Literature search

Research Literature Search

1. LITERATURE SEARCH PROF. B.N. KUMBHAR 2NET, 2SET, M. L. I. Sc . M., Phil , PGDLIM, PGDLAN. PhD (Pursuing) Librarian DADA PATIL MAHAVIDYALAYA, KARJAT, DIST -AHMEDNAGAR E-mail: [email protected]

2. INTRODUCTION L iterature , a body of written works . The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution .

3. DEFINITION Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works , but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination , including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. 

4. WHAT IS SEARCHING ? To look for  specific data in a file  or an occurrence of text in a file . A  search implies either  scanning content  sequentially  or single algorithms to compare multiple  indexes  to  find a match. A  search on the Web yields a  list of Web pages  that  contain  all the words  in the   search criteria   .   Contrast  with a  "direct lookup,"  whereby a single  index  is used to keep track of data. 

5. LITERATURE SEARCH A literature search is a well thought out and organized search for all of the literature published on a topic. A well-structured literature search is the most effective and efficient way to locate sound evidence on the subject you are researching . Evidence may be found in books, journals , government documents and the internet .

6. LITERATURE SEARCH A literature search is a systematic and thorough search  of all types of published literature in order to identify a breadth of good quality references relevant to a specific topic. The success of your research project is dependent on a thorough review  of the academic literature at the outset.

7. Creating a Question Creating a well-focused question is the first step in a literature search . Having a clear idea of what you are researching will keep you on track with your searching, saving you valuable time. A focused question will give you a better start with your search because it will help you determine appropriate keywords and limitations for your topic. When forming your question, make sure you are specific about your research topic .

8. LITERATURE REVIEW A  literature review is a text of a scholarly paper, which includes the current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic .

9. LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review is an assessment of a body of research that addresses a research question.

10. LITERATURE REVIEW Identifies what is already known about an area of study It may also: Identify questions a body of research does not answer       Make a case for why further study of research questions is important to a field

11. RESEARCH QUESTION A research question defines the scope of an area of inquiry. It asks about the causal relationship between x  and  y .  It is founded on a deep understanding of works in the relevant area(s) of study and informed by both what is known and not yet known in that area.

12. RESEARCH PURPOSE The research question guides your literature review by establishing its parameters and articulating a researchable question.

13. RESEARCH PROCESS To frame a research question Identify an area of study which is of interest  Refine this area of study based on an exploration of the literature Examine research variables (e.g., gender, age, context , area, duration, climate. etc.)  which influence your question Map the literature to identify relationships. Mapped relationships may highlight issues or connections within the field. Draw on what you have learned to draft your research question

14. LITERATURE REVIEW :PROCESS It is a research journey with several steps: Framing a research question Searching  relevant bodies of literature Managing search results Synthesizing  the research literature Writing  an assessment of the literature

15. SEARCHING Purpose : Search the literature to gather the works of scholars who have addressed your research question. Process: Save time!   Work with a librarian . Get the big picture.  Search broad concepts , the library catalog.  Mine reference lists . Use  Journals Search  to find the full text of articles cited.

16. SEARCHING cont… Identify   article databases  for bodies of literature relevant to your research question. Use language from your research question  to begin your search and then map your language to the subject vocabulary of the databases you're searching in. Use cited reference searching  to find later works that cite a particularly useful work.

17. SOURCES OF INFORMATION/ W here to search? DIGITAL LIBRARIES INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES SUBJECT GATEWAYS PORTALS CONFERENCE PAPERS GOVT.PUBLICATIONS IMAGES LAWS AND STATUES NEWSPAPER ARTICLES STANDARDS STATISTICS –YEAR BOOKS THESES and DISSERTATIONS

18. Digital Resources Search Engines Library Portals Library Resources E-Books E-Journals E- News Papers E-Statistics E-Theses and Dissertations Databases Library Networks Subject Gate ways FAQ’s Digital Archives Discussion Forums Virtual Conferences Virtual Help Desks

19. SOURCES OF INFORMATION ONLINE DICTIONARIES SUBJECT DICTIONARIES ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS THESAURUS ONLINE BOOKS –GOOGLE BOOKS FREE E-BOOKS BOOK CHAPTERS

20. SOURCES OF INFORMATION OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS -DOAJ OPEN ACCESS BOOKS- DOAB GREY LITERATURE - UNPUBLISHED SHODHGANGA –INFLIBNET SHODHGANGOTRI –INFLIBNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR ACADEMIC WEB SITES

21. SOURCES OF INFORMATION SPCIAL LIBRARIES – NCL PUNE –CHEMISTRY IUCAA PUNE - PHYSICS POLITICAL SCIENCE, ECONOMICS –GIPE PUNE WEB OPACS OF LIBRARIES AND INFO. CENTRES TRANSLATION CENTRES –NISCAIR TRANLATION EXPERTS OF SUBJECT

22. SOURCES OF INFORMATION Books Books can be a good start on a topic, giving you general or specific information . Check that the book you are referring to is up to date You can find books on your area of research in an academic or special library . Consult with the librarian to help you find any books that you need .

23. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Journals Journal articles are one of the best sources of information as they can be selected for being current and specific. Most of the important and ground-breaking research is published in journals. Journal articles are best found using citation databases,

24. SOURCES OF INFORMATION cont.. Internet Internet sources are an invaluable source of evidence. A lot of research and statistics are published on the internet, especially those sponsored by government, academic and non-for-profit agencies e.g. Govt. of India ,TERI, BARC,TIFR, IUCAA, GIPE.etc. Useful information, and government Reports , Statistical Reports, (Census R eport) policy , is available in full and is free to download.

25. INTERNET:SOURCE OF INFORMATION Be extra careful in evaluating sites, as anyone can put information on the internet. There are good web portals, such as Intuit. ( www.intute.ac.uk ) which serve as gateways to the Internet. These portals provide links to websites.

26. DEVELOP SEARCH STRATEGY Define Y our Keywords It is very important to use targeted keywords. Break up the topic you are researching into its main concepts , then define keywords for each concept.

27. Define your keywords Next, expand the list by writing down synonyms and alternative phrasings for each keyword. Also, use terms that you plan to include in your own manuscript; this will indicate how relevant those terms are in the field or whether you should use more precise terms to define your concepts.

28. AND Connecting your keywords with AND tells the search tool that all the words must be present.  OR Connecting your keywords with OR tells the search tool that any of the words can be present.   NOT Using NOT in front of a key word tells the search tool to exclude any page contains that word. Some engines require you to use AND NOT

29. SEARCH STRATEGY A  search strategy is the planned and structured organization of terms used to search a database .  The search strategy will also indicate how these terms have been  combined in order to retrieve optimal results.

30. SEARCH STRATEGY cont.. Because you will be searching several databases which work in different ways, you will need to construct separate search strategies specific to the database you are using. This process is often referred to as "tailoring" your search. You may also decide to develop separate search strategies for different sections or aspects of your research.

31. Refining your search There is no such thing as the perfect search. Every database search involves a trade-off between sensitivity ( the proportion of all relevant studies in the database that your search retrieved) and specificity (the proportion of all studies retrieved by your search that are relevant).

32. Refining your search The more sensitive your search strategy is, the less likely you are to miss important papers. The disadvantage is that you are also more likely to retrieve some irrelevant references as well .

33. Refining your search cont… Balance your need to find all the key papers against the work involved in sifting through large numbers of results Take into account how much time you have and the purpose of your literature review. For example there is no point searching for non-English-language journal articles if you can't understand them or have them translated

34. Refining your search cont… Consider the parameters of your project before you start to search and be transparent about any information you exclude. Check your spelling It is very easy to make a simple typing or spelling error (which will need correcting!) Has anything actually been written on your chosen topic?

35. Refining your search cont.. If you are writing a literature review and cannot find any relevant research (having used all the right techniques) you may need to discuss the possibility of changing to a new topic with your supervisor. Is the search question too narrow? The sections on  defining your search question  and  identifying search terms  may help you broaden your topic.

36. Refining your search cont.. Have you used Boolean operators correctly? Have you used AND where you should have used OR. Do you need to search more databases? LISA,LISTA, SCOPUS, WEB OF KNOWLEDGE etc.

37. Refining your search cont..   Deciding which Database to Search? Scopus, web of knowledge, IEEE , ASME, ASCE etc. Could you add more search terms to your search strategy? You may need to think of alternative words and spellings Are your date limits too restrictive?

38. CONCLUSION ICT KNOELEDGE- INFORMATION LITERACY SUBJECT EXPERT NETWORK PARICIPATION HIGH IMPACT FACTOR JOURNALS OF SUBJECT RESEARCH BODIES OF SUBJECT SPECIAL LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTERS OF SUBJECT LIBRARIAN CLOSE CONTACT SUBSCRIBE E-MAIL ALERT,RSS SOCIAL NETWOK SITES FOR RESEARCHER INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES DIGITAL LIBRARIES