Searching for Researching Workshop

Online bookings can now be made for the Searching for Researching workshop, which will be held at the 301 Student Skills and Development Centre tomorrow (Tuesday 29^th October, 2013) from 17:30 to 18:30. 

This workshop is delivered by The University Library and explores how to find resources for your undergraduate research such as an essay or report.  You will look at the different ways to search for information and how to evaluate your results to get the highest quality information into your work.  You will also learn about plagiarism - making sure you use your own ideas and referencing the works of others properly.

This workshop is open to all current, registered postgraduate taught and undergraduate University of Sheffield students. Please bring your Ucard with you to the workshop. Book your place now by following this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/8009060315

Journals

Journals are available in print and electronic format- some titles are only available electronically, some titles are only available in print, and some are a combination of the two. To check our full access to a journal, follow these steps:

·         * Log into MUSE

·         * Click on StarPlus - Library Catalogue

·         * Click ‘Sign in – University Members’

·         * Search for the journal title under the University Collections tab

A ‘View it’ tab under your chosen title record will show electronic access. This will display the years of subscription that the library has – please note that we may have subscriptions from more than one publisher and for different dates. Clicking on the name of a publisher will open the journal’s webpage in a new window. A ‘Get it’ tab will list print holdings available in the Library. Please be aware that most journal titles are reference only and cannot be borrowed from the library.

StarPlus for all: basics and more

StarPlus, the Library catalogue, can be accessed from your MUSE account (under My services) or from the Library webpages at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library.

 

Remember to sign in by clicking on the University members link at the top of the page. This will give you full access to resources and features including the e-Shelf and your online Library account.

 

Search under the University Collections tab to find: books, ebooks, journals, theses and multimedia.  Enter keywords into the search box then refine your results later.

 

Use the Articles and Databases tab to search for journal articles from databases. To find articles that you can access, refine your results to show only Full Text Online.

 

Top tips

 

• Use quotation marks when searching for a phrase, e.g. “global warming”.
• Use an asterisk at the end of a word to represent alternative endings. For example, educat* will search for: education, educating, educational etc.
• Use the e-Shelf to organise, print, email and push your search results into reference management software. Add search results to your e-Shelf by clicking on the star icon (located on the left of each search result).
• To request a book that is out on loan, click on the Get It tab.
• Look at the Subject Guides to identify the key databases and online resources for your subject area. Link to the Subject Guides from the home page of StarPlus.
• Search for and connect to databases from the University Collections tab.

• Take a look at our StarPlus tutorial to learn more.

Business Source Premier

Business Source Premier is a resource for global business literature and data, such as country and industry reports. It also provides company profiles, which will be useful for any student preparing for job applications or interviews.

The database has text to speech functionality (in English) for documents in html format. The search interface can be translated into a number of different languages, and articles in html format can also be translated.

If you create a personalised account within the database, you can organise your search results in folders and add notes to documents that you save. You can also save searches, create alerts and RSS feeds. Apps for iPhone and Android devices are available.

This database will be of interest to students and researchers in a range of disciplines across the University. To get access, open StarPlus from the myServices menu in  MUSE and sign in by clicking the University members link in the top right corner. Type Business Source Premier into the University Collections search box and follow the link to the database.

SAGE Research Methods Online

SAGE Research Methods is an online search tool for finding information about research methodologies.  It may be particularly helpful if you are in the process of designing, conducting or writing up a research project.  For example, use it to answer questions about your chosen research method.  The resource is relevant to a range of disciplines including the social sciences and health sciences.

Use the Quick Search box (located in the top left of the page) to locate relevant information or use the Advanced Search option to construct precise search queries.  Search results will include: books, book chapters, dictionary and Encyclopaedia entries, videos and journal articles.   You can link to the full-text from the search results.
 
There are also options for browsing the database as well as a Methods Map (located under the Methodologies drop-down menu), which is a visual search tool.  The Methods Map may be useful if you are not sure which research method to use.

SAGE Research Methods is available now via StarPlus. Alternatively, follow this link and click Connect to Sage Research Methods - you will be prompted to log into MUSE.

Emerald Management Database: learn more and win an iPhone 5

The Emerald Management database includes full text online journals and books, and is a useful research resource for students and staff throughout the Faculty of Social Sciences. You can access Emerald from the University Collections search in StarPlus. Make sure you sign in as a University member in the top right corner to get full access. Emerald is curently running a quiz based on the databse content, and you could win an iPhone 5! For more details see http://www.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/iPhone5-October2013-quiz.htm