Transcript Identify key documents using citation data

Advanced Engineering
Research
Engineering and Computer Science Library
Winter 2011
Session objectives
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Focus, systematize your searches
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Select best search tools
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Gain context, comprehensiveness
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Keep up to date
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Organize search results
Assumptions
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Catalogue searching
Books, encyclopedias
Research 101
General
Encyclopedias
Textbooks
Books
Review Articles
Specific
Primary Articles,
Standards, Technical
Papers, etc.
Article Databases
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Controlled language (thesauri) overcomes keyword
limitations
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Good sorting functions
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Identify general or literature review articles easily
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Limit searches to specific treatments of topics: e.g.,
experimental, theoretical, applications, economic
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Advanced citation search features – identify significant
papers, authors; track development of research through
time
Building A Search Strategy
Before you begin searching in a
database, you will have:
1. Defined the focus of your
question
2. Identified the key concepts
e.g. remediation of groundwater
after mercury contamination
Search Strategy
Now you need to find alternate
terms for your key concepts:
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broader, narrower, related terms
acronyms
plural/singular, spelling variations use the truncation symbol, usually *
broadening your search
Concept #1
groundwater
ground water
subsurface water
Concept #2
remediation
bioremediation
amelioration
Concept #3
mercury
heavy metals
Use wildcard * to
broaden search further
Keywords
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searches titles, abstracts, subject
headings
problems
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Typos in the database
False drops
You pick the wrong keywords
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you pick program evaluation, they
use benchmarking, TQM, outcome
assessment…
Thesaurus Searching
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uses a built-in list of subject terms
 terms are assigned no matter what
keywords the author uses
 enables consistency
 Powerful way to search
Finding engineering
article databases
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Start at:
engineering.library.utoronto.ca
Full-text Access
Practice time
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Finding articles
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While discussing your research with your advisor, she
mentions a useful article from 2005 by Gothelf & LaBean.
She doesn’t remember the title exactly, just that it was about
DNA and nanostructures. You’d like to find the article to read
more.
Use the General Search in Web of Science to find it.
Quiz
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How many times has it been cited?
Do we have this available online?
Does Compendex have this entry?
How many times has it been cited?
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Pink 4023
Blue 22
Orange 123
Green 0
Do we have this available online?
 Pink – Yes
 Blue - No
Does Compendex have this entry?
 Pink – No
 Blue - Yes
Gaining context, comprehensiveness:
some strategies
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Use citation databases
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Use databases that isolate review articles
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identify significant authors, significant
papers by times cited
experts identify significant literature, authors
reveal gaps in existing body of research
identify controversies quickly
Use thesis/dissertation databases
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who has been doing what?
get a fairly complete picture quickly
Using citation information
Web of Science
Scopus
Google Scholar
SciFinder Scholar
…and others
Citation Data
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Identify key documents using citation data
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Form your own opinions
Use citation data
Pitfalls
 Famous papers widely accepted, therefore no
longer cited
 Important papers not written in English not
cited in English literature
 High cites may not measure QUALITY of a
study, but may measure INFLUENCE
 author bias magnified
Best databases for isolating
review articles:
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Compendex via EI Village
platform
Web of Science via ISI platform
Practice time – Web of
Science on ISI platform)
1 . Do a search for cytochrome* and
electrochem*
2. Sort the result list by Times Cited. How
many times has the top article been cited?
3. Now use the Analyze button to analyze by
author. Who has the most papers?
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Sort the result list by Times
Cited. How many times has the
top article been cited?
Pink:493
Blue:1208
Green:448
Orange:1998
Now use the Analyze button to
analyze by author. Who has the
most papers?
 Pink: Dong, SJ
 Blue: Sola, M
 Green: Bianco, P
 Orange: Borsari, M
Theses/dissertations databases
(best: Dissertations & Theses Fulltext)
Getting more information on
(any) type of journal:
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Ulrich’s Periodical Directory
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Check whether journal is refereed
ISI Journal Citation Reports
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Journal evaluation tool
Use it to determine significant journals in your field
Alerting Services
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Great way to keep up with your area
of research
Email alerts are sent after every
database update
Sent if the update contains any new
records that match your saved
query
May be daily, weekly or monthly
Web of Science also
has a citation alert.
So, which ones to use?
A strategy:
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Select 2 or 3 or even 4 likely databases,
e.g., Compendex, Web of Science,
Scopus
Construct a search
Use appropriate syntax, limits
Use citation management software such
as Endnote or RefWorks to manage
citations, eliminate duplicates
Organizing (& presenting)
research results : Citation
management software
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Select
Annotate
Organize
Output approved-style reference lists
Format bibliographies, in-text citations
in documents
RefWorks
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refworks.scholarsportal.info
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Free for U of T students, staff, faculty
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No software installation necessary: browserbased
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Organize & cite almost anything:
 Journal articles
 Book chapters
 Library sources
 Internet sources
RefWorks instruction session February
16, 12:10- 1:00
Other citation management
programs:
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EndNote, ProCite, Reference
Manager
comparisons, trial versions:
http://thomsonreuters.com/
available at the U of T
Computer Bookstore:
Discounts for students
http://refworks.scholarsportal.info
create approved-style
bibliographies from
specific folders of
citations
example bibliography:
IEEE-style
Other Sources of Information
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Standards
Codes
Technical Reports
Conference Proceedings
Laws/regulations
Quiz
Which database(s) can you use to find
review articles?
 Pink : Scopus
 Blue: Web of Science
 Green: Compendex
 Orange: Scholars Portal Search
Which database(s) can you use to get
citation information?
 Pink: Compendex
 Blue: Web of Science
 Green: Scopus
 Orange: Scholars Portal Search
What kinds of materials can you usually
find in a database such as Compendex?
 Pink: Peer-reviewed articles
 Blue: Magazine articles
 Green: Patents
 Orange: Codes
Getting Help
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email – [email protected]
phone: 416-978-6578
10 King’s College Road, Room 2402
Questions?
One Last Quiz…
1) Which library’s web page is the best
place to start at when accessing
engineering resources that U of T has
paid for?
2) When is the RefWorks workshop?
Thank you!
Michelle Baratta
Engineering & Computer Science Library
[email protected]
416-946-0389