This section of UPLift! is aimed at all students. It focuses on the core skills required to make effective use of the specialist databases provided by.

This section of UPLift! is aimed at all students. It focuses on the core skills required to make effective use of the specialist databases provided by the University of Portsmouth’s Library. These databases are essential for helping you to locate suitable academic information for your studies. This section, for example, will help you to locate and access reference resources, audio-visual information and scholarly journal articles using the Discovery Service.

Perhaps you know how to do some of these things already? Take the short quiz to find out.

Perhaps you need to develop a particular skill? Take the link to find out more.

If you would like some more help click on the Help! button, otherwisemove to the next page using the arrow icon.

Core Skills

UPLift! is designed to work with Microsoft Office 2007. If required, a viewer can be downloaded from here. To interact with UPLift! view as a Slide Show

Searching for information using

specialist databases

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=6

Click on Q&A to link to a short quiz to see if you can do the basics of this skill.

Click on the ? icon to find links to information, guides, video clips etc. to help you develop this skill.

Move between slides by following the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Tick the box when you have completed the quiz.

First of all, select Slide Show, then From the Beginning.



Core Skills

Skill Can I do this? Find out more

Identify which sources to use for your research

Suggest why the library Discovery Service is a good place to start your research

Explain why it is important to refine your search results when using the Discovery Service

Identify how to access additional databases from the Discovery Service

Locate and access databases from on and off-campus via standard or alternative login procedures

Locate and search reference resources such as Credo Reference



Core Skills

Skill Can I do this? Find out moreIdentify icons which will enable you to print, save or email useful information found

Identify specialist databases in your subject area, e.g. maps and statistics

Identify guidance and comply with copyright law when using databases

Esc to

exit



Core Skills


Where should we look for the latest news from the Prime Minister?

Where should we look for the latest news from the Prime Minister?

Prime Minister’s website

Twitter or Facebook

Newspapers

Television/radio news

Straight from the Official SiteStraight from the Official Site

Are you following the PM or commentators?Are you following the PM or commentators?

May take a day to be published –also consider the bias of the reporterMay take a day to be published –also consider the bias of the reporter

Likely to be up-to-date – consider the bias of the reporterLikely to be up-to-date – consider the bias of the reporter

Click on the suggestions



Core Skills


When you are asked to undertake an assignment it is likely that your research will require you to investigate several topics for the same piece of work. It is helpful to identify those different topics and then decide what sort of information sources are likely to help you find what you need. For instance, if your topic is very up-to-date, you will need to look at journal articles or authoritative websites. Books generally talk about well established ideas. The Information Landscape has more information about when and why you should use different types of information and gives some examples of where to start looking.

http://www.libr.port.ac.uk/libguides/LG184.pptx



Core Skills


Library of Congress CC. From Flickr

It searches a wide range of databases at once.

You can find books, journal articles, images and other academic information.

It searches a wide range of databases at once.

You can find books, journal articles, images and other academic information.

Press button to find out

Why is the Discovery Service a good place to start my research?Why is the Discovery Service a good place to start my research?

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,shib&profile=eds&custid=s4319836




Core Skills


The Discovery Service is a good place to start your research because it searches across many library databases at once. It is important to refine your results to get the most relevant search results (refer to the next question). The guide Library Discovery Service will help you to search effectively.

http://www.libr.port.ac.uk/libguides/LG613.pdf



Core Skills


Sarah has found more than a million search results relating to her keywords. What should she do to reduce this number and make her search more relevant to what she wants?



Core Skills

Looking at this screen shot from the Discovery Service, how can you help Sarah to reduce the number of search results and make them more relevant to what she wants?

Click here to find out what she could do

Refine your results

Full Text Online is a good option if you are working at home

Available in Library Collection is a good option to select if you are researching an essay

Catalogue Only is a useful option if you’re just starting out on your research

More

Slide the Publication Date ruler to more recent years, if appropriate

Source Types – refine using this if you know that you only want e.g. books or journal articles

Keep working down the column; there are even more refine options.



Core Skills


Chiot’s Run CC. From Flickr

As with any search engine, you need to take control of the search. Refining your results simply enables you to sift through to find what you are really looking for. Some people prefer to do this when they begin their search, others like to see what comes up and then refine the results. Page 2 of the Discovery Service guide will help you to do this well.

http://www.libr.port.ac.uk/libguides/LG613.pdf

Click here to reveal the answer



Core Skills


Visit the Discovery Service.Search for “computer animation”.Look to the right of the page to see this column:Additional Resources.

