Title: Case study:Effectively utilizingebooks and databasesfor conducting photovoltaic research
1Case study Effectively utilizing e-books and
databases for conducting photovoltaic research
Fude Liu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor The
University of Hong Kong http//www.mechengg.hku.hk
/solar
2The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009
Optical fiber revolutionizes the way we
communicate
3Internet protocol (IP) traffic New York
33
4Three years agoa newcomer in solar cells
Electricity
5It is great that there is plenty juice out
there! However, is this overwhelming?
6Stage I Get started with a world map
- Books borrowed from the library. Not so many hard
copies on solar cells. Also, no recall please - Buy books if you want to spend a fortune
- E-books. It is better either to (a) consult
experts in your field or (b) read Amazon book
USER reviews - General introduction to photovoltaics downloaded
from ScienceDirect, Web of Science, or other free
online sources
7Stage II Narrow it down with a local map
- Review papers downloaded from ScienceDirect or
Web of Science - Technical Journal papers downloaded from
ScienceDirect or Web of Science - Seminar talks and workshops
8Stage III Get your papers published
Easy references now (with Endnote)
Silicon thin film
Solar cells
9Stage IV Get more out of it
- Research proposals
- Supervising postgraduate students
- Setting up collaboration with others
- .... ?
10Summary
Technology advances allow us to have almost
instant access to massive information around the
world. This helps us to conduct scientific
research a lot more efficiently, but also means
we can be overwhelmed by the amount of
information. This case study focuses on how to
effectively utilize e-books and databases for
conducting photovoltaic research. Still, we think
e-books and other e-sources play an increasingly
important role in other areas as well.