ONLINE RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH Indika Karunathilake
Why online resources for research?
What are the online resources available for research?
Brainstorming Tools Search Engines Online databases Online journals and libraries Dictionaries and Encyclopedias Maps and Atlases Online Survey Tools Online communication tools Graphic organizers Data visualization Data Analyzing Tools Online file sharing Social networks
BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
VISUWORDS Displays related words in an interactive mind map format. You can explore further by clicking on any of the words Helps to generate ideas
EYEPLORER When you type a word research, the site displays the results as a colourful pie chart Shows different categories and relationships between words. As you click on one of the results a box appears with a definition with Wikipedia.
EYEPLORER You also have the options to view results from the web, images and twitter. When you find information you want, you can drag the text to the notepad.
MIND MAPS
Mind Maps A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, It is also an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing.
Mind mapping software There are many software s that can be used to mind mapping. They can be either open sources or commercial Offers several powerful features
Mind mapping software allows the users to; Construct mind maps in their personal computer Share them on the Internet Automatically create web pages of their mind maps
Mapul MAPMYself - online mind mapping software It is a web based software allows you to create completely organic looking mind maps. The outcome looks hand drawn and the words run along the branches. http://www.mapul.com
WIKI MIND MAP Creates a mind map or results from Wikipedia
SEARCH ENGINES
Search Engines A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web and FTP servers.
Search Engines
META SEARCH ENGINES A meta search engine displayed as a mind map showing links
ONLINE DATABASES
Online Databases An online database is a database accessible from a network, including from the Internet. It differs from a local database, held in an individual computer or its attached storage, such as a CD. Databases can be used to find bibliographic citations for key public health and medical journals
Online Databases Pub Med The Pub Med database comprises more than 19 million citations for biomedical articles Citations may include links to full-text articles Medline plus gives easy access to medical journal articles
Online journals and libraries Most of the top range journals have an online version Many require subscription Open source BMC Medical education PLOS
Online journals and libraries HINARI-Promotes access for researchers from developing countries INFOMINE is a virtual library of Internet resources. It contains useful tools such as databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, mailing The Internet Public Library is the first public library of and for the internet community. The library is a collection of online resources that are organized by subject
ONLINE SURVEY TOOLS
Online Survey Tools Online surveys allow students to collect data and information by preparing questions. The survey can be accessed via a link and the results are collated and presented in a graph format.
Survey Monkey http://www.surveymonkey.com/
Online communication tools A wide range is available Simple to sophisticated Commercial and open source General and custom built
Basic online communication tools E-mail Instant messaging services Yahoo MSN AOL SKYPE Features Text Voice mode Video calling
Purpose-built online communication tools A wide range is available WebEx, WIMBA, Go To Meetings Features are similar Interactive Audio/Video communication Text File sharing Interactive white board
ONLINE DICTIONARIES AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Online Dictionaries and Encyclopedias A dictionary, also called a lexicon, wordbook, or vocabulary, is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information
ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS
ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS
ONLINE MAPS AND ATLASES
Online Maps and Atlases A map is a visual representation of an area a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes. An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth In addition to presenting geographic features and political boundaries, many atlases often feature geopolitical, social, religious and economic statistics.
ONLINE MAPS AND ATLASES http://www.geezees.com/ http://www.galaxy.com/
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers are visual representations of knowledge, concepts, thoughts, or ideas. Organizes bits of data in easy-to-understand formats, such as charts, tables, and graphs.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
DATA VISUALIZATION
sabrinabresciani.wordpress.com Data Visualization Data visualization is the study of the visual representation of data http://www.sabrinabresciani.wordpress.com/
software-dungeon.co.uk DATA VISUALIZATION http://www.software-dungeon.co.uk/
DATA ANALYZING TOOLS
Data Analyzing Tools Analysis of data is a process of; Inspecting Cleaning Transforming modeling data with the goal of highlighting useful information.
Data Analyzing Tools NetEpi, a collaborative project to provide open source software tools for epidemiology On-site tools for data analysis Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/rvls.html
files32.com DATA ANALYZING TOOLS http://www.files32.com/
Online file sharing For sharing files between co-researchers, supervisors GSpace Drop box
Social networks Face book My space Twitter
Conclusion The available range of online tools for research is wide Many of them are innovative and exciting Need to use them selectively and judiciously as appropriate for your purpose