E knowledge presentation

e-KNOWLEDGE
SEARCH – EVALUATE – USE

GUIDE TO ADVANCED INFORMATION SEARCHING

Research Information Support Centre (RISC)
Bellville and Cape Town
CPUT Libraries
RISC (Research Information Support Centre)
Postgraduate information support at the
Bellville and Cape Town campuses

CPUT Libraries

 1.Introduction
 2.Pre-search, search strategies and construction
 3.CPUT Libraries resources
 4.Citation analysis
 5.e-Knowledge:other resources online
 6.Repositories, blogs and forums
 7.Theses and dissertations
 8.Experts and portals
 9.Social media, networking and Open Access
 10.Postgraduate and research support
 11.Reference managing

CPUT Libraries

 This presentation is structured around Library resources at CPUT, as
postgraduate students and researchers use these resources in searching
for relevant literature.

 While information acquisition may be considered a relatively small part
of the research process, it is important enough to warrant gaining more
than basic search skills.
 Finding and using information (literature) for research revolves around
three basic processes:
search – evaluate – use

 This means searching for and finding information, evaluating that
information, and then integrating it into your research.

CPUT Libraries

Most literature will come from:

 Books
 Journals
 Both accessed via library resources
 However, this has changed completely with resources now mainly being
accessed online, and with a multitude of new and existing resources
available in digital format

 e-Research (allied to e-Science) entails using advanced IT for
collaborative, data intensive activities and distributive communication
in a fast broadband framework

CPUT Libraries

 Information searching, especially in the sciences, technology
and medical fields, but also increasingly in the humanities, is
now mostly conducted online.

 The Library subscribes to databases which provide access to
a rich collection of journal articles and other materials.

 There are many resources available online, with more being
added all the time – one has to find them.

 This is where library information support can assist.
CPUT Libraries

 “Pre-search” is a term which is used to describe
information-gathering prior to serious searching. This could
mean using Google and Wikipedia to establish what is
available, by whom, and where. Basic subject orientation
and defining terms can also be seen as a “pre-search”
activity – unless of course you have sufficient subject
knowledge

 Identify the main concepts in your research question and
add related terms or synonyms. Think holistically, write
down all possible avenues of searching before you begin

CPUT Libraries

 Search using the conventional channels first – Library databases in general – and then
expand further
 Before you begin, think about what you are doing, and think about what you want
 Define your terms, make sure you understand them
 Decide where you will search
 Use more than one tool
 Carefully consider your “search string”, or search terms, or keywords
 Note than reversing terms, or adding words such as “research”, can change your results
quite substantially, as will adding terms such as “research”, “paper” or “review”
 Consider using targeted search tools – i.e. Google Germany (www.google.de) if there is a
research concentration in that country regarding your subject area
 Find subject experts – for instance names that continually recur as article authors – online
and investigate them and their institutions
 Identify specialist hubs, portals or gateways relevant to your subject area, and search
those
 Build up your search so that it “snowballs”, i.e. use one search term to lead to another, and
thus ever more information
 Become e-literate – recognize internet addresses (URL’s) and content quickly, identify
location and the (academic) validity of the material
CPUT Libraries

 Use Boolean logic to search for combinations of search terms using the
following Boolean operators: and – or – not

 AND: “tuberculosis” AND “HIV/AIDS” (both keywords are present in
search results – limited number of results)

 OR: “tuberculosis” OR “respiratory diseases” (either of the keywords, or
both, are present in the search results – greater number of results)


 NOT: “tuberculosis” NOT “HIV/AIDS” (first keyword is present in search
results but not the second – very limited number of results)

CPUT Libraries

 Apart from the text, and the
references/bibliography, articles can provide
further information

 This can include the “home” of the author/s, a
centre or unit, which can be investigated for more
material as this location often provides a rich
source of additional information.

CPUT Libraries

 The Journal Impact Factor is taken from Journal Citation Reports (JCR), a
product of Thomson Reuters. It is a measure of the frequency with which
the "average article" in a journal has been cited in a given period of time.
The impact factor for a journal is calculated based on a three-year period,
and can be considered to be the average number of times published
papers are cited up to two years after publication. For example, the
impact factor 2009 for a journal would be calculated as follows:
 A = the number of times articles published in 2008-9 were cited in indexed
journals during 2010
 B = the number of articles, reviews, proceedings or notes published in
2008-9
 Impact factors are contentious, and the JCR evaluation is not universally
accepted. Other measures such as Eigenfactor and the H-index are also in
use

CPUT Libraries

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