Chapter 5 Use the technological Tools for accessing Information 5.1 Overview of Databases are organized collections of information.

Transcription

1 Chapter 5 Use the technological Tools for accessing Information 5.1 Overview of Databases are organized collections of information. Ex: Online Catalogs. 1. Structure of a Database - Contains record and each record contains of fields. 2. Types of Databases There are 3 types of databases; - Bibliographic databases consist of records with descriptive information. - Reference databases are needed to identify the authors and subjects of articles contained in the periodical. Examples of searchable fields: TI (Title of the article) AU (Author of the article) JN (Journal title) - Full-text databases contain indexes, abstract and the entire text of the documents. 3. Database coverage - Each database is different. When selecting a database, consider the following elements: Subject area - Some database cover specific discipline but some are not. Publication type - Some database indexes only popular source. Language - Some database uses other languages.

2 Time period - Some may update daily/monthly/weekly. Which database is best suited to your topic? Click at databases and select to read them. Then choose the one that you match. 5.2 Search strategies - It s includes features which you can focus on your search. - The common features are: Help - Is available from the initial screen, provide general explanation. Controlled vocabulary and keywords - Reviews items and assigns subject heading. Boolean operators - To combine terms. 1. AND retrieves only record that contain every word. 2. OR retrieves all records that contain any of search term. 3. NOT eliminates material you don t want. Truncation - Wildcards to replace word. Example, Vege* (vegetable,vegetation,ect.) - Using internal truncation. Example, Gr*y (grey, gray) Nesting - Place term in parentheses to indicate separate units.

3 Example, media AND (politics OR election) 5.3 Overview of the web 1. Structure and attribute of the web no organizational structure. 2. Web search tools compose of 2: 2.1 Search engines Alta Vista and Google 2.2 Subject directories Yahoo and LookSmart 3. Search strategies concentrate on the strategic below: 3.1 Who would know? 3.2 Use your searching skill 3.3 Know your Web search tool 3.4 Remember what s not available on the internet 4. Types of website 4.1.edu = educational institution 4.2.gov = government site 4.3.org = organization 4.4.com = commercial entity 5. Interpreting results 5.1 Domain 5.2 Ranking 5.3 Date 5.4 Annotations 5.4 Searching Basic - First step is to identify as many keywords as possible that describe your topic.

4 Chapter 6 Evaluate Information Evaluate Information will learn about tips and the techniques to help you deter mine the reliability of your sources. Consider 6 criteria listed below when evaluating sources 1. Relevant / Appropriate < usefulness Check to see whether the article is relevant / appropriate for the assignment. We may consider the following questions: - Is the article relevant to the assignment? - Is the article appropriate for the assignment? / How useful is the information? - Is the information directed toward a general or a specialized reader? - Is the information clearly written and well-organized? 2. Timey < updatedness Check to see whether the article is current or out-of-date for the assignment. We may consider the following questions: - When was the article published and posted on the web? - Is the information current for the assignment? / Has it been updated? - How important is this to you and your assignment? 3. Authority / credibility Identify the credentials of the author and the article to establish the authority and credibility of the information. We may consider the following questions: - Is the author of the article clearly identified? - Is there information on the author of the article? - Look for his education, occupation / position or experience from the article?.

5 - Is there an link to contact the author? The more information you have about the author and can verify that the information is true, the easier it will be to determine the article s reliability. 4. Coverage /complete A good way to get an overview of the coverage of an information source is by browsing the material. Check the table of contents, index, or abstract / summary. Ask yourself the following questions: - How comprehensive and specific is the information? - Does the article cover different content? - Is the information complete or abridge? 5. Accuracy / bias > Determine whether the information is fact, opinion or propaganda. > Check for bias by looking at the author / publishing source or sponsoring agency. > Look at the language of the source to see if it is objective and impartial, or emotive charged. Ask yourself the following questions: - What is the purpose of this article? - How is the information presented? - Are there references to support facts in the article? - Are there any obvious errors or omissions in the article? - Is the information biased?

6 When you are looking at information on a website, it is important that you look for bias. The bias or point of view expressed may influence the content of the information on the website 6. Web design Web information is unique because of its multimedia hypertext capabilities. Therefore, when evaluating a Web site, it is important to consider the questions below: - Is the Web site easy to use? (organization, navigational tools, memory and plug-in requirements) - Is the Web page visually pleasing? (layout, images, color)

7 Chapter 7 Use Information Plagiarism Meaning - Using someone else s words/ ideas & presenting them as your own without giving credit to the author. - Failure to provide citations to the source material is an unethical practice. Paraphrasing --> Putting the content into your own words you re rephrasing the content. Summarizing --> Focusing on the main contents/ ideas How to avoid plagiarism Yes --> Copy& paste a paragraph of text from a website without enclosing it in quotation marks& referencing the source Yes --> Use the idea of another author without providing a reference, even write in your own words Yes --> claim work produced by another student as your own Yes --> Incorporate text from another source, changing one/two words& providing a citation No --> coy a diagram/ data table from a website providing a reference No --> copy words from a book into your own work but place quotation marks No --> include a fact/ saying in your assignment generally known without providing reference

8 Some essential guidelines in researching and writing: When you copy the exact words from a website, you must enclose them in the quotation marks& provide a reference Even if you do not directly copy the author s words you must provide a reference You must write about it in your own words& give credit to the author reference - State your research question in your own words - Copyright/ plagiarism 1. Copyright Law -Public domain which means that it is not protected by copyright and can be freely duplicated or used by anyone -An author does not have to register a work with the copyright office. It is automatically protected by the copyright law as soon as it is created 2. Fair Use - Allows libraries and educational institutions to use copyrighted works for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research 3. Electronic Information& Multimedia - Be aware of the brand that they have been copyrighted, if you want to copy; you need to have a permission

9 4. Citing Sources Citing is an important aspect of academic. As a student you need to show that you are able to come up with your own original ideas while combining them with another argument or point of view. If you do not cite your resources, you are committing plagiarism. There are three basic forms of plagiarism: - Exact-copying word for word - Unclear-lack of indicating where your ideas begin and someone else s end Medley-mixing your ideas with someone else s We need to cite a paraphrase because even the words are your own, but the ideas are borrowed. Therefore, we also have something that we don t need to be cited: - Your own work - Common knowledge - Original insight or observation - Common expressions ** The basic components of a citation are author, title, and publication information. Depending on the source. Citation styles In order to cite materials properly you should use a citation style. Different disciplines use different citation styles. Help creating citations - There are web-based applications which can help with formatting.

10 Citation Manager Applications on the web You have probably used one of the free citation generators on the internet. While these applications are very helpful, they have also been known to have errors. Citation Features in Databases Many library databases will generate citations in various formats for any given record or list of records. 3 Tips for citing 1. Assume that everything will need to be cited 2. Write the full citation information immediately 3. Take accurate notes, including quotation marks around any exact quotes and the page numbers for those quotes Summary Citing your sources is extremely important, not only in your academic work, but also later if your career involves any types of research or documentation. - The research process - Choosing a subject - Narrowing topic - Finding background information - Formulating a topic statement - Finding basis information - Taking notes - Avoiding plagiarism - Finding extra details newspapers

11 literacy book reviews biographies statistics dictionaries people 5. Writing paper When you have completed the search strategy, you should be ready to organize your note cards and write your paper.