Week Three

Lecture Summary

Week three's lesson was all about learning how to use online libraries and databases. The reason for this was to expand our online researching skills from using simple search engines such as google which are only portals to websites accessible to the general public and not specifically for academic purposes. However, what we focused on more was how to use the databases as they are more absolute and current than libraries.

Accessing ECU Database

Step 1, go to the 'Library' link on the ECU home page.
Step 2, under 'Find' click on the 'journal articles (database)' link.
Step 3, choose which method of search you desire (eg. find database by title)
Step 4, choose a database resource (eg. ABI/ Inform Global, ProQuest).

Tutorial Tasks

Activity: Finding an online Article on the Economic Impact of Global Warming on Businesses.

At first i found it difficult to find an article that outlined exactly what i was searching for. This was because as i began my search i did not use the boolean method and of course my results when i clicked search were endlessly numerous. So as i narrowed my search down by using key words in the 'Advanced Search' page, i expected that the results would become just enough to look through and choose the most significant ones; But instead, the result was narrowed down too much and i only had 4 results for articles in front of me that were not even relevant. Thus i came to realise that by taking away some words from my search (i took away 'impact') and leaving the most important ('Global warming', 'Economy' and 'Business'), my search results ended up being higher in number (but not to high), and relevant to what i was after.

Here is the ProQuest Advanced Search page:

Here is the article i found on global warming economic impact titled, 'The Rising Costs of Global Warming':

Ten useful funtions from the ECU library site

• Under The 'Find' Section of the site are six very useful search links from which a vast range of sources can be located according to their type through catalogues, databases, list of websites, and eReserve collections. From these links it is easy to find books, CDs, journal articles, websites, and other types of resources.

• Another similar useful fuction is the Ebook library (under 'quick links'). Here you may find online books as an alternative source for researching.

• Under the heading 'news updates' there is a link to the ECU library's blog site, where there are interesting and useful blogs posted by the administators of the ECU library. To go there, follow this link: ECU Library Blog

• Also under the heading 'news updates' is a link that allows you to Ask the library any queries that you may have concerning things such as borrowing items, how to find information, problems with library systems, etc.

• Under 'Learning Assistance' are great links that can help students learn how to find information, and allows them to access very useful academic tip sheets provided by the University as well as a referencing guide that can be viewed in a pdf. version.

• The 'Resources For' section provides great links for students and researchers. The best links i found here are Endnote Suite, ECU referencing guide and APA Online Style: Tips; All of which are of benefit to Students who need extra guidance in how to manage and create proper referencing.

• The Library home page contains a Site Map that makes it easier to find what you are after by sectionalising areas of the site.

• The site contains a type-in quick catalogue search so that students can look at what the ECU libraries have in stock.

• The 'Loans Services' link takes you to a page where you can read up on the different ways that you can borrow items from the ECU library, and provides information on the conditions under which you are borrowing them and the penalties that apply for failing to comply with them, such as not returning an item on time.

• The Feedback link allows students to comment on the ECU library service, for the purpose of helping the Library to improve the way it delivers its service.
  

MedlinePlus Website

After looking through the MedlinePlus website I found that it was a great researching source for general public queries on health topics such as diseases, various health conditions, and for information and advice on drugs and supplement. This website would be of great benefit to anyone who is, for example, curious about a particular disease or condition that they suspect they may have; and although they cannot diagnose the condition themselves, MedlinePlus provides credible information on things such as symptoms, causes, treatments, etc.

When i looked at Alzheimers Disease on the site, it came up with numerous topics and informative article on the disease with the answers to almost every question on the topic that a person could possibly think of. It also contains several links to related issues as well as links to websites of organisations involved in and dedicated to helping raise funds to find a cure for the disease.

Readings

Finding What You Want On the Web:

Analyst Bill Thompson discusses the alternatives for searching the web other than by using Google. He debates on how the need for certain information has surpassed the use of the humble library and is only, at times, aviailable through the web. He goes on to explain, however, that the web isn't exactly the easiest way to find information and that it's necessary to have more than one word searches if you want to recieve good search results. Overall, the message is that the web is one big information trash heap, and it is our job to carefull pick through it and find what we need.

Bare Bones Lesson7: Basic Search Tips:

These are quick tips that can be used to find the information you need on search engines such as google. In general, these tips help to keep your results relevant.