This online training is made up of a number of short tutorials aimed at students who are confident that they have a basic knowledge of the library and its services and want to improve their searching skills.
Instructions
You can choose to look at any or all of the tutorials, but remember they can be revisited at any time during the year. Some tutorials have audio so don’t forget your headphones! 
If you are new to Southampton or had a break from studying, before progressing to the tutorials please look at the following:
We wish you success in your studies!
Subject guides and subject databasesSubject Guides are the place to start if you need help or resources linked to your area of study. Your Academic Engagement Librarian has put together specific subject resources including subject databases which will help you find quickly and easily, current information on research and development for example, whether it is for an assignment, an individual or group project or for your dissertation. Find out how by following our Subject guide tutorial here.
Advanced searching strategies - getting the best out of databasesImprove your database searching skills by using more advanced options such as thesaurus searching, citation searching, setting up alerts and saving searches.
Subject Headings Searching uses a ‘controlled vocabulary’ also known as MeSH Headings (Medical Subject Headings) or Thesaurus Searching, these headings are applied consistently which means that once you have identified the correct thesaurus term you do not need to consider synonyms, different word endings or alternative spellings. Follow our Subject/Thesaurus searching tutorial
Citation searching - allows you to search the published literature, to locate new articles which cite your known reference in their bibliographies. Follow our Citation searching tutorial here.
Keep up to date by following our Saving Searches tutorial. By the end of this tutorial you should be able to save your searches and set alerts.
Citing and ReferencingCiting and referencing your work correctly is essential. If you acknowledge the work of others you are acting with academic integrity and taking steps to avoid plagiarising someone else's work. You are also allowing your reader to trace your line of research.
Referencing at the university
Our citing and referencing library guide has
information about preferred referencing styles used at the university
instructions or style guides to help you correctly format your references
Referencing software
There are several reference software tools that you can use to organise and manage references. These tools help you to keep track of your literature and some can be used to store your pdf files - visit our referencing software library guide for more information.
Evaluating InformationWith so much information available, how do you decide what to use? Watch this interactive learning activity on evaluating information to help you find relevant, good quality information. Allow 7 minutes to complete this learning activity.
By the end of this activity you should be able to:
Key servicesWe may not have everything you need so check out the following link.
Inter-Library Loans – the ILL service sources items that are not available from our own stock and makes them available to you.
As you work through your course you may need support with academic skills. Learn more about our academic skills services including face to face and online support.
We provide guidance on becoming an effective learner which will allow you to develop transferable skills to use in your studies and in the workplace.
Off Campus Access .. to library resources from any location on any device
To access library resources you will need to connect to the University’s VPN service called Global Protect. Further information on how to connect to the University’s VPN using Global Protect can be found here.
Recognise resources that require an Institutional login, their own unique passwords, or are freely available. Follow our online tutorial here.
All images used and edited with permission.
Image of ipad and pages by shutterstock_552525253
Image of book and quotation marks by shutterstock_374848786
Image of two signs with v tick and x mark by shutterstock_283302101
Image of planet earth in search input field by shutterstock_279648503
Image of laptop and magnitude glass by shutterstock_560422843
Image of planet earth by shutterstock_588002996
Online learning courses from LinkedIn Learning
Academic Skills - improve your skills for academic success
Don't forget ..
Getting Started for people new to the library!
Online tutorials supporting our online databases plus in-house tutorials created by the UofSLibrary
Off campus access .. to library resources from any location on any device
Log in to Skills for Study to download the relevant interactive modules or go directly to ..
Just got an assignment? Not sure how to start? This Assignment Planner is a step-by-step guide to help you plan, organise and find the resources you need to complete your assignment. You can save your work and return to the planner at any time. The Dissertation Planner is a step-by-step guide to help you write a dissertation from starting to think about your question through to final submission. At each stage you will find useful tips and support. You can return to the planner by bookmarking the URL
Click on this link for transcripts of the Library online training learning activities.
Helpful videos
Find out how your Academic Engagement Librarian can help you!
What are Subject Databases?
produced by the Yavapai College Library