How to find and evaluate resources for your assignments

Types of resources Books – physical (paper) and electronic Journals (magazines) – physical (paper) and electronic Newspapers – physical (paper) and electronic Websites – valid and reliable TV programmes – YouTube/ClickView

Thinking about and evaluating different types of resources

Books & eBooks… …are good for Giving a clear overview of a subject …not so good for Up to date information

How do I know when a book or eBook is a good resource? - Evaluate Authors or editors name – biography, credentials and/or qualifications Publisher – specialist, academic, professional organisational Audience – who is it intended for? (this information is usually somewhere on or in the book) Date of publication – current? References to other writings

What is a journal? A journal is a regular publication containing articles on a particular subject Also known as magazines or periodicals Published weekly, monthly, quarterly etc…

Types of Journals Magazines – Vogue, Elle, Radio Times Trade or Professional journal – Nursing Times, Therapy Today, Sound on Sound Academic journal – British Journal of Psychology, Research in Post-Compulsory Education

Journals… …are good for Latest research, critically reviewed by others … not so good for Broad overview of a subject

How do I know if a journal is a good resource? - Evaluate Authors or editors name – biography, credentials and/or qualifications Publisher – specialist, academic, professional organisational Length of the article How frequently is the periodical published? How many if any, and what kinds of advertisements are present? For example, is the advertising clearly geared towards readers in a specific discipline or occupation? Is it peer reviewed? – Reviewed by others of equal standing as the author?

Webpages… …are good for Very up to date information …not so good for Accurate and reliable information

How do I know when a webpage is valid and reliable? - Evaluate What is the internet address (URL) of the page? Who is the author of the page? Is contact information for the author/publisher provided? How recently was the page updated? Anyone can create a web page about any topic. YOU must verify the validity of the information Internet Detective -

Newspapers… …are good for Daily information …not so good for Balanced and well researched information

YouTube Videos …are good for Finding out how to do things and watching it on any device 24/7 …not so good for Scholarly or peer reviewed research. Hard to determine whether it’s valid or reliable.

ClickView Videos …are good for Watching TV programmes and documentaries around your subject area, especially if your tutor has asked you to. …not so good for Scholarly or peer reviewed research. Hard to determine whether it’s valid and reliable.

Sources of the resources… Books & e-books – via the library catalogue & Journals & Newspapers – via Websites – via google or references, make sure they are always valid and reliable

is a one stop shop for finding quality information that will impress your tutors! Through you will find the following- Printed Books available in the library Electronic books to read online or download Journal articles Online journals Pictures General information and much more

Where do I find these resources? Library website library catalogue for printed books Search box on the hub front page & your course page – for all online and printed resources Videos streamed from various channels available via the hub

How to search effectively Before you begin searching… Think of keywords/subject terms/synonyms that are relevant to your project. Break down your assignment title Create a list or mind map of these keywords Think about how to refine your search using the refining tools in

Define your search & create a search strategy Use Keywords - create a mind map Cereal Rice Crispies Cornflakes Cheerios Shredded Wheat Sugar puffs Cocopops

DO NOT – type your assignment title into a database (or Google) –Use keywords and combine with BOOLEAN operators AND, OR & NOT –DO – refine your search by using the various limits available within the database –Full text –Peer review –Content type –Discipline –Date (within 5 years) Quotation marks “ * ” - words will be searched as a phrase, in the exact order you type them Useful tips

Refining your search in Use the Advanced Search – this will enable you to combine search terms with Boolean Operators AND, OR & NOT e.g.

Use the refiners – left hand side of the results screen

Other useful tips to help you Set up an Ebscohost account on where you can save all your articles & e- books Sort your research into themes Evaluate, Analyse, Critique –Is the research valid? –Is the research reliable? –Is the research objective?

Need help? Come to the library Book an appointment with a librarian