1. Library HITS Library HITS: Helpful Information for Trinity Students/Staff Library eResources for SUBJECT Michaelmas Term 2013 Trinity College Library Dublin, College Street, Dublin 2

2. Library eResources for… An eResource is a term which can be used to describe, for example: –A database –An electronic journal –An online newspaper –The Library catalogue Trinity College Library Dublin

4. How do you access the Library's eResources for your subject? Trinity College Library Dublin

5. How do you access the Library's eResources for your subject? Trinity College Library Dublin

6. Which are the best eResource to use? Trinity College Library Dublin

7. For this presentation we are going to concentrate on databases… Trinity College Library Dublin

8. What is a Database? A database is an organised collection of data Databases allow you to search across a specific sub-set of data

9. What can you find in a database? Trinity College Dublin Library subscribes to hundreds of databases, and there are further databases that are available free on the web Some databases cover only books Some cover only journal articles or newspaper articles Some cover only theses Some databases cover a range of publication types Trinity College Library Dublin

10. Why use databases rather than a search engine? By searching only subscription databases and limiting your search to scholarly or peer- reviewed sources, you can virtually guarantee that all materials retrieved will be appropriate for a research paper Trinity College Library Dublin

11. Search Strategies for Databases Create a search statement using keywords Use databases appropriate to your topic. Use keywords and controlled language Use Boolean searching (AND, OR & NOT) Change approaches as necessary – gathering information is not a linear process Continue to identify applicable keywords and controlled vocabulary to go back and check in the selected database(s) and other resources Trinity College Library Dublin

12. Utilising Database Features To search effectively it is important to become familiar with the database. Knowing shortcuts and quirks of the database, will save time Some important characteristics to identify are which element truncates words, how to search for a phrase, and how the Boolean operators are used, and what limits can be applied Refer to the database guides for help Trinity College Library Dublin

13. Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT Using the operator AND will retrieve articles that mention both terms somewhere in the article Using the operator OR between the two terms will retrieve articles that mention either term –The use of AND generally will retrieve a smaller set of results –The use of OR generally will retrieve a larger set of results If you wanted to exclude terms, you would use the Boolean operator NOT Effective use of Boolean operators is essential to sophisticated research Trinity College Library Dublin

14. Truncation Truncate search terms to retrieve all variants of a term Truncation symbols vary between e-resources. Examples include: *, ?, !, % and $ –For example: If you search on the term plagiar* in ProQuest, you will retrieve articles that contain any words that begin with the letters plagiar, including: plagiarism, plagiarize, plagiarizing, plagiarized, plagiarizer, plagiarizers, plagiarist, etc. Using the truncation symbol will allow you to broaden your search to include materials on any variant of a term Trinity College Library Dublin

15. Limiting Most databases have limiting features that will let you focus the results of your search –You may be able to limit your searches to retrieve only scholarly or peer-reviewed articles –You can also limit to particular date ranges or particular journals Limiting your searches will allow you to narrow your search, resulting in a smaller list of more relevant materials Trinity College Library Dublin

16. Types of Searches Most databases have an Easy and an Advanced search function –Easy or Basic Search Often these only have one search box and operate in a similar way to Google –Advanced Search Gives more control to the user Allows for a more refined search Often allows multiple search terms in multiple fields Trinity College Library Dublin

17. Accessing eResources from home To access eResources from home: –Go to the Library homepage –Click on one of the links under ‘Search Collections’ –On the information page for the database there will be a link to access it –You will then be prompted to login with your TCD username and password –Once logged in you will be able to access the relevant eResource Trinity College Library Dublin