Assignment Due Date:
Add your answers in black font. Do not delete any of the text and images of the assignment. Save the assignment as : family name_your given name_InfoRes_2015_2_BIOL.doc and submit via BlackBoard.
All questions must be completed satisfactorily to pass the library component of the course.
How long will it take?
Suggested schedule for off campus students based on face-to-face information research methods classes:
Week 1 – look through the Online Tutorial and find the Subject Guide relevant to your discipline. If you are a Masters by Coursework student who is not working on a research project, ask a lecturer for advice on a realistic topic to use for this assignment.
Week 2 – work through Q1, Q2 and Q4.3 (Staying Current)
Week 3 – Q3, Q4.1 and Q4.2.
Week 4 – Q5
Information for science students, including
- writing literature reviews
- literature searching
- using databases
- mehtods of citation
- using Endnote
- Searching the Internet
- Library Subject Guides
- Document Delivery Service
My topic: benefits of Clostridium sporogenes in cancer
therapy
Q.1
1.1 Explain your research topic in 100-200 words.
1.2 Identify the main aspects of your topic and list the keywords for each aspect. Include synonyms, alternative terms, plurals, and acronyms where appropriate. A preliminary search of a relevant journal article database can be used to identify these. The Library’s