What We Don’t Know

This is an idea that’s been featured on this blog before, but I think it bears repeating every few months:
Sometimes we need to know more about our topic area before we can even begin to formulate a research question.

This was recently brought to mind for me again while I was enjoying a show on PBS called History of Science: How Did we Get Here? (It’s quite fun if you’re into that sort of thing! Here’s a bit about it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/nlmcatalog/101566118). I was winding down after a day of reference librarian-ing (very professional term for what we do) and yet I was still thinking about research. (What can I say? I live for this stuff.)  The narrator of the show discussed how many of the most important scientific discoveries about our planet, our place in geological history, and our beginnings didn’t come about until scientists had the right environment and context TO ask these important questions.

Seems like a simple idea in retrospect. But imagine a world where everyone believes the world is flat. How would you know to ask what’s at the center of the spherical earth if you think it is flat?

It’s humbling to realize how we don’t even know what we don’t know right now, at this very moment in our personal lives or as a global society.

Who could imagine what a little bit of new information about a topic could reveal to us? The more we know about a subject, the more able we are to think critically about it and formulate a research question.

Being able to recognize that there’s a lot we don’t even KNOW we don’t know is the first step toward a critical research question. 

After that, how do you begin to find out what you don’t know? How do you find that new information and fill in the gaps? Reference Sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks) are a good place to start getting background information about a subject.  This background information could be the flint that sparks your imagination to develop a critical question about the subject matter! And that is how the fires of burning research questions are born.

January 26, 2012 at 11:50 pm

Google Scholar Basics

This week we’re running webinars on two different topics: Google Scholar and Business Research. We were a bit surprised to see the Google Scholar webinars fill up so fast!

If you wanted to attend the webinar, but couldn’t register for one this week, you have another chance:

There will be another Google Scholar webinar on Thursday, Feb. 2.

If that time still won’t work for you, you do have several other options.

Google Scholar looks a lot like the regular Google search. It’s pretty easy to do that first search in Google Scholar, but there are some unique qualities to Google Scholar that aren’t obvious at first glance. The webinar and guide above cover some of the major uses of Google Scholar, and how to access the full text of the items you find.

If you haven’t taken a look at our existing webinars or guides, now is a great time to check them out.

Our webinar archive includes all of the webinars we’ve done, on topics ranging from an Introduction to the Library to Tips for the Literature Review.

Our guides cover a similar breadth of topics. They’re always available, and we’re adding more each week.

If you have a question that is still unanswered, go ahead and Ask a Librarian. We’re happy to answer your questions about searching in the library and beyond.

January 25, 2012 at 2:12 pm

Internet Piracy, a Black-Out, Two Bills and Your Research: A Teachable Moment

The internet has been abuzz the past few days about proposed legislation aimed at preventing online piracy in the United States. The bills, with short names PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), have garnered heated debate from many varied view points of media distributors, politicians, economists, legal professionals, consumer rights advocates, anyone who uses the internet, and yes, even librarians.

I’m going to side-step the political, social, ethical, legal, and intellectual property issues these two bills bring up. Instead, I’m going to use them as a teachable moment to highlight some of our resources that can help our students find resources on current topics from multiple viewpoints.

To point out why this is important, I want to start by showing you what I found in the first results of a Google search for “SOPA and PIPA”:

Click image for larger view.

First off, note that there are ads by Google. If you visited Google yesterday you may have noticed a blacked out box of text in the upper left corner of the screen. Google participated, along with Wikipedia, in a media black-out in protest of these bills. I wonder what sort of information Google is going to display then about these bills? Yes. Even Google can be biased in what results and ads you see first.

Now let’s look at the first news results we see from Google. They are all from US newspapers and have similar headlines.

Wikipedia’s page explaining SOPA and advocating for opposition comes up next.

 

 

This could be helpful information if you’re just starting to learn about these topics. But what if you wanted to find different views about the bills? It took me quite a bit of scrolling through the thousands and thousands of results I got in Google to find any other view than opposition to these bills. And I still wasn’t even sure I understood what the bills actually said.  (The fastest way to find the text of either bill is to type this into Google-  “PIPA site:.gov” or “SOPA site:.gov”.)

 

Now let’s look at a search I did in a Walden database for news articles. First, why am I looking for news articles and not scholarly, peer-reviewed articles? Well, because it takes time for those scholarly, peer-reviewed articles to be researched, reviewed, and published. This topic is happening right now! News articles are all that will be available to me because they are published every single day.  No, they are not scholarly sources. But they are sometimes the only source on a current event.

Just because news articles aren’t scholarly doesn’t mean I should not think critically about which articles I use. I want to find different view points on these bills, not just all articles in which the author presents an opposing view. To ignore the other side of the argument is to do pretty lazy research. Even if I don’t agree with the other view, I need to address it. That makes what I am saying about the topic that much stronger that I could analyze and poke holes in the other side’s arguments. Or maybe I’ll present both views equally in my argument and conclude that both views are flawed. Regardless, it’s important to present both sides when researching a current controversial issue.

Here’s that search for news articles I did in the database called LexisNexis Academic:

Click image for larger view.

I can immediately see the newspapers that are represented in my results.  I can also click on the newspaper name to see the articles from that specific paper.

I also see a variety of headlines and possible views presented within the articles.

Also note that these are not all papers from within the U.S. Since these bills have a lot to do with foreign internet sites, it only makes sense to pay attention to the different ways reporters from other countries might handle the issue.

 

 

Other databases to try for newspaper or magazine articles on a current topic not yet to be found in peer-reviewed literature would be Academic Search Complete/Premier and ProQuest Central.

Don’t forget some of our other subject specific databases also have newspapers and/or magazines in them too, like Business Source Complete/Premier (to find out what the business world has to say about this) or Education Research Complete (educators are talking too!).

 Now you know about some resources to use when researching a “current event” topic that is controversial. Because there are no peer-reviewed articles on such a recent topic, it’s all the more important to find balance of viewpoints and think critically about the sources you’re using.  I hope this gives you a good sense of how important bias can be in research and some things to think about for your next research topic!

January 19, 2012 at 9:05 pm

The Myth of the Perfect Search

“How do I know I did a good search?”

“I just wanted to make sure I was doing the search right.”

We hear things like this from students often when they call us for research help. As a librarian, I’m here to tell you something very important: There’s no such thing as the perfect search.

“None of these articles fit my topic.”

We also hear this sometimes after helping a student build a keyword search for their topic. Yet, sometimes the articles DO fit, the titles just aren’t very descriptive or maybe a few articles are approaching the topic differently than the student wanted. Again, there’s no such thing as the perfect search.

So, how do you know if you’ve done a search that will get you the results you need?

Here are some tips while searching and some things to look for in the results:

1. Don’t be too specific with your search terms OR your search expectations.
Databases don’t always understand what you’re trying to find. Broaden your search terms a bit or break up the words in your topic. Check out this guide on building keyword searches.
Also, don’t expect that the first three articles you see in the results will match your topic exactly. You might have to find several articles that are related to your topic to build and compile the research you need.

2. Are you using words that could have more than one meaning? Try to use the best words for what you want.
Try using a “subject term search” or use what is often called the “thesaurus.” These tools help you find the best words to use for your topic. Check out this guide for help.

3. Look at the abstracts of the results you get. Read them slowly and carefully to find out what the articles are really about. Titles can be decieving.

4. Try modifying your search. Are you finding the same articles on that topic over and over? Perhaps you’re finding all there is to find!

5. Try searching in another database too. Some topics aren’t “one stop shop” topics and may need to be explored in more than one database to find articles specific to that topic.

Finally, be flexible with your topic. Sometimes we expect to find plenty of research articles on our topic only to find that most researchers have been approaching it from a vastly different perspective than we imagined. Or perhaps we find that our assumption about the topic is incorrect. Maybe we’re finding articles with findings directly opposite to what we expected. It’s important to learn from the research we do and be willing to take in what we find with an open mind.

It might change your topic a bit, but it will also be an important part of your learning process!  That is, after all, what research is all about.

January 12, 2012 at 9:43 pm

A Brief History of Library Databases

This is not so much a real history as it is a basic outline of how the databases we use today took their form. Many of the oddities of today’s databases are directly due to the way they developed. Knowing some of that history can help you understand how to use databases more effectively, and help you work around some of the problems that still exist today.

