how to do a literature search emma coonan [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
What is a literature search?
Searching for (chiefly) published work about a topic of your choice
Aiming to get a sound grasp of your topic and its context
Joining the academic dialogue
1. Where to look
Your sources
Books - Newton (including eBooks)
Journals* - Newton; ejournals@cambridge
* but you have to know (and search by) the journal title, not the journal article title
Search by journal title on Newton
… and on ejournals@cambridge
Your sources
journal articles book chapters conference papers Festschriften contributions reports reviews
… ?
What is a citation database?
Began as online indexes of journal articles
Expanded to contain other document types
Evolved in some cases into storage archives
May contain, or link through to, full text
Not comprehensive
Explore your subject area
2. How to look
Thinking about your topic
Napoleon OR Nelson (either name)
Napoleon AND Nelson (both names)
Napoleon NOT brandy (excluded word)
“Napoleon Bonaparte” (as a phrase)
Thinking about your topic
Trafalgar
= (naval OR sea OR maritime OR marine)
AND
(battle OR conflict OR combat OR action …)
Wildcards and truncation: ? and *
? replaces a character ‘Wom?n’ finds ‘woman’ or ‘women’ ‘Globali?ation’ finds British or American spelling
* replaces any number of characters (including zero)
‘Pig*’ finds ‘pig’, ‘pigs’, ‘pigmy’, ‘pigment’ ... ‘Transfer*’ finds ‘transfer’, ‘transfers’, ‘transferable’,
‘transferability’ …
Search exercise
1. Go to www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources
and find the SCOPUS database
2. Search for material published from 2005 onwards on sustainable transport, with particular reference to cycling
Check for links to full-text
Cupples, J., Ridley, E. Towards a heterogeneous environmental responsibility: Sustainability and cycling fundamentalism (2008) Area, 40 (2), pp. 254-264.
Cahill, M. Why the u-turn on sustainable transport? (2007) Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, 18 (4), pp. 90-103.
Search exercise
1. Return to www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources
and find Web of Knowledge
2. Search for material on cyberbullying among adolescents
3. Where to start?
Start here …
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources/
… or here ...
Help and feedback
Slides and handouts at www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Courses/
Evaluation forms
E-mail: [email protected]