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Finding literature for 3rd/4th
year projects
James WebleySubject LibrarianMathematics
19 October 2015
Today’s talk:Introduction to Library search tools and the Mathematics support pages.
Highlight a few key resources.
Google Scholar – pros & cons/search tips
Accessing electronic resources off campus and using ILL
Cited reference searching
Referencing
Further help and advice
19 October 2015
Locating materialSelect appropriate resources and search for a variety of materials –
Print and online, primary and secondary.
‘Library Search’ for books and journals (print and E)Subject Databases, Ejournals and websites:
One-stop shop: ‘Library Maths Bristol’
Search engines – Government /Inter-governmental and corporate reports, open access material.Follow a ‘research trail’ – bibliographies, references, citations.Find/access material not held at Bristol - COPAC/ILL /SCONUL/Subject Lib
19 October 2015
‘Library Search’Two types of search:
‘UoB Collections’ – books, ebooks, journals, ejournals.
‘Everything’ – UoB collections plus articles from a Central Index.
Huge collection, but for a more comprehensive and refined article search use Subject-specific Databases…
19 October 2015
Mathematics Support pages
Google: ‘Library Mathematics Bristol’
Links to ejournals, ebook collections, Library Search
Databases of scholarly research literature
19 October 2015
MathSciNet and Web of Science
MathSciNetOver 3 million records/approx. 2000 journal titles covering most of mathematical sciences literature. Also includes conference proceedings, books and PhD theses.
Links to review articles (particularly useful for overview of current literature)
Web of ScienceOver 46 million records/12,000+ journal titles covers 256 disciplines
Citation searching
19 October 2015
Search TechniquesUse search tools and tabs in databases • Boolean (AND, OR)• Truncation - * (e.g. spher* = sphere, sphericity, spherical)• Search within results and citation searches• Refine by year, type of publication, subject etc.
and search engines: • Phrase searching – “Ramsey theory”• Boolean (AND, OR)• Limit by file type, date, language etc.• Limit by domain - .org, .ac.uk, .eu, .co.uk/.com, .gov.uk
19 October 2015
Cited Reference Searching
Enables you to track related research literature forward in time as well as backwards in time based on key references.
Start with a key reference.Identify previous references cited by the paper.Identify future papers that have cited it.
Citation searching offered by Web of Science, MathSciNet and Google Scholar
19 October 2015
Google ScholarSearches scholarly literature.Useful for reports, blogs, OA materialLinks to UoB material
What is being searched?How are results ranked?Personalizes and localizes results.Poor metadata – publication dates.Limited search tools/’added value’
Search tips: Mathematics Subject pages
19 October 2015
Evaluating resultsRead the abstract – is it relevant? – Coverage
Is it free of errors backed up by reliable sources? - Accuracy
Who wrote it? Expert? Academic? Corporation? – Authority
Is it cited, peer reviewed/edited – Academic
Bias? Commercial interest? - Objectivity
When was it published? - Currency
19 October 2015
Search Engines only?!
“...a searcher who is unwilling to search multiple databases or to adopt a sophisticated search strategy is likely to achieve average recall and precision
by simply using Google Scholar.”
“Researchers value the ease and speed of Google Scholar, but should also perceive its quality and precision limitations.”
So why not use the academic resources at your disposal?
19 October 2015
Accessing online resources and ILL
Access based on IP address, so if off-campus or using your own PC/Laptop…
1. University username and password (Shibboleth/UK Federation)2.Remote Student Desktop or Off-Site Proxy
…and if we don’t have access to a resource you need then request via the ‘ILL requests’ link on ‘Library Search’. The article will be emailed direct to you within 48hrs. Email [email protected] if unsure.
19 October 2015
Referencing
Referencing is…Not simply including a reference list at the end of your project, but also acknowledging within the text of the project if you have taken an idea OR exact wording (quotation) from a source.
This acknowledgement within the text of your project is known as a citation
Choose a reference style and be consistent.
Referencing help: Mathematics support pages
Upcoming EndNote sessions: 20th October, 1pm – 2D3, Priory Road Complex and 29th October, 1pm – Frank LT,
Physics
19 October 2015
Good research habits:
An awareness of the search tools available to you.
A knowledge of how to refine/sort your searches.
Follow a ‘research trail’ – cited searching.
Use appropriate tools to manage your information.
19 October 2015
For help and advice…Queen’s Library [email protected]‘Library Maths Bristol’:
www.bristol.ac.uk/library/support/subjects/mathematics
@BristolUniLib
19 October 2015