Hover your mouse over the icon next to the word Details – what do you discover?

Visit the Discovery Service.Search for “computer animation”.Look to the right of the page to see this column:Additional Resources.

Hover your mouse over the icon next to the word Details – what do you discover?

Even more results!Visit the Find out MorePage to find out why.

Even more results!Visit the Find out MorePage to find out why.





Core Skills


Some databases and other resources are shown on theright of the results screen, labeled Additional Resources.You will need to select Show more to view them. We are not currently able to integrate them into the mainDiscovery Service results, so instead they are searched simultaneously, with results kept separate on the right hand side. To view these search results, just click on thespecific Additional Resource, or tick it to include themwith the main Discovery Service results.



Core Skills


Click on the button which describes the standard password procedure for logging into databases from off campus

Click on the button which describes the standard password procedure for logging into databases from off campus

Shibboleth

AthensMoodle

No,Try again

Correct, Shibboleth



Core Skills


The Help & Support section of the Library website has lots of information about logging in to databases and other resources from on and off campus:Accessing Electronic Resources is a good starting point for guidance on how to access the majority of Library resources. Some databases require a special login and these can be found on a separate list of Off-Campus Passwords.You may find it useful to set up your home computer so that it behaves as if it were on-campus. You can do this by setting up University Web Proxy.

http://www.port.ac.uk/library/help/gettingstarted/login/

http://www.port.ac.uk/library/help/gettingstarted/passwords/

http://www.port.ac.uk/library/help/gettingstarted/webproxy/



Core Skills

Locate and search reference resources such as Credo

Use Credo to find out who said the following:

“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us

never fear to negotiate”

(click to reveal answer)

“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us

never fear to negotiate”

(click to reveal answer)

John F. Kennedy:Source: Bloomsbury Thesaurus, 1997

Image from: U.S. Embassy New Delhi, CC. Flickr

http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/port/items/885350



Core Skills

Locate and search reference resources such as Credo

Many databases have useful help pages or videos to show users the main features. Visit the Credo Help Pages. Search for help on Mind Map (you may need to login).

Access Credo Reference from the Library Catalogue or from the right hand side of the Discovery Service search results page.

HelpHelp

http://search.help.credoreference.com/search/basic-search.html



Core Skills

Can you identify icons which will enable you to print, save or email useful information found?

Can you identify icons which will enable you to print, save or email useful information found?

PrintSave Email? ? ?



Core Skills

Identify icons which will enable you to print, save or email useful information found

Most databases will offer you the option to print, save or email your search results:

Sometimes there are options to add your selected items to a folderor ‘mark’ your records, which usually means tick a box next to the item you wish to select. You will then need to go to the folder or ‘marked records list’ to select which items you want to save, print or email.



Core Skills


I need to find some specialist databases which will help me to

find information relating to my topic

Visit the Library homepage and try out some links which might help Alexis to get started

then choose yoursubject, thenFind Articles

Click here to reveal possible answers



Core Skills


On the Library homepage you will see a tab called My Subject. Here you will find resources recommended by your Faculty Librarian. They will include specialist databases for your subject area, e.g. government sources or statistics as well as databases for locating journal articles, websites and much more. My Subject is a good place to start your research.



Core Skills


Link (and log on) to the Business Source Complete database. At the very bottom of the search screen you will see a link to ‘Terms of Use’. Look at the information and answer the following question.

Link (and log on) to the Business Source Complete database. At the very bottom of the search screen you will see a link to ‘Terms of Use’. Look at the information and answer the following question.

My friend is studying at a different University, would it be okay if I gave her my password so that she could

use this database?Yes No

Click on the correct answer

Others, such as those provided by EBSCO put their ‘Terms of Use’ at the bottom of the page. This is where you will often find such information for individual websites



Core Skills


Some databases, e.g. Nexis UK, asks that you accept the ‘Terms of Use’ prior to entering and searching the resource

Copyright information about particular databases can be found under a heading such as ‘Terms of Use’ or ‘Terms and Conditions’. You should be aware of such guidelines.Copyright information about particular databases can be found under a heading such as ‘Terms of Use’ or ‘Terms and Conditions’. You should be aware of such guidelines.

This section of UPLift! is aimed at all students. It focuses on the core skills required to make effective use of the specialist databases provided by.

Documents

specialist databases

access databases

additional databases

databases esc

audiovisual information

sort of information

core skills uplift

email useful information