Information sources
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Introduction to Information Sources
Transcript of Information sources
Introduction to Information Sources
Where do I start?
Google pros and consPros Cons
Current information
Easy to search
Useful websites e.g. academic, government and organisation
Google Scholar
Information overload
Unfocussed results
No quality control, you need to evaluate what you find
Password or payment may be needed
WHO put the information there (who owns the site)? • What authority or expertise do they have in this area?• Have they published anything else on this subject?
WHY did they create the site? • Is the creator of the site biased and promoting a particular viewpoint?• Or trying to sell something?
WHEN was the site last updated?• When was the site last updated? Does it matter if the site has not been updated recently?
Evaluating information on the web
Look for clues in the URL domain extension
• College or university .ac• A government body .gov• Organisation .org• Commercial .com Beware!
University, government or professional organisations may be more objective than a .com site trying to sell products.
Purpose and bias
Government bodies, academic institutions and professional organisations often provide their own publications including:
• Policy documents• Research papers• Guidelines• Standards• Reports• Official statistics
Reliable web resources
Government bodies• Department for Education Children & Young People• Home Office• Department of Health• Department for Business Innovation & Skills
Professional bodies and organisations• British Association for Early Childhood Education• Royal College of Nursing• British Association of Social Work
Reliable web resources
• Books
• Journals
• Web resources
Key information sources
Useful for?• Background information, overviews and reviews of a subject
• Key theories, models or philosophies
• Textbooks are usually secondary information sources – they review, analyse, interpret or discuss existing ideas and research.
Academic textbooks
• Browse the Library shelves for print books
• Link to the module reading lists for print and e-books
• Search Summon for print and e-books
How to search for books
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk/
Books are filed by class number and then alphabetically by the 1st three letters of the author’s surname e.g. 610.73 SMI
After the decimal point, books are filed digit by digit rather than by whole number e.g.
• 610.730699 BUR is filed before 610.744 BAC
• 362.1072 SUL is filed before 362.12 CAR
Locating books in the library
Video
You can borrow up to 16 items (20 for post-graduates)• Standard loan books - 3 weeks• Short loan books - 1 week (yellow spine labels)• Self-service issue, return and reservation
Unlimited online renewals• Unless the item is reserved by someone else.
Overdue charges• Standard loans – 10p per day• Short loans – 50 per day• Overdue and courtesy reminders sent to university email address.
Borrowing books
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk/
You can link to these in:
• Your module and course areas on Learn
• From the Learning Services website
Reading lists
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk/
Summon is a one-stop discovery tool which enables you to search for academic content provided by University of Suffolk including:
• Print books• e-Books• Journal articles
Good for breadth rather than depth
Summon – finding books and journal articles
Summon = Library Google
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk
1. Instant access to high demand material 24/7
2. You can download most books or store links
3. No renewals or overdue charges
4. No need to carry heavy books around
5. You can access e-books from home
Five reasons for using e-books
E-books are electronic versions of print books which can be accessed on or off campus.
• There are several different e-book formats but they are all very easy to use.
• Common features include browse, search and print options. Additional options may include note-taking and highlighting options.
Using e-books
Record shows both e-book and print book
Art of communication in nursing
Also called serials or periodicals. They are published serially (in parts) several times a year.
Academic journals usually contain the latest research findings on a subject • British Journal of Criminology • British Journal of Social Work• Journal of Advanced Nursing
Professional/practice journals are useful for professional updating • EYE (Early Years Educator)• Nursing Times
•
Types of journal
Review articles – professional journals• Summaries or previews of new research, usually found in professional updating
journals.
Research articles – academic journals• Primary research articles describe new research based on studies conducted by the
authors.
Systematic reviews – academic journals• Very important in healthcare – they provide overviews of evidence around a certain
topic or research question.
Journal article types
Journal TOCS http://www.journaltocs.ac.uk
A table of contents alerting service you can register to use.Keeps you up-to-date with new research in your subject by alerting you to new articles in selected journals e.g.
• Nursing Times• Journal of Clinical Nursing
Sends you email alerts of articles published in the latest issues of your selected journals.
Journal TOCS
http://www.journaltocs.ac.uk/
Summon is a one-stop discovery tool which enables you to search for academic content provided by University of Suffolk including:
• Print books• e-Books• Journal articles
Good for breadth rather than depth
Summon – finding books and journal articles
Summon = Library Google
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk
• Useful for very current, topical information e.g. news about new research, government policy, new initiatives, funding, commentaries, interviews and opinion pieces.
• Articles are brief and to the point, usually without abstracts (summaries).
• You can search via Individual newspaper websites
The News and Newspapers database which enables crossing of local, national and international titles.
Newspaper articles
Newspaper database
Online streaming service covering all the major freeview channels and radio stations.
Access via the A-Z of eResources
Box of Broadcasts (BoB)
http://libguides.ucs.ac.uk
Many statistics are available from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)They are gathered by many sources, some of the main ones are correlated by the ONS for the government e.g.
• Social Trends• Regional Trends• Annual Abstract of Statistics
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html
Statistics
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.htmlDiabetes Death alcohol
• Books – essential and recommended
• Journal articles – academic and professional
• Government and organisation websites
• Newspaper articles
• Statistical sources
Sources of information round up
Use a mix of information sources to support your argument
