Andy Jarvis (ELC), Christine Ho (Library) 29 September 2017

Helping your students identify academic sources

29 September 2017

Learning Outcomes

Understand what you can do on the Library’s new OneSearchIdentify databases that are best for first year studentsGuide students to quality sources

Starting Point

Imagine you are a student who is having difficulties finding sources for your essay. How would you, as an instructor, help this student?

Responses

• Directed students Google Scholar @ PolyU• Directed students to OneSearch• Direct students to the library’s Databases by Subject list to

explore relevant disciplinary databases• Recommended disciplinary databases such as Science

Direct• Requested a library workshop on searching• Troubleshot some searches together (too few results? too

many? typos in search statement? relevance of results?)• Helped students distinguish between types of sources• Used writing exemplars

1 - OneSearch

6

search anything

www.lib.polyu.edu.hk

What’s in OneSearch?

Search the totality of our collections• 3.7M books of which 3M are e-books• 75K journals of which 73K are e-journals• 500+ databases• 500K+ AV/multimedia materials

+• Journal articles not owned by us [ log in to

request through ILL ]• Books now owned by us [ log in to request

through HKALL or ILL ]

Print

20%

Electronic

80% Our collection spending

* In rough figures

OneSearch Demo https://youtu.be/1ZCxbnW4AAk

What is OneSearch

• A single search box to access the Library’s collections

• Searches (nearly) everything PolyU Library: our books, journals, articles and media items, print and digital

• Use filters to refine search results• Can also expand search to get citations first,

then initiate a request via ILL or HKALL

…any observations?

1. Go to the PolyU Library website

2. Put in search terms

3. Click “More…”

4. Filter results by “Resource Type” --“Books”

Find a book…

Tips 1

caffeine

health

Use advanced

search

For books: use broad

terms

Start broad, refine later

Tips 2 Refine by filter

Tips 3 Peer review articles only Full-text online only

Books Articles Reference

Entries ….& more

Collection = Database

Tips 4Click to expand results beyond PolyU Library.

This pulls citations from all member libraries

Then request items we

don’t have through

HKALL or ILL

A sample e-book

2 – Credo Reference

What’s inside Credo Reference is a searchable collection of reference books covering over 20 disciplines. Cross-search millions of full text articles in 800+ dictionaries and encyclopedias from reputable publishers.

Credo 1

Default: Basic

Search

Credo 2

Topic page =

broadest overview

Entries from subject-specific

reference books

Sample entry

Credo 3 Cite / Email /

PDF / Save / Translate

Permalink to this entry

Mind map of related

topics

Credo 4

Sample mind map

Related topics are

hyper-linked

Related entries

are listed

Credo 5 Scope your

search at the outset

Access from the library guide

University English

Go to guide

University English > Find Topic Overviews > Credo

How to Find the Guides

How to Find the Guides

= Explore Credo

• Go to “University English” guide

• Go to “Find topic overviews” tab

• Go to “Use Credo”

• Do a search on your topic

• Find a useful overview on your topic

• Email the result to yourself

Other online reference collections

3 – Academic Search Premier

Academic Search Premier• A good place to look for periodical articles on a

wide range of topics -- business, education, social sciences, health, science and technology.

• Contains full-text articles of 1000+ periodicals, plus 3,000+ magazines and trade journals.

Explore Academic Search Premier

• Go to “University English” guide

• Go to “Find books and articles” tab

• Go to “Articles”

• Open “Academic Search Premier”

• Do a keyword search & locate an article

• Email the article to yourself

Wrap up

Comments & questions

• Provide a scoped OneSearch search box for Year 1 students (I’ll check to see if I can build one)

• Provide a guide to MLA style (Will follow up)

• Other databases for Year 1 students (I’ll create a list of other disciplinary databases suited for first year students)

Ask us anytime2766 6863

6423 0820

…or ask me! Thank you!

Christine Hochristine.sw.ho@polyu.edu.hk