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Self-learning materials for Information Technology Competence (ITC) Test
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• Get to know various types of information sources
• Developing an effective search strategy
• Locating information in the HKIEd Library
• Evaluating Results
Overview
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• Also known as publication cycle
• The information timeline for an social event, e.g. the 911 WTC terror attack.
Information Cycle
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Finding Quick facts, current
development
Weekly overviews of
an event, current
development
Detailed information,
popular books vary from general
discussion to detailed analysis
In-depth coverage, analysis
Broad overviews of an event, bibliographies, statistics, etc
Information sources
TV / Radio/ Internet /
Newspaper
Magazines Journals / Popular Books
Scholarly Books
Encyclopedias and Reference
Works
An event happened
Immediate to one day
Weeks Months 2+ Years 5+ Years
• The information timeline for scientific information, e.g. new discovery of the use of stem cells as organ replacements.
Information Cycle (cont.)
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Finding Informal discussions, unpublished
records
Detailed report of research results
Summary or analysis,
indexes and abstracts
provide timely access to
information
In-depth coverage, analysis
Broad overviews of a topic, bibliographies, statistics, etc
Information sources
E-mails / Personal
websites, etc.
Conference Proceedings /
Scholarly Journals
Reviews / Indexes and
Abstracts
Scholarly Books
Encyclopedias and Reference
Works
Research-initiated
Current 1 – 3 years 3+ Years 3 – 5 Years 5+ Years
Various classifications:
• Primary, secondary & tertiary information sources • Primary sources: A primary source is an original object or
document (i.e., the raw material or first-hand information). For example, diaries, interviews, government statistics, scholarly journal articles, etc.
• Secondary sources: A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. For example, reviews, indexes & abstracts, etc.
• Tertiary sources: A tertiary source is an overview of topics by synthesizing information gathered from primary and secondary sources. For example, encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, etc.
Types of information sources
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• Scholarly vs. Popular sources
Types of information sources
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Popular Sources Characteristics Scholarly Sources
Written by anyone, e.g. freelance writers and scholars
Author Written by scholars or experts in the field
Usually published by commercial publishers
Publisher Mainly published by professional organizations, research institutions, and scholarly presses
General public Audience Scholars, researchers, professionals, and students in the field
Seldom include footnotes or bibliographies
Footnotes and bibliographies
Include a review of literature or bibliographies
Usually have a broad subject focus and include opinion on current issues
Content Usually have a narrow subject focus and provide advanced knowledge in a special field
Newspapers, popular magazines, popular books
Examples Academic books, textbooks, scholarly journals
Sample test Q1
•Which of the following is a primary source? The novel, The Old Man and the Sea
• The book, Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Old man and the Sea: a Collection of Critical Essays
• An index, Literary criticism index
• None of the above
Types of Information Sources
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Sample test Q2
•Which of the following is a scholarly source? • A newspaper
A journal
• A popular magazine
• None of the above
Types of Information Sources
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Sample test Q3
•To find articles evaluated by experts in the field, you would most likely look for
• Newspaper
Journals
• Magazines
• None of the above
Types of Information Sources
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Sample test Q4
•Which of the following can be found on the Internet? • Current information on world events, sports, weather,
stock quotes, etc.
• Multimedia information such as audio, video, music, images, etc.
• Information about organizations, government bodies, companies, universities, etc.
All of the above
Types of Information Sources
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Sample test Q5
•In which of the following sources would you find the most current information on your research topic?
• Encyclopedias
• Yearbooks
• Scholarly books
Journals
Types of Information Sources
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How to develop an effective Search Strategy
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A framework in searching
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Start with a single question
Identify key concepts
Find synonyms or related terms
Connect with Boolean operators
Nest terms into preferred order
Choosing appropriate resources
Conduct a search
Analyze results
Evaluate information
Get your answer
Revise search strategy
• Background information
• Exploratory search
• Discover various aspects relating to your topic
Formulate Your Research Topic
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Future trends of Continuing Education
•Using iSearch (standing for “intelligent search”) at http://www.lib.ied.edu.hk/
•To collect background information
•To perform exploratory search
A Sample Topic
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Future trends of Continuing Education
Possible questions with different aspects:
•Virtual learning environment in continuing education
•Market prediction for adult education
•Recent development of adult education in other countries
•Learning technology advancement for continuing education
A Sample Topic
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Virtual learning environment in continuing education
Identify Major Concepts and Related Words
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Major Concepts Related Words
Virtual learning environment Continuing education
Online courses, web-based instruction, … Adult education, distance learning, vocational training, …
Relation between social policy and social work practice
•Using iSearch at http://www.lib.ied.edu.hk/ •To collect background information
•To perform exploratory search
A Sample Topic
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Relation between social policy and social work practice
Possible essay titles:
•Social service failure in the face of policy reform: A
case study on Hong Kong welfare system
•Preventing Economic Hardship Among Chinese
Elderly in Hong Kong
•Programme Effectiveness in Activating Welfare
Recipients to the unemployed in Hong Kong
A Sample Topic (cont.)
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Preventing Economic Hardship Among Chinese Elderly in Hong Kong
A Sample Topic
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Major Concepts Related Words
Economic Hardship Elderly
Impoverished, poverty, aridity, deprived, etc … Aged, aging, aged population, old people, etc …
• Search Statement • Is all the keywords typed in the search box.
• Depends on which research stage you are in, you can type in more keywords to yield very specific results.
• More keywords - no. of results
- accuracy
• Less keywords - no. of results
- accuracy
Search Statement
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• Parentheses • To clarify relationships between search terms.
• A search engine processes your search terms from left to right, and it processes all the Boolean AND operators BEFORE any Boolean OR operators.
