Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this section you will be able to
[Level 1 Skill - Finding information in Library Research Skills Framework]
These Learning Outcomes will support you in achieving your module learning outcomes:-
Module SOES1013 Learning Outcome
Module SOES1014 Learning Outcome
Instructions
Watch the tutorials and read the information and complete the exercise in the order listed on this page.
You will need to:
In the previous section you found out about using the library catalogue systems to find the items that you have been set to read by your lecturer or tutor. As an independent learner your lecturer or tutor will expect you to be curious about your subjects and to start looking for and discovering your own academic literature or information too.
In addition to the library catalogue systems, while you are studying at University you have at your fingertips access to a selection of some of the most powerful and sophisticated literature and information search tools in the form of subject databases (also called journal databases, literature databases or library databases).
Watch this explanatory video (from Yavapai College Library) to discover what we mean by a subject database, and how they will help you with your research. It examines:
This learning activity will help you to understand how to prepare an effective search of a database.
(Click on the image to go to the activity.)
By the end of this activity you should be able to:
Allow approximately 16 minutes to complete this learning activity.
Now watch the Web of science video to familiarise yourself with using the database
[captions are available on the video]
Plan a search and then carry out the search on Web of Science for journal articles on your topic.
You will be planning the search to find information for an assignment set by your tutor for either SOES1013 or SOES1014 or NATS1004
You can download and use one of these search planners to capture your search strategy.
Click on 'Web of Science' to go to the database
This is to show your personal academic tutor that you have completed this learning activity and that you have found items which could be used to support your assignment.
Web of Science is a multidisciplinary database and has a wide coverage for the sciences. There are other subject databases which concentrate on recording the literature of a much narrower but more specific area of a subject. The advantage to using these types of subject database is that you will get much more focused results. These types of subject databases will be particularly helpful when you are finding information for your dissertation or thesis in your third or fourth year at university. It is worth taking a little time to explore what they have to offer.
These are the key subject databases available for you to use to find literature for ocean or earth sciences.
(Click on the screen icon next to the link to go to the online tutorial for the database and find out more)
Now go to the Reading and Notes section