Library Resources for WRT 105 Students Patrick Williams 11 December 2014
Overview An over-stretched but instructive cliché about academic libraries Selecting keywords and building a search strategy I’ll show where to look for articles in full text databases & via citation indexes Q&A / how to get help
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Academic Research • Requires more than “matches” • Involves becoming conversant within a topic & beginning to develop authority • Here’s what I understand… vs. Hey, look what I found! • You are looking for evidence , not searching for the paper you want to write
It will require you to engage with sources that you might not actually use in your work
Databases Some Periodicals Databases … index hundreds of… Journals, magazines, 0 newspapers, collections & books… and contain information about… Articles, chapters, images, Searchable access to articles & links to etc. full text
Full-text DBs contain articles ProQuest Central / Academic Search Premiere Indexes hundreds of popular and scholarly publications including magazines, newspapers, academic journals, trade journals, and books Social Sciences Full Text Social Sciences Full Text provides fast access to a wide assortment of the most important English-language journals published in the U.S. and elsewhere with full text and page images from scores of key publications, plus abstracting and indexing of hundreds of others. SUMMON Searches most of the Syracuse University Libraries’ databases, along with books, e-books, and other materials.
Accessing library databases Use links on library homepage, catalog, etc. NetID: SUID, no spaces Password: last name, lowercase
Google does not give you access to these databases, journals, & articles!
Full-text DBs contain articles ProQuest Central / Academic Search Premiere Indexes hundreds of popular and scholarly publications including magazines, newspapers, academic journals, trade journals, and books Social Sciences Full Text Social Sciences Full Text provides fast access to a wide assortment of the most important English-language journals published in the U.S. and elsewhere with f text and page images from scores of key publications, plus abstracting and indexing of hundreds of others. SUMMON Searches most of the Syracuse University Libraries’ databases, along with books e-books, and other materials.
Start at Library.syr.edu
Start at Library.syr.edu
Search Strategy Generating Keywords & building queries How to ask the questions Where to find clues How to trace the circulation of ideas
Databases Some Periodicals Databases … index hundreds of… Journals, magazines, newspapers, collections & 0 books… and contain information about… Articles, chapters, images, etc. Watch out! DBs are dumber than Searchable access to articles & links to Google! full text
Generating Keywords Think of synonyms, antonyms, and related concepts Greek Life Prison Gangs -Fraternities -Organized Crime -Sororities -Race/Ethnicity -Gender -Correctional -Campus/socal Facilities Life -Justice -Hazing -Inmates -Cheating -Violence -Sexual Assault -Civil Rights Credo Reference for additional terms & sources (or other reference tools) Revise your list as you search, read, and learn
Combining Keywords Much Respect to George Boole Very serious Mathematician. Forefather of Computer Science. Created his own type of algebra
Combining Keywords Much Respect to George Boole Very serious Mathematician. Forefather of Computer Science. Created his own type of algebra
Combining Keywords There are articles in the database that mention "George Boole" . There are also articles in the database that mention "computers" .
Combining Keywords Joining " George Boole" and “Computers" with which operator will bring us... the fewest? “George Boole” AND/OR “Computers”
Combining Keywords Search Query: "George Boole" AND "computers" .
Combining Keywords Search Query: "George Boole" OR "computers" . OR is good for searching with synonyms like "death penalty" OR "capital punishment"
Combining Keywords "George Boole" NOT "computers" "computers" NOT "George Boole" NOT is useful when searching terms with multiple meanings-- think articles that mention "windows" but not those about "Microsoft" windows.
Databases Some Periodicals Databases … index hundreds of… Journals, magazines, newspapers, collections & 0 books… and contain information about… Articles, chapters, images, etc. Dumber than Google, but better Searchable access to articles & links to at following directions! full text
Thinking about your search VS
Thinking about your search 1168 articles of all sorts, dating back to the 1960 VS
Thinking about your search 1168 articles of all sorts, dating back to the 1960 VS 39 recent scholarly articles similarly focused on the topic
What else do we discover in the act of searching?
Tips List your research question(s), keywords, and related concepts-- start general. Keep track of your search queries & take notes on which resources you've searched. Think about types of sources you'll need. Use the databases' email feature for full-text articles & formatted citations and articles.
Tricks Don’t ask questions, craft queries (leave out the “how do I” part) Include words in quotation marks to search a phrase: “no child left behind act” vs no child left behind act Use wildcard characters to search different word endings: friend* looks for friendly, friendship, friends, etc. Adjust your strategy to fit each database– use the tools at hand Don’t forget about George Boole
Start at Library.syr.edu
Summon also has access to over half a million e-books
Full-text DBs contain articles ProQuest Central / Academic Search Premiere Indexes hundreds of popular and scholarly publications including magazines, newspapers, academic journals, trade journals, and books Social Sciences Full Text Social Sciences Full Text provides fast access to a wide assortment of the most important English-language journals published in the U.S. and elsewhere with full text and page images from scores of key publications, plus abstracting and indexing of hundreds of others. SUMMON Searches most of the Syracuse University Libraries’ databases, along with books, e-books, and other materials.
SUPA Research Guide http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/supa • Access information • Reference sources • Articles, essays, & data • Media • Tutorials • Evaluating Resources
Getting Help Instantly It’s not always so easy to tell when the sources are electronic. When in doubt, ask! jpwill03@syr.edu For best results, let them know you’re SUPA first.
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