Finding and Evaluating sources for your Research

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Finding and Evaluating sources for your Research
Ms Sue Dodd Information Skills Training and
Development Manager Tel Ext 1374
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What is different about a project?

• Most coursework can be done using textbooks
• When working on your project
• you will need to consult other kinds of
  material

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What you may consult

• Journal articles
• Electronic Databases
• Newspaper articles
• Internet sites
• Official publications
• Conference proceedings

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Google

• Google advanced http//www.google.com/
• Google scholar - http//scholar.google.com
• Google books - http//books.google.com/
• Google news for up-to-date topics
• Use these rather than Google as you will retrieve
  better quality information.

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How to get more out of Google

• Check out Google help pages
• http//www.google.com/support/?hlen
• Also check out this online tutorial
• http//www.googleguide.com/

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Google Help
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The good, the bad and the ugly

• The quality of information on the Internet is
  extremely variable.
• The good academic publishing on the Internet
• The bad time wasting on Internet searches
• The ugly Internet hoaxes, scams and deliberately
  misleading information

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Evaluation

• On the WWW ask WWW Who? What? Where?
• Who? - question the source of information
• What? - question the content of information
• Where? - question the location of the information

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Global top level domains

• com
• - commercial
• - www.bt.com
• net
• Network
• www.demon.net
• int
• Organisation established by treaty
• Nato - www.nato.int

• ac uk higher ed.
• institution
• edu American educational institution
• gov
• Government website
• -http//www.sis.gov.eg/
• org
• -non-governmental, non- profit making

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Help with Evaluating Internet Sources

• Check out the following online tutorial
• http//www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/

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A Word to the Wiki

• Is Wikipedia a good source of information for
  academic work?

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Good Internet Sources

• Check the Useful links Library page, under
  E-Resources
• http//lib.bue.edu.eg/buecms/index.php/Useful_Link
  s
• Links to Academic Subject gateways
• Intute - http//www.intute.ac.uk/
• BUBL - http//bubl.ac.uk/index.html
• Directory of Open Access Journals -
  http//www.doaj.org/
• Economic Factfiles
• CIA World Factbook -
• https//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world
  -factbook/index.html
• The Economist - http//www.economist.com/countrie
  s/

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• Meta search engines
• http//www.metacrawler.com/ www.kartoo.com
• Search Engines
• http//www.yahoo.com/ www.altavista.com
• www.alltheweb.com www.ask.com
• www.google.com
• Directories
• http//dir.yahoo.com
• www.dmoz.org
• Gateways
• www.vlib.org
• Other useful websites
• CIA website a very good source for country and
  statistical information
• www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook
• List of newspapers from around the world
• www.thepaperboy.com
• Engines which index images only
• www.picsearch.com www.freeimages.com

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BUE Homepage
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Electronic databases
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How do I choose a database?
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Basic Database Searching

• All databases have slightly different interfaces
  (opening pages) but they all follow the same
  basic principles of searching.
• ALWAYS look for the Help function in the
  database you want to use. It will give you advice
  relevant to searching in that particular database.

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Where can I get help?

• The BUE Library website E-resources and
  Information Literacy page
• http//lib.bue.edu.eg/buecms/index.php/Main_Page
  
• The Information Skills manager, Sue Dodd, Tel
  ext 1374
• Email sue.dodd_at_bue.edu.eg
• The Library, Lower Floor, Building E.