• To change this order, you can group synonyms with parentheses. They force computer to process your search terms in the order you combine them.
• e.g. (A or B) and (C or D)
• Keyword Search Techniques
• Boolean Operators
Construct Your Search Statement
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• Keyword search • Input as many relevant keywords in the search box as possible
• Truncation (* / $)
• comput* computer, computers, computation
• Wildcards (? / #)
• col?r color
• Phrase (“…”)
• “classroom management” search for the phrase classroom management
• Proximity (NEAR / ADJ / WITH / W / N)
• virtual NEAR learning search engine will look for instances of the words “virtual" and “learning" that are near each other.
Keyword Search
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A or B
• Group synonyms or related words together that can broaden a search
• e.g. computer-mediated communications OR telecommunications
A and B
• Connect different concepts that can narrow a search
• e.g. body image AND eating disorders
A not B
• Eliminate articles with specified concepts
• e.g. adolescents NOT adults
Boolean Operators
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• Step 1. Use truncation “*” on the words / phrases
• Step 2. Use “OR” to connect words / phrases with the same meaning
• Step 3. Use Parentheses to group words / phrases belong to the same concepts
• Step 4. Combining different concepts with the operator “AND”
Construct your search statement
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Characteristics:
•Allow you to enter keywords or phrases
•Search results are usually ranked by relevancy
Internet search engine
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• Using iSearch • A search and discovery tool which enables you to search
the Library catalogue and most of the Library‟s e-journals, e-books and databases simultaneously
Select the right information sources
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Sample test Q1
•Which of the following sources give you background information and/or related terms on your topic „drug abuse‟?
• The drug abuse dictionary
• The encyclopedia of drug abuse
• Drug abuse handbook
All of the above
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q2
•What are the major concepts of the topic “China‟s entry into the World Trade Organization”?
• China
• World Trade Organization
• WTO
All of the above
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q3
•Which of the following operators can broaden a search?
• AND
OR
• NOT
• ADJ
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q4
•Which of the following operators would be useful for combining searches on synonyms?
• AND
OR
• NOT
• ADJ
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q5
•Which of the following would not be found if you typed “libr*”where * is the truncation symbol?
• Library
• Librarian
• Libraries
Liberty
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q6
•What is the best way to do if you find too much information on your topic?
• Use the first 10 search results
• Broaden the topic
Narrow the topic to a specific aspect
• Abandon the topic
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q7
•What is the best way to do if you find too few information on your topic?
• Use the first 10 search results
Add synonyms or related terms
• Use narrower terms
• Abandon the topic
Effective Search Strategies
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Sample test Q8
•What is the best search tool if you want to find library materials owned or subscribed to by the HKIEd Library?
• Research Databases
iSearch
• Search Engines
• Indexes
Effective Search Strategies
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Locating information in the HKIEd Library
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• Learn how to use iSearch in 4 Simple Steps and read the FAQ at http://www.lib.ied.edu.hk/isearch/help/
HKIEd Library Online Tutorials
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• Use Library Catalogue/ iSearch to: • Check holdings and locations of books, conference
proceedings, journals, newspapers, audio-visual materials, electronic databases …
• Renew books and request books checked out by others
• Borrow books via HKALL
• Link to electronic resources on the Web
• CANNOT find articles embedded in journals and newspapers
How to locate library collections
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• A citation contains all the information you need to locate a book or an article.
• APA Citation Style
http://www.lib.ied.edu.hk/is/tutorial/Module_Citing_Info/3_3_content.htm
Citation
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APA Style
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Citation of a Book
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APA Style
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages.
Citation of an Article in a Periodical
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Sample test Q1
•Keyword searching looks for words in? • Author and title fields
• Subject field
• Abstract field
All of the above
Use of Library Catalog
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Sample test Q2
•A citation contains all the information you need to locate the journal or magazine article, including?
• Author‟s name
• Article title and journal title
• Publication date, volume/issue numbers and page numbers
All of the above
Use of Library Catalog
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Evaluating Information
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• Authority – if the author/editor/publisher has the expertise on an issue. • Do a quick check on the author‟s biography.
• Are there any other works published by this author in similar topics?
• Currency – If the information covers the time span you required • If it is a social science case study report written in the
1970s, does it still fits?
Evaluation Criteria
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• Intended Audience – if the depth of the work is appropriate to your needs. • Look for the publication: an article from Newsweek are
usually for general public; whereas an article from the Harvard Law Review are usually for specialists.
• Coverage – if the work is comprehensive enough for your needs. • If it is a report analyzing the social status of women in
Middle Eastern countries, does it fit?
Evaluation Criteria
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• Objectivity – if the work is free of biased viewpoints and covers every aspects of the topic. • Are viewpoints from different sides presented?
• Who fund the research project?
• Accuracy – if the information presented is flawless. • Check with other sources, statistics, etc.
• Reviews – if other reputable scholars agree or argue with the viewpoints presented in the work. • Are there any other authors citing this work?
Evaluation Criteria
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• For free Internet resources, additional verification is needed:
• Domain name suffix
Evaluation Criteria – Internet resources
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Evaluation Criteria – Internet resources
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Domain Name
Types of organizations
Remarks
.gov Government Usually Reliable
.org Organization Good for information about the organization or a particular field if the organization is the professional body that defines standards for the field
.edu Education Usually reliable
.ac Academic
.net Network services provider
Maybe biased to promote their products; Usually provides update online manual and product information .com Commercial site
~ Personal website Quality varies greatly Note: The URL of a personal website may not contain “~”
• Authority checking –
1.Mission statement
2.About Us
3.Privacy statement
4.Copyright statement, etc
Currency Checking – Last updated date
Evaluation Criteria – Internet resources
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