Lesson 4A Evaluating Research Sources PDF

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BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluation Research Sources

Introduction •

Knowing how to find information leads to independence

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We will investigate a simple 6-step pathway to relevant, up to date, comprehensive information

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This process will apply to further studies, later employment and beyond

Where to start The library has a website that is an excellent starting point for engineering research: http://libguides.murdoch.edu.au/engineering

This site includes links to engineering related resources including: •

Reference resources (such as engineering encyclopaedias etc);

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Websites

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Databases all relevant to engineering

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Link to starting your research

Pathway to Finding Information 1.

Analyse and define the topic •

List Key Terms in the area under investigation

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Clarify meanings with dictionaries or thesauri

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Use Findit to access electronic reference sources, such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries and Thesauri

2.

Find Background Information Use Encyclopaedias (even Wikipedia) to gain introductory background on the topic. General references in engineering can be found by going to the library's engineering site, given earlier, and then clicking the link to References Resources. A number of engineering

BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluating Research Sources related dictionaries and encyclopaedias are listed. The link for Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology leads to an online version of this encyclopaedia on the Direct Science website.

3.

Further Develop Research

(i)

Use Library Catalogue for texts Advanced searches using keywords can help locate relevant books that are available at Murdoch University.

(ii)

Use journals and journal articles Journals: •

Made up of journal articles covering the latest research

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Also known as Serials/ Periodicals/ Magazines

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Published regularly

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Rapid publication, compared with books – when books are published, the materials is generally several years out of date.

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Peer reviewed by experts in the discipline

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Many are now available electronically

Finding Journals: Search Journal Name in the Library’s Title Catalogue Expand abbreviated journal title using: Electronic References General Acronyms/Abbreviations All That JAS (Journal Abbreviation Sources)

Full text journal packages: Proquest Revision Date: 30/03/17

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BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluating Research Sources Academic OneFile ScienceDirect – 2,000 journals Inspec includes over 3,400 journals and 2,000 proceedings

Journal articles are not listed in the Library Catalogue as there are too many of them. However, databases can be used to find journal articles. Murdoch library has a resource called Findit@Murdoch that can locate articles from journals and books that Murdoch library subscribes to.

Findit@Murdoch Findit appears on the home page of the Library's web page.

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BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluating Research Sources

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Google Scholar While Google is the more familiar go-to search engine, its results often do not have links to full text. It is preferable to use Google Scholar as it has links to the full text, and links to resources that are available through the Murdoch University Library.

If Google Scholar is used on campus, then links to Findit@Murdoch will appear wherever a source is available in Murdoch's library. The example given above shows the results from a search using the string “Nepal open fire cooking”. Although there where 20,000 results, the first page gives several articles that would be very relevant to the EWB Challenge, such as: the risk of injury to children; health effects of indoor smoke; and the last item on this particular page cites a study that claim that more efficient cook-stoves does not reduce the demand for wood, which provides an interesting counter example to what is normally claimed in support of more efficient stoves. Also notice that articles that are available through Murdoch library resources are identified

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by the Findit@Murdoch link. Finally, notice that in most cases the articles appear in reputable sources, such as Elsevier, Cambridge University Press and the Nature Publishing Group.

Words of warning when using Google Scholar •

data from some publishers not included

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hits are ranked by relevance - older items may appear first

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large numbers of hits - many are not relevant

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authority of records should be checked to see if they are appropriate

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always use Advanced Scholar Search option for optimal search results

Search Tips when using Google Scholar

(iii)

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Prefer .org, .edu, .gov sites

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Use Date Restrict

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Full text is indicated after article title

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Findit link searches library catalogue

Use data bases for Journal articles •

Proquest is useful for all disciplines; some entries include full text

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Inspec is useful for electrical engineering, environmental science etc; it has links to full text

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Click the Databases link in the Findit window, or in the library's engineering site given at the beginning of this lesson. This leads to the site shown below.

Example using Inspec

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BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluating Research Sources

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BEN300 Lesson 4A: Evaluating Research Sources Notice that Findit can be used to go to the original article.

4.

5.

Evaluate what you have found •

Are the references relevant?

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Are they recent?

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Are there too many references or too few?

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Are they from scholarly sources?

Manage your information Note citation details of each item: •

Article Author, A., and B. Article Author. Year. Title of article. Title of Journal volume number (issue number): inclusive page numbers.

6.

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This will save lots of time!

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Consider using Endnote

Cite references correctly •

to acknowledge the work of others

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to show how widely you have read

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to enable others to find your references

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be consistent

Remember: You can ask a Librarian

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