Jönköping University. Information management for thesis writing Welcome! How many of you will write your thesis and have no reference list? The aim with.

Jönköping University

Information management for thesis writing

Welcome! How many of you will write your thesis and have no

reference list? The aim with this lecture is to give you the tools for

effective information management! ILO – Assess and critically evaluate (and use)

scientific publications Evaluation criteria: “Frame of reference” - Theory /

Reference list in your thesis

Information management for thesis writing

Welcome!

Daniel Gunnarsson Subject Librarian Coffee break halfway through!

Information management for thesis writing

Agenda! Academic writing Preparations Search method Databases Critical evaluation After the search Search examples - “tips from the coach”

Information management for thesis writing

Academic writing:

You shall all act as academics• Independently work, your responsibility!• Based on peer-reviewed theories• Use scientific methods• Draw your own conclusions• Bibliographic references (Harvard style)• The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide – JU• Important for your career, your academic manifesto!

Information management for thesis writing Preparations:

Better prepared = more effective! • In need of definitions / problem statement• What kind of material is needed

- topicality, data, legislation, publication type• Start with “International Encyclopedia of Business

and management” (shelf Qb(x) REF INTE) or specific Handbooks within your topic (SAGE)

• “Critical Writings in…”• Read this guide about search strategy

Information management for thesis writing

Search method:

An excellent search method gives you fewer results

with better quality (gives you more time for writing)• Search field (subject – fulltext)• Author, publication year, publication type• “Phrase search”• Combination search (and, or, not)• More about search techniques

Information management for thesis writing

Search method:

Important to use proper terms in your search – “bad

input even worse output “• Identify suitable and accepted search words

(encyclopedias, handbooks)• Spelling (dictionaries)• Synonyms and related terms• Create a thesaurus (mindmap)• More about choosing search words

Information management for thesis writing

Database selection:

A variety of resources demands the right selection!• Choose the right database or catalogue• Different types of databases

- Reference (bibliographic)

- Fulltext (aggregator or publisher)

- Facts (legislation, statistics/data, company reports)

- Citation database (Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science)

• Off-Campus access (your computer login - Novell)• More about search tools

Information management for thesis writing

Critical evaluation:

The essence of a researchers work and competence• How many hits (spelling, index)• Modify search (limit or explore)• New suggestions/ideas during the search process• Frequently appearing works in reference lists or

highly cited

Information management for thesis writing Critical evaluation:• Frequently appearing authors in reference lists or highly

cited• Types of resources: primary or secondary, peer-

reviewed - “What is a scholarly journal article?”• Types of publishers: EE, Springer, Oxford, Routledge• Change database or catalogue (iterative process)• See movie Scientific publishing

Information management for thesis writing

After the search:

“It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings”• Updating the reference list (continuously)• Deficiencies or limitations (part of the thesis)• Redo the searches (especially for longer works)• Set up alerts (search string, author, article)• Save information about search word, databases and

experiences for future usage

Information management for thesis writing Help:

“No man is an island” – we are here to help you!• Subject guides (my profile page)• Ask the library• BusinessLib (Facebook)• BusinessLib (Twitter)• BusinessLib (LinkedIn)

Information management for thesis writing

Search example:

Google Scholar- Start from library website or subject guide = Off-Campus access

- Advanced scholar search (author, date, publication)

- “Human resource management“

- Get it

- Cited by

Information management for thesis writing

Search example:

Scopus- Start from library website or subject guide = Off-Campus access

- “Family business” (box social sciences)

- Refine results (source, author year, document type)

- Sort by (relevance, author, date, source, cited by)

- Identify important journals and often used keywords

- Select all click references

- Get it

Information management for thesis writing Assignment:

“Learning by doing” – improving your productivity

by regularly repeating the same type of action

(Kenneth Arrow, endogenous growth theory)• Give an oral presentation of the assignment (C2032)• Send in your notes in advance (e-mail)• One page (A4) with all your names on it• Where to find the assignment• Register for seminars after the lecture

Information management for thesis writing

Information management for thesis writing

The Grand Finale: The aim with this lecture was to give you the tools for

effective information management. Have you paid attention, I´m sure that you will save

time and write a better thesis!