5. Books
What are they:
A written or printed work of fiction or fact.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Background information and inspiration.
Not so good for:
Up to date information.
6. Web page
What are they:
An information resource which can be easily created by
anyone on any topic.
Electronic.
Good for:
Very up to date information.
Not so good for:
Accurate and reliable information.
7. Newspaper
What are they:
A regular publication containing current events,
informative and diverse articles and advertising.
May be electronic.
Good for:
Daily information.
Not so good for:
Balanced and well researched information.
8. Academic Journal
What are they:
A regular publication containing articles on a particular
academic subject. Presents new research.
Maybe electronic.
Good for:
Latest research, critically reviewed
by experts.
Not so good for:
Broad overview of a subject.
9. Trade Journal or Magazine
What are they:
A regular publication containing news, jobs, products,
events and advertising.
Aimed at a profession, business sector or interest.
Good for:
Focussed up-to-date information.
Not so good for:
Detailed and objective reports.
10. Objects
What are they:
A material thing that can be seen and handled.
Good for:
Inspiration, ideas and sensory experience.
Not so good for:
Detailed information, context
and facts.
18. Not everything is online!
http://www.slideshare.net/EISLibrarian/library-catalogue-how-to-request-a-book-general
19. Google vs Summon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuiislife/3450743002/
Google
• Familiar and easy to use
• Finds too much information
• Fast results
• Access from any computer
• Access to some books and journals
• Designed to sell you things
• Search results sponsored
• Searches for info from any source
• Pay for academic information
Summon
• Easy to use
• Finds lots of academic info
• Fast results
• Access from any computer
• Access to lots of books and journals
• Designed to find you information
• Search results by relevance
• Searches quality resources
• Free access to full text
20. Get online help using resources
MyUniHub > MyStudy > MyLibrary > MySubject> Science & Technology
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/pdde
21. Referencing and Plagiarism
My Library > Library Subject Guides > Science & Technology >
Prod. Des. & Des. Eng. > Information Skills > Referencing and Citation
23. Evaluating information
Imagine you are writing an essay on Robots
Have a look at the 4 items that you have been given and
consider the following:
• Which item is the most relevant to your essay?
• Which item would be no use?
• Which item has the most academic authority?
• Are any of the items biased?
• Which item is the most current?
The range of resources we provide
The value of resources in an academic context
How to select the appropriate resources
Develop an effective search strategy eg. Identify keywords, refining your search
How to find and access books, journals and information for your projects using the Library Catalogue, and other resources, as well as finding books in the library and from other sources.
Evaluating the information for quality and relevance
Your finished product (or essay, project etc) is just the tip of the iceberg.
Below it is should be loads of research ie. looking at theory and facts, being inspired, getting ideas, stimulating your imagination etc.
Hand out exercise Thinking about resources (PDE version).
Groups
10 mins
Many books in the collection at Hendon……reading list books, plus lots of inspirational books with images etc.
Good for:
Background information and inspiration .......huge range of books in basement to inspire you, as well as reading list material
Broad/general overview of subject
Edited for quality and accuracy
Many books now available as e-books
Not so good for:
May not be specific enough
Can be out of date
Could be the only source of information on very latest practitioners, trends, materials etc
Good for:
Easy to use/search
All subjects covered
Can be very up-to-date
Mobile
Not so good for:
No editorial control
Unreliable sources
Can be created by anyone
Material can lack provenance
Can be out-of-date
Not everyone has access
Useful for exhibition reviews.
Good for:
Up-to-date
Edited
Readily available (latest copies especially)
Not so good for:
Can be bias
Can be unbalanced
Can be sensationalist
Hard to get hold of/access (back issues)
Also useful for exhibition reviews, latest news, materials, projects, practitioners etc
Good for:
Up-to-date
Specialist/focussed
Present latest research
Edited for accuracy/quality (peer reviewed)
Lots of references
Not so good for:
Can be hard to locate/access
Expensive
May be too specific
May be at wrong level
Excellent source for latest products, materials etc
Good for:
Latest information
Current events
Concise info
Product news
Often available online with RSS/Twitter etc
Not so good for:
Detail
Objective information ie. can be bias, adverts, preferential products etc
Often hard to find old issues
Back issues/archive
Good for:
Inspiration and ideas
Can handle/touch
Not so good for:
May lack context......don’t know where it comes from
May not have any information eg. what it is, who made it, date etc
Worth Global Style Network Homebuildlife: is an online trend forecasting and product design tool for the industrial design, home and interiors markets across 16 product categories including furniture, lighting, textiles, interiors and garden design…….trends, forecasting, business strategy, trade news and shows.
