -

• Indexes earth sciences literature of the world

• Includes journal articles, conference papers, reports, guidebooks, theses, monographs

Finding Dissertations on Campus

• Schwerdtfeger Library holds masters theses and doctoral dissertations for AOS

• Memorial Library is the depository for all PhD dissertations; not all masters theses are deposited in libraries and not all masters circulate

• Search MadCat for location

• Contact a library for interlibrary loan, to see if it was published in report form or to purchase

• Some dissertations published as journal articles or reports if funded by government contract

Finding Dissertations: Databases

• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) http://www.ndltd.org/browse.en.html

• Current Research @ UW-Madison http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/wisc/main

• Proquest Digital Dissertations, 1861 – http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/search

• Index to Theses…Great Britain and Ireland http://www.theses.com/

• CRL Foreign Doctoral Dissertations Database http://www.crl.edu/content.asp?l1=5&l2=23&l3=44&l4=25

Searching Google

• Title: intitle:urban heat island and intitle:global warming Returns 21 hits

• Top level domain: “urban heat island” and “global warming” site:gov Returns 351 hits

• Specific site or subdomain: "urban heat island" site:www.epa.gov Returns 158 hits (w/out quotes, Returns 915 hits)

• Specific URL: “urban heat island” inurl:www.epa.gov/globalwarming Returns 2 hits (w/out quotes, Returns 8 hits)

• Links “to”: link:www.epa.gov/heatisland/ Returns 18 hits

• Use “quotes“ around terms to group them together

Evaluating What You Find:Accuracy and Coverage

• Examine references or bibliographies• Verify information in another source (journal,

book, another Web site) • Is it well-documented?• Are there errors in spelling or grammar that might

lead you to question accuracy?• Is the page thorough? Does it have the kind of

information you want?

Evaluating What You Find:Authority

• Who created the site?

• Verify author’s qualifications (use another database, journal, directory if necessary)

• Is there an “About” page?

• Does the document link back to the home Web site?

Evaluating What You Find:Objectivity

• What is the purpose of the site?• Is the information representative of multiple

viewpoints? Does it present results of research or statistical analyses?

• Does the site present one side of an issue or try to persuade or sell?

• Examine URL: .gov, .edu, .com, .org, country codes

Evaluating What You Find:Currency

• If there are dates listed, is their meaning clear?

• When was the site last updated and is this important?

• Are there dates on publications?

Citation Guides

• American Meteorological Society http://www.ametsoc.org/pubs/refstyl.html

• American Institute of Physics http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html

• American Geophysical Union http://www.agu.org/pubs/inf4aus.html

• Internet Citation Guides (UW-Madison) http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/citing.htm

• Citing References in Your Paper (Writing Center, UW-Madison) http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Documentation.html

Recap

• Determine search criteria• Select database(s) to be searched: MGA, NTIS,

Oceanic Abstracts, Web of Science• Check MadCat for availability and location• http://library.ssec.wisc.edu• http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/library/teaching/AOS_4

05_Feb2005.ppt• Questions: Ask a librarian