1	Gathering Information Step-by-Step Eng95 Spring 2005 UCLA Science & Engineering Library Sharon Shafer, Librarian sshafer@library.ucla.edu Anita Colby, Librarian acolby@library.ucla.edu
2	One - Stop Shopping This presentation will use two websites www.library.ucla.edu/sel/ www2.library.ucla.edu
3	You Lucky Dog Speech
4	Overview Demonstration of the actual research process Plagiarism & How to Avoid It
5	Example Topic: Three Gorges Dam
6	Acquaint Yourself with the Topic Brainstorm with the members of your group to identify all aspects of the topic. Do some broad & dirty searches of a range of databases or the Internet to see what aspects of the topic people are writing about and you’ll be able to find information about. Make a list of possible keywords, synonyms, standard terminology, jargon for the discipline, and subject headings. Library of Congress Subject Headings list & database thesauri may be useful in developing lists of search terms. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia to get started -- an overview article will identify key writers and events.
7	Identify Aspects of Three Gorges Dam ” 1. Do Broad and Dirty Searches a) Search: google Lexis Nexis Expanded Academic Index Encyclopedia Britannica b) Identify Aspects of Topic c) Brainstorm with Group Members
8	Quick & Easy Start Full text databases No equations – lower level technical info Full text articles Lexis Nexis ---------------------------à Newspaper Articles ABI --------------------------------------à Business magazines Applied Science & Technology---à Tech. magazines (Magazines) Expanded Academic----------------à General multitopic Full text Books ENGnetBaSE ----------------------- à CRC Handbooks Online Encyclopedias -------------à Encyclopaedia Britannica
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10	Make a list of possible keywords, synonyms, standard terminology, jargon for the discipline, and subject headings. Three Gorges Dam Gravity Dam Yangtze River –China Dams – China Hydroelectric Power Plants Flood control, human rights --relocation, environmental impact Loss of farmland – food in China Archeology Three gorges-geology-tourism Reservoir sedimentation – reservoir induced earthquakes Safety in operation Construction cost Ministry of Water Resources & Electric Power (MWREP) Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power Research (IWHR) Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI) Forced Relocation – Human Rights
11	Identify Aspects of Topic 2. Delegate Topics to Group Members e.g. My Subtopic Three Gorges Dam – Safety Aspects Flood control Reservoir induced earthquakes Reservoir sedimentation Safety in Operation
12	Searching Your Topic Three Gorges Dam - Safety ‚3. Search Your Topic a) Search Your Topic in Topic Specific Databases b) Gather Vocabulary, Timeline, People & Organizations c) Evaluate the SOURCE of the Info d) Keep Track of Sites & Citations for Your Bibliography
13	Which Database for MY TOPIC ??? Article Databases by Subject field http://www2.library.ucla.edu/search/624.cfm
14	Formulate a Search Strategy What is the most likely source of the information you need? Books? It may take years for an idea or event to appear in a book Journal articles? More current, still reliable Conference papers? Even more current, but may be less stable Newspaper articles? Even more current, but far less in depth The Internet? The most current, but may be the least reliable
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17	Be Creative Documentaries, maps, photographs, charts e.g. in WorldCat, you can limit by material type Talk / email / phone experts Prof. Dracup on UCLA campus http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~dracup/ He was interviewed for a History Channel documentary on the Three Gorges Dam Hydroelectric Power Expert –
18	Getting Techie ….how techie? Look at the point of view of the databases. Consider the kind of literature they are abstracting & indexing Georef------------------academic, geologists Ei Compendex --------academic, engineering Lexis Nexis ------------Newspapers
19	Useful Tips for Searching Try a simple keyword search in a database. Use wildcards!!!!!! keywords: electric? Deregulat? power Note the subject headings under which the broad and specific topics are indexed. Look for general or review articles Look carefully at the bibliographies of the articles & books you have found --They have already done the research for you. Are there any items in the bibliography that look particularly relevant to your topic? Is an author or title repeated frequently in various sources? Identify the expert. Use “web of science” database to look at citations. Have you read the most important works of the key figures in the field? Revise your search strategy to address the more specific topic as precisely as possible. Repeat the same steps in other databases that seem relevant.
20	Conduct the Full Search Use all relevant databases. Use all relevant types of materials -- books, journal articles, technical reports, internet. Keep a record of the sources used for your bibliography, as well as detailed information for your bibliography, footnotes, quotes, etc. (software pkgs. e.g. Pro-Cite or EndNote) Use the “Bookbag” feature in the opac
21	Use the bibliographies! They’ve done the research for you, but …… How do you find these references? BIBLIOGRAPHY Barber, Margaret, and Grainne Ryder, eds. 1993. Damming the Three Gorges: What Dam Builders Don't Want You to Know. Second edition. London and Toronto: Earthscan Publications. Zhu Rulan, et al. 1997. The Three Gorges Project: Key to the Development of the Yangtze River. Civil Engineering Practice, Spring/Summer: 39-72.
22	Plagiarism To PLAGIARIZE is to "steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own without crediting the source; present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source." (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1973, 870.).
23	Plagiarism – How to Avoid it Bruin Success with Less Stress http://www.library.ucla.edu/bruinsuccess Plagiarism via Ignorance Seek help at College Tutorials, 228 Covel Commons (206-1491). “Get one-on-one help with writing skills, grammar, topic development -- anything involved in writing a paper”
24	How to Cite Landmarks Citation Machine http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php Turabian, Kate L. A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations. 6th ed. / rev. by John Grossman and Alice Bennett. Chicago, Ill. : University of Chicago Press, 1996. Many copies available at College Library Reserves LB2369 .T84m 1996 Turabian Samples for a Bibliography http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/turabian.html
25	Questions? e.g. Q. Can I search these databases from home? A. Yes. You need VPN or Proxy Setup http://www.bol.ucla.edu/services/proxy/