Trend Hunter is the world's largest, most popular collection of cutting edge ideas, fueled by 132,000 insatiably curious people. Our trends, trend reports and innovation keynotes help creative people Find Better Ideas, Faster
Standards: An agreed, often legally binding level of quality or way of doing something, created by experts, published in print or electronically.
Regional: International, European, national, profession, industry etc eg. food industry has ‘Red tractor standard’
Guidance: can provide framework or acceptable level
Confidence: ensure that product/service meets acceptable requirements/standards
More information about the range of resources available on the Library Subject Guide plus lots of useful online guides eg. how to search for information for your project.
Whole group: What can you see in the picture? ie. fruit
If you type ‘fruit’ into database will get millions of hits, how can you break it down ie. search for something more specific to get more manageable results
Can you be more specific ie.
Type of fruit: apples, oranges, bananas etc
Location: Stall, market, outdoor market, fruit market, Britain
Detail: boxes, signs, astroturf, prices, colour of fruit, lights, pound £ signs, special offer etc
People in background: old, young, male, female > stall holder, customers, browsers etc
Think of related subjects eg.
retail, commercial, financial, point-of-sale
Shopping, shops, fish/meat/clothes market, shopping centres, high street
Town, city, centre, British town
Nutrition: vits and mins
Also which fruits have a double meaning (technical/computer sense)?:
Orange, Apple, Blackberry, Raspberry.
Use refining tools on databases or search tips to exclude what you don’t want.
Thinking beyond the obvious, looking for the detail that might make a difference.
Hand out worksheet. 5 mins. Feedback.
Write a survey essay of about 6-8 pages/4000-6000 words, double column.
Use IEEE reference style and format.
The review needs to be related to robotics:
Land Mobility/Unmanned vehicles
Underwater robots
Flying robots (UAVs/Unmanned aerial vehicles)
Medical/Surgical robots
Biomimetic systems [inspired by biological physiology to overcome challenging problems]
Social robotics
Domestic robots (vacuum cleaners…)
Military/autonomous or remote controlled/artificial soldier/drone
Planetary exploration
The focus would be an overall survey and then a detailed research on any one of the above specialized topic (most of the students have chosen their topic of specialization, but this can change).
Need to carry out a literature review:
Finding the information available on a subject
Finding information to inform, underpin and shape your research
Finding what has already been written on a subject
Analyzing, evaluating and making judgements about the info found
Identifying the main trends
Finding appropriate information: the information needs to be suitable for your need ie. right level, current if important, sufficient breadth or detail etc
Explain to students what Summon is.
Go to UniHub > Login in to MyUniHub > My Study > My Library > Summon
Ask students to search for information for their project.
Remember to use some of the keywords that we have discussed.
Show the students how to refine their search using:
FT
Content type
Subject terms
Publication date
Language etc
Have another go.
Google
Familiar and easy to use
Finds too much information
Fast results
Access from any computer
Access to some books and journals
Designed to sell you things eg. shoes
Search results sponsored…no accident that Wikipedia, Amazon etc at top of search results
Searches for info from any source
Pay for academic information
Summon
Easy to use
Finds lots of academic info
Fast results
Access from any computer
Access to lots of books and journals
Designed to find you information: up-to-date, focussed/specific
Search results by relevance
Searches quality resources eg. Peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings , research etc
Free access to full text ie. Information not freely available elsewhere
Lots of useful online guides eg.
How to find books
How to find information for your project
Accessing journal databases
etc
Referencing and Plagiarism libguide includes information on how to reference material correctly.
Also information about Plato, LDU support and links to helpsheets.
Don’t forget: Computing LibGuide bring together all the resources for your subject area.
Introduce the importance of evaluating information for quality
What do you think about this quote by Abraham Lincoln?
We’ve looked at the fun resources, now we’re going to look at more traditional resources……
Divide class into group and hand out worksheet and 4x items.
Discuss. No right or wrong answers. All items found by doing a search on Robots.
Which item is most relevant:
Journal Article: specialist journal of robots and robotics
Book: broad overview of robots and robotology
Which item would be no use:
Newspaper Article from the Sun
Website (fake)
Which item has the most academic authority:
Journal Article: peer-reviewed, citations and ref list, biography of authors, etc
Book: author has some academic authority (back cover blurb)
Are any of the items bias:
Newspaper article could be depending on the subject
Websites can also show bias if created for specific purpose
Also be aware of trade journals that have adverts
Which item is the most current:
Journal article: Dec 2009
Book: 1984
Newspaper article: Nov 2004
Website: Oct 2011
Would need to continue search.
Authority : Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? How have they carried out their research?
Relevance : Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?
Intent : What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic etc?
Objectivity : Balanced view? Opposing views represented? Links to supporting information?
Currency: How old is this information? When was it last updated and by whom?