Library Search Before Databases

You may be familiar with using card catalogs to locate books in a library. These allowed you to search for items using the title, subject, or author of a book by simply thumbing through alphabetized cards. This system worked pretty well for books since there are fewer books than articles in a typical library. Imagine at least three separate cards for every single article published in every newspaper and magazine available in the library! It would have become impossible to navigate very quickly.

Author index from the Readers Guide

Readers Guide to Periodical Literature

Instead of using cards, by the beginning of the 20th century there were books called article indexes that contained entries for every article published that year from selected groups of journals. Much like card catalogs, these included entries by author name and by subject. Of course, there were some major differences as well: article indexes were published periodically, usually one volume per year, and they couldn’t tell you if the library actually had the item in the collection.

Users of public libraries probably remember the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, but many others existed as well. Specialized indexes were created for specific disciplines, like the Science Citation Index or the Bibliography of the History of Art.

As a researcher you’d have to sit down and search through volume after volume, looking up the same author names or subject terms in each volume and then skimming through all the article titles to find what you want. There was no way to search the abstract or full text of articles, and there was no way to combine subjects to create a more precise search. It was extremely time consuming. It could take an entire afternoon to gather the same number of articles as you can with a single 2 minute search in a database today.  (I know this from painful experience!)

Electronic Indexes Appear

Just as computers allowed the card catalog to become electronic, article indexes began to appear in electronic forms. At first many were on CD-ROM. You’d get the appropriate CD from the librarian, plug it into one of the desktop computers near the reference desk, and search away. For the first time you could search multiple years at once and even combine subjects to create a precision search. CD-ROM indexes were quickly out of date, since new items had to be added in the form of a new version. Once you found something listed in an index, you still had to check the library catalog to know if the library actually had the item. Also, the cost of putting all that data onto a CD meant that many indexes only started at a recent date. Researching back in time meant going to the shelf full of print indexes.

One of the biggest differences between the old CD-ROM indexes and the databases we use today was the complete lack of full text. Computers at the time just couldn’t handle all that data.

Databases Go Online

Telnet Catalog search options

A Library Catalog on Telnet

Long before the Internet became a household term, library databases were moving online. Using Telnet you could connect to a database from a computer anywhere in the library and do your search. No more waiting for the last user to return the CD!

Telnet required using keystroke commands, which took some practice. Once you mastered those commands, you could search and collect citation information at the speed of light! When databases began to transition from Telnet to the web interfaces we recognize today, many experienced searchers were frustrated by the slowdown.

As computers began to grow in memory and speed, so did databases. Soon it became feasible for databases to include not just citation information but the entire text of the article. Today it is not unusual to find databases that include full text for every item in the databases. Still, most databases include a mixture of full text and citation-only records. Even databases that say “Full Text” in the title may have items with only citation information. Why? Well, when they named the database it was so exciting to be able to offer at least some full text, that feature was included in the name. Now that people are used to the name, it’s hard to change it.

One of the greatest–and often overlooked–benefits of databases today is that so many can directly link you to holdings information for your particular library. Even if the full text isn’t housed within the database you are searching, you can find it elsewhere much faster than in the past. Here at Walden you can link to the full text in another database if we have it, and at brick-and-mortar libraries you can quickly check print holdings in the library catalog with a single click. No more searching the catalog for items you just found by searching in a database.

With memory, transmission speeds, and search algorithms improving every day, it’s hard to know what databases will look like in the future. It’s tempting to dream of an intuitive, seamless, single search that can get you exactly what you want, when you want it. That may not be reality for a while (or ever). We’ll talk about why in a later post.

January 11, 2012 at 3:47 pm

More New Database Trials!

If you haven’t checked out the Database Trials page lately, you might be in for a surprise! We have many trials for databases ranging in subjects from archaeology to adolescent development.

Why trials? We want your input on how easy these databases are to use, how helpful the content is, and if you’d like to see any of these databases become part of our library offerings.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to take a look, poke around, and give us feedback via the linked surveys. Who knows, you might even find something valuable you can use in your next research project or assignment!

Here are the individual links to each trial and survey.  They are also available from the Database Trials page.  Please note that each trial ends at a different time. You have at least a few weeks or a few months to check these out:

  • Plunkett Research Online:   Complete data and market research for the industries, including: market research, industry trends analysis, statistical tables, technologies analysis, business intelligence and “hard-to-find” facts, corporate executive contracts, key industry associations (with contact information), industry glossary, data export tools, top companies data.  Please fill out the Plunkett Research Online survey to tell us what you think!  Trial ends February 4, 2012
  • Gale Business Insights: Global:  Global business case studies, statistical data sources, news articles, academic journals and topical reference materials organized by country, company and industry.  Please fill out our Gale Business Insights survey to tell us what you think!  Trial ends February 3, 2012
  • Family and Society Studies Worldwide (FSSW): Family Science, Human Ecology, Human Development, and Social Welfare focus covering social science disciplines including anthropology, sociology, psychology, demography, health sciences, education, economics, law, history and social work.  Please fill out our FSSW survey to tell us what you think!  Trial ends March 31, 2012
  • COS Pivot: For Research Administrators, Research Development Professionals, and institutions; offers funding and collaboration for faculty, staff researchers, and graduate students. Please send COS Pivot feedback to library@waldenu.edu!  Trial ends January 31, 2012

January 5, 2012 at 10:38 pm

Library Tips for New Students

If you are new to the Walden Library, and you’re not sure where to begin, this is the place to start!

The Walden Library has so many resources, it can be confusing the first few times you try to use it. Here are some links to help you navigate to the things you’ll need most during your first few courses at Walden:

As you go through your courses, you will be using a variety of resources. If you aren’t sure where to go for the resources you need, or you are having trouble using one of the library’s many databases, let us know!

We are available to answer questions via Ask a Librarian or 800-930-0914.

Learning to do research takes time and practice. If you learn how to use the resources listed above while a new student, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert searcher.

January 4, 2012 at 10:47 am

Library Resolutions for 2012

Need some resolutions that you can easily complete?  Why not make a few library resolutions?  Here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Try a new database. You might find the best research in a place you didn’t expect.

2) Watch a webinar. Even the best library users can learn new things.

3) “Like” us on Facebook. We post fun and interesting things on Facebook.

4) Explore the Library Website. There is a lot of information on our website. You might accidentally find that link you’ve been wishing we had!

5) Share your library knowledge with your classmates.  Knowledge is not as useful when it’s hidden.

6) Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!

Do you have some tougher resolutions on your list? The U.S. government wants to help you succeed with these! Popular New Year’s Resulotions

December 30, 2011 at 10:52 am

APA PsycNET Trial – Time is Running Out!

The APA provides its databases on several different platforms. Right now you are able to access PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and PsycBOOKS via the Ebsco platform.

We currently have a trial for those and a few other APA databases on the APA’s own PsycNET platform. You can check it out here: PsycNET.

The basic search is very similar to what you’re probably used to with Ebsco, but there are some differences among the more advanced search features. If you do research in the psychology databases, now is a great time to give the PsycNET platform a try!

The trial ends January 2, and you can share your thoughts by filling out our survey: PsycNET survey.

Your feedback will help us decide which platform is the best option for Walden students and faculty.

December 27, 2011 at 5:05 pm

The New ProQuest

ProQuest databases have undergone some changes this week. Change can be difficult but hopefully these changes will be a nice improvement. The new ProQuest has a similar look and feel to the EBSCO databases that many are familiar with.

Below is the new advanced search screen.  This is where you’ll go when you access any ProQuest databases.  You can limit your search to full text and to peer-reviewed articles.

Search Screen

You can use the side menu shown below to limit your searches to specific subject areas.

Search by Subject Area

At the top of the database screen you can view which databases you are currently searching.  This will change if you select different subject areas from the menu shown above.

View Databases Currently Being Searched

When you get your search results, you can see other suggested subjects and limit by source type (e.g. scholarly journals).  Symbols next to each results indicate quickly what kind of publication the result is.

Search Results

Results List

When you view detailed records you can save, change, and manipulate the information.  You are able to translate articles on the fly.  Next time you find out your perfect article is in a language you don’t know, you can just translate it!

You can also tag articles to help yourself or others.  You can tag articles with words or phrases that help to describe or identify the article later.  You can then either keep these tags private so only you can see them, or you can share them to help others.

Article Detail

By creating a free account in ProQuest you can save searches and articles and set your own searching preferences.  You will just need to be sure to log into your My Research account each time you access the ProQuest databases.

My Research

We hope that you like the ProQuest changes!  As always, let us know if you have questions.

December 23, 2011 at 3:09 pm

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