FUNDAMENTALS OF SCIENTIFIC PROCESS

INFORMATION LITERACY

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WHAT’S INFORMATION LITERACY?

Information Literacy

The ability to…

FIND information EVALUATE information INCORPORATE information DOCUMENT information

Topics to Be Covered

Identifying & Selecting Library Databases

Popular vs. Scholarly Journals

The Meaning of “Peer-Reviewed” Confirming peer-reviewed status Using Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory (Ulrichsweb)

Topics

Database Search Strategies & Techniques I

Selecting Keywords (Search Terms) Using Synonyms / Using a Thesaurus Understanding Controlled Vocabulary

Topics

Database Search Strategies & Techniques II

Boolean Operators: Using AND, OR, NOT

Power Search Techniques & Shortcuts Using Parentheses Truncation Phrase Searching

Basic Search vs. Advanced Search

Topics

Using the NYIT Journal Locator

A Journal Citation: Its Parts & Fields

Interlibrary Loan: Books & Journal Articles

Citing Journal Articles in APA / MLA Style The References Page Listing Your Sources Alphabetically Parenthetical References

Start on the Library Home Page

Finding & SelectingNYIT Library Databases

The Library Home Pagehttp://www.nyit.edu/library

Click to access 200+ databases

Click to access 100,000+ books

Databases A-Z

Alphabetical listing

Grouped by subject

To Research Science TopicsMultidisciplinary Databases

Two databases focusing on science topics:Science DirectScitation (not listed here)

For Search Strategy WorksheetChoose one of these databases:

Database Subject Group

Academic Search Complete General & Multidisciplinary

Computer & Applied Sciences Complete

Computer Science / Engineering

GreenFILE Computer Science / Engineering

Health Reference Center Health Sciences

ProQuest Central General & Multidisciplinary

Identifying scholarly sources

Popular vs. Scholarly Sources

Criteria to Apply

Suggests POPULAR Indicates SCHOLARLY

Best-selling or celebrity author with few or no subject credentials

Author has clearly-stated credentials demonstrating expertise

Publisher issues popular books, e.g., Dell Paperbacks or Bantam Books

A university press or eminent academic publisher, e.g., McGraw-Hill

No footnotes, no bibliography, no appendices, no index.

Most or all of these: footnotes, bibliography, appendices, index.

Content tone is chatty, sensational, humorous, fun, satirical, etc.

Content is factual, well-researched, intended to inform on high level

Text is breezy, written for popular consumption

Text contains challenging terms and concepts

A peer-reviewed journal is scholarly

Peer-Reviewed Journals

Peer-Reviewed

Peer-reviewed = Screened by a panel of subject experts and found to meet stringent criteria of scholarship.

A peer-reviewed journal contains articles that have been carefully evaluated for academic quality and deemed worthy of publication by a select group of subject authorities.

Not precisely synonymous, these terms mean roughly the same thing as peer-reviewed:

Scholarly / Refereed / Juried

Is This Journal Peer-Reviewed?Use Ulrich’s to Find Out

Sample title in Ulrich’s

Journal is shown to be Scholarly and Refereed

Keywords, Synonyms, Thesauri, Controlled Vocabulary

Database Search Strategies & Techniques I

ROBOTICS

Let’s assume you have to write a research paper.

You’ve chosen this topic:

Near-future developments in…

Selecting Search TermsUsing Synonyms / Using a Thesaurus

Database search engines look for SEARCH TERMS (keywords).

These should correspond closely to your topic.

The better your search terms, the better your search.

Entering synonyms can be helpful when searching. A THESAURUS provides synonyms, words that mean the same thing. Look up “robots” to find synonyms that include: robotics, automaton, “mechanical man,” android, cyborg

Your search can contain any or all of these terms.

Controlled Vocabulary / Subject Headings

Books and articles are categorized under subject headings.

This is “controlled vocabulary,” used to group different sources on the same topic TOGETHER under ONE specific term.

The Library of Congress Subject Headings List is one HUGE controlled vocabulary scheme – a vast attempt to organize virtually all human knowledge into a vast array of subject headings and subheadings.

Using Subject Headings Provided in Databases

A keyword search in EBSCO produces this article. Its citation record reveals helpful Subject Terms, headings under which the article has been categorized. Clicking a term leads you to related articles categorized the same way.

Click a subject term to find related articles.

These can also be a good source of synonymous search terms.

Boolean LogicUsing Parentheses

Truncation Phrase Searching

Basic vs. Advanced Searching

Database Search Strategies & Techniques II

Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOTCombining & relating search terms

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A = Dogs / B = Cats / Blue = Articles Retrieved

Articles discussingDogs OR Cats

Articles discussingDogs AND Cats

Articles discussingDogs NOT Cats

I want articles that discuss both dogs AND cats.

I want articles that discuss either dogs OR cats or both dogs and cats.

I want articles that discuss dogs but NOT cats, i.e., that discuss dogs only.

AND narrows a search. OR broadens a search. NOT narrows a search.

A Possible Boolean Search ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC: Near-future developments in robotics---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OR connects SYNONYMS / AND combines CONCEPTS---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More:

1. PARENTHESES -- used to group and sequence operations 2. TRUNCATION -- (robot* OR automatons)3. PHRASE SEARCH -- “developments in robotics”

(robotics OR robots OR automatons) AND

(developments OR evolution OR progress)

Basic Search vs. Advanced SearchExample: Academic Search Complete

A Basic Search is not necessarily easier and can be very precise – IF you know how to wield Boolean logic and choose your keywords carefully.

A Basic Search done badly can be so broad that results are overwhelming in number – with many irrelevant “hits” to wade through.

An Advanced Search typically provides many more ways to FILTER your results by different criteria (delimiters).

An Advanced Search might well be called a Guided Search. A good advanced search can be easier to do than a good basic search.

RECOMMENDED: Choose Advanced Search.

Basic Search Screen

Note Search Delimiters / Criteria (10)

Advanced Search Screen

Note (2) additional delimiters / criteria (Total: 12)

Delimiters selected

A possible Advanced Search on the sample topic

Truncation

Synonyms + Boolean

Field designators

Results (96 “hits” with keywords in titles)

The NYIT Journal LocatorFind link on Library home page

Fill in the blank to see IF and WHERE the Library has a specific journal – either electronic/online in a database or in its print collection.

Sample question answered by the Journal Locator: Do you have the journal GENOME, June 2007?

The NYIT Journal LocatorYou’re looking for Genome, June 2007.

Step 1: Launch Locator, enter title you seek, click Search.

The NYIT Journal LocatorA list of locations appears.

A results page appears, locating the full text journal in one or more Library databases.

Let’s click on this database.

The NYIT Journal LocatorAccess the journal and the year you want.

Click open Genome 2007

The journal record opens.

The NYIT Journal LocatorOpen the specific issue you want.

Click here

The year expands to list individual issues.

The NYIT Journal LocatorWith the issue open, find your article – in full text.

Need a Journal the Library Doesn’t Have?

Interlibrary Loans

2

3 Complete & Submit1

DOCUMENTING YOUR SOURCES:Citations & Parenthetical References

Citing Your Sources

Your research paper will incorporate ideas, concepts, quotes, etc., taken from your SOURCES.

In other words, you’ll use the thoughts and words of OTHERS in YOUR paper.

To avoid PLAGIARISM, you must CITE these sources.

That is, you must credit them within your paper with parenthetical references and list them at the end of your paper on a References page.

More on Citations (APA)

Each source listed on your References must be properly formatted in APA style.

EXAMPLE: Assume you quoted this journal article in your paper. This is how the citation would look:

Shackell, J. (2010). Wired for war: The robotics revolution and conflict in the 21st

century [Electronic version]. Air & Space Power Journal, 24(2), 95-96.

On your References page, list your sources alphabetically, usually by author’s last name.

More on Citations (MLA)

Each source listed on your References must be properly formatted in MLA style.

EXAMPLE: Assume you quoted this journal article in your paper. This is how the citation would look:

Shackell, John M. “Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict

in the 21st Century.” Air & Space Power Journal 24.2 (2010): 95-96.

ProQuest. Web. 4 Aug. 2010.

On your References page, list your sources alphabetically, usually by author’s last name.

The Parts of an APA Journal Citation

Shackell, J. (2010). Wired for war: The robotics revolution and conflict in the 21st

century [Electronic version]. Air & Space Power Journal, 24(2), 95-96.

Author Year of publication Article Title / Subtitle

Journal title

Volume no. / Issue no.

Pages

Database search engines can be directed to find search terms in a single part of a citation. In this case, parts are called fields. Example: Searching for “robotics” in article titles only is called a FIELD SEARCH.

The Parts of an MLA Journal Citation

Shackell, John M. “Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict

in the 21st Century.” Air & Space Power Journal 24.2 (2010): 95-96.

ProQuest. Web. 4 Aug. 2010.

Author Article title / Subtitle

Journal title

Volume no. Pages

Database search engines can be directed to find search terms in a single part of a citation. In this case, parts are called fields. Example: Searching for “robotics” in article titles only is called a FIELD SEARCH.

Issue no.

Year publishedDatabase / Source / Date accessed

A Sample References Page – APA Style

From: The Purdue Online Writing Lab

Sources here are alphabetized by author’s last name.

A Sample References Page – MLA StyleSources here are alphabetized by author’s last name.

From: The Purdue Online Writing Lab

Apt QuoteThe longest journey begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu