Top Banner
Advanced Database Searching Efficient research information searching and retrieval for post-graduate scientists Nov 2008 Gareth J Johnson David Wilson Library
24

Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Nov 01, 2014

Download

Education

Gaz Johnson

Slides to acompany the workshop session for postgraduate (PhD) students at Leicester University. Covers accessing databases and building more sophisticated searches.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Advanced Database Searching

Efficient research information searching

and retrieval for post-graduate scientists

Nov 2008

Gareth J Johnson

David Wilson Library

Page 2: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Today’s Session

Aims

◦ Get you familiar with accessing Leicester’s

suite of information resources

◦ Provide some hands on time with searches

◦ Give you a chance for some 1-2-1 support

with your searching

◦ Explore some methodology to help save you

time and effort

Page 3: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Session Outline

Accessing information resources on/off

campus

Searching comprehensively

Strategies for building quality searches

Refining search results

Alternatives to databases

Building your own bibliography (briefly)

Page 4: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Your Experiences

1. What databases/information

resources have you used before?

2. What’s your approach to searching?

3. Are you confident that you are

finding everything you need?

4. Would you like to spend less time

searching and more time reading?

Page 5: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Resources at Leicester

All accessed via Leicester Digital

Library

Nearly all available off campus too

Each indexes a different range of

journals

To be comprehensive will need to

search more than one!

Page 6: Advanced Database Searching Nov08
Page 7: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Which Databases to Use?

Depends on your research area

Some multidisciplinary ones

◦ SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge

Some more subject specific

◦ BIOSIS Previews, Medline, Crossfire

Subject Rooms have some guidance

More information on Digital Library page

Page 8: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

How Many is Enough?

Comprehensive searching requires using

several

◦ Omissions and overlap between resources

No literature review is 100% authoritative

Rules of thumb

◦ Expect to search 3-5 quality resources

◦ See previous theses for guidance in scope

Bibliographic software can assist in

eliminating duplicate results

Page 9: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Hands on time!

Browse the booklet to Self test (1)

Why not

◦ Look through the A-Z databases and find ones

you are familiar with

◦ Have a look at Subject Rooms

Questions?

Page 10: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Sophisticated Searching

Preparation of a search strategy is the key

Searches can be built up

◦ Single search element at a time

◦ Portions of larger search statement

Need to be familiar with Boolean Logic

◦ AND – makes search more specific

◦ OR – includes synonymous terms

◦ NOT – eliminates irrelevant results

Page 11: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Boolean Logic

pain or injury

broad search,

many results

pain and injury

pain not injury

focussed search results

omitted useful results?

focussed search, fewer

but more specific results

Page 12: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

A Simple Search (Mk 1)

Find articles on earthquake detection

sensors

earthquake and detection and sensors

While this works, it is NOT

comprehensive

Many articles will be missed

Results will be too broad

◦ Good for finding random papers of possible

interest

Page 13: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Truncation & Parenthesis

Truncation substitutes for part of a word

Good for finding plurals or alternative spellings

Brackets ( ) allow Boolean logic to function correctly

◦ Order of priority NOT > AND > OR

◦ fish or sausages and chips

◦ (fish or sausages) and chips

Page 14: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

A More Sophisticated Search (Mk 2)

Articles on earthquake detection sensors

1. earthquake or seismic

2. detection or identification

3. sensors or monitors

Run each search independently

◦ Then combine to make final search

(earthquake* or seismic) and (detect* or identif* and (sensor* or monitor*)

◦ Good for finding papers specifically concerned with our interests

Page 15: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Hands on Time Again!

Browse the booklet to Self test (2 & 3)

Why not

◦ Try running the search we’ve just tried on a

database or two

◦ Try improving the search

◦ Make your own simple or more sophisticated

search

Questions?

Page 16: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Enhanced Searching Strategy

Expanding on what we’ve considered:

1. Define your topic clearly

2. Identify key concepts and synonyms

3. Group similar concepts

4. Build a search strategy on paper

5. Test your search strategy

6. Refine the results or the strategy

7. Output the results for safe keeping

8. Read your papers

Page 17: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

A Most Sophisticated Search (Mk 3)

Articles on earthquake detection sensors

1. earthquake or seismic

2. detection or identification or monitoring

3. sensors or seismograph

4. Not nuclear

Revised in the light of test search

Run each search independently

◦ Then combine to make final search

((earthquake* or seismic) and (detect* or identif* or monitor*) and (sensors or seismograph )) not nuclear

Page 18: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Refining Your Search

Expect to revise your initial search

◦ Rarely work exactly right first time

May need to expand

◦ Include more synonymous terms or truncation

May to need to focus

◦ Use more specific terms or use filters

May need to rethink approach

◦ Try different resources

◦ Reconsider search terminology or logic

Page 19: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Other Tools

Saved searches

◦ Can be used for search alerts on some resources

Subject index searching

◦ Using controlled terms rather than keywords

Open Access

◦ Freely available quality research

◦ Online search engines available

OpenDOAR, BASE Academic Search

◦ No need to worry about if the University subscribes to the journals

◦ Reliable quality alternative

Page 20: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Bibliographic Software

There to aid you in managing your search results◦ Build a personal bibliography

◦ Eliminate duplicate results from multiple databases

◦ Citation insertion into Word documents

◦ Inserts custom bibliography formatted to house or particular journal styles

On campus support for RefWorks and Endnote◦ Further training online or classroom sessions

available

Page 21: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

It’s A Small World(z)

If you haven’t already, join the Leicester

Science graduate online community

◦ smallworldz.wetpaint.com

Interact with scientists, academics, fellow

students and research support staff

Discover Twitter feeds, blogs and social

networking identities

Share experiences and peer support

Keep up to date on new developments

Page 22: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Contacts

For searching/database support

◦ Gareth J Johnson (Physical & Biological

Sciences) [email protected]

◦ Other Information librarians

www.le.ac.uk/li/about/informationlibrarians.html

General enquiries

[email protected]

◦ 0116-252-2043

Page 23: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Final Hands on Time!

Browse the booklet to Self test (4)

Why not

◦ Try answering the questions?

◦ Contrast a sophisticated search on different

resources?

◦ Start to develop your own search strategy?

Questions?

Page 24: Advanced Database Searching Nov08

Slides

Available online at:

Slideshare