Using the Internet for academic purposes Your Logo Birkbeck Library

Once you are fully enrolled you will have access to… Over 30,000 electronic journals Thousands of electronic books Over 50 databases to help you research a topic, plus statistical data and newspapers Past exam papers and more Until then… Birkbeck eLibrary

In this session we will cover: 1. Making the best use of Google: Search tips Google Books Google Scholar 2. Evaluating web sites: How to tell the good from the bad and the ugly make the most of what the Internet has to offer...make the most of what the Internet has to offer

Making the best use of Google

 Use only the important words rather than a full sentence or question  No need to insert AND - Google automatically inserts it.  Search for exact phrases using quotation marks. e.g. “global warming”  Use OR if you want either word or phrase to be found e.g. “global warming” OR “climate change” Tips for great Google searches

 Exclude a word by using a dash e.g. Java –Indonesia  Calculations e.g. type in 45 x 0.88 Google will do the calculation for you  Definitions e.g. define "global warming“ Will search for web sites that give you a definition More tips

Too many results? Need to do a complex search? Use the ‘Advanced Search’ screen (link at the bottom of the page of results). Google Advanced Search

 Allows you to easily use ‘OR’ and to exclude terms.  Limit results to a specific language.  Find results created as particular files, e.g. PDF, Excel, PowerPoint files.  Search within a certain domain, e.g. just government sites (.gov) or just academic sites (.ac.uk or.edu). Google’s advanced search form

 Find sites that have been updated within a certain time period, e.g. past day, week.  Limit your results to a specific geographic region. Google’s advanced search form

Search the text of thousands of books See the full text of parts of many books If the book is out of the copyright you can see the entire book Google Books

Finding the Google Books search page

Covers content from scholarly research, academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories and universities May give you access to the full text if it is freely available (Be careful – they may not be the final published versions) Google Scholar

Finding the Google Scholar search page

Evaluating web sites

 No one "owns" the Internet.  No editorial control or third party reviews.  You must evaluate the information yourself.  Ask yourself  Who is publishing the information?  Why are they publishing this information?  When was it produced? Evaluating web sites

 Check accuracy of spelling, grammar, etc.  Look for bibliographies and references.  Look for the name, credentials and contact details of the author.  Check the URL for the domain name. Is it a reliable source, such as a university, research centre, hospital, academic publisher, etc? Evaluating web sites

 Is the information covered fact or opinion?  Can facts be verified? Compare with several other web sites, print information or the Library’s subscription e-resources.  Look for bias – political, religious, etc Evaluating web sites

World Trade Organization 1 World Trade Organization 2 Martin Luther King Jr. A true historical examinationMartin Luther King Jr. A true historical examination Dihydrogen Monoxide Spoof or real web site? Are these web sites what they claim to be?

The Library has put together subject guides for most subjects taught here They include sections on useful web sites A good place to start Subject Guides Find some reliable web sites

Virtual Training Suite Internet Detective Brush up your Internet skills A couple of useful online tutorials

Any questions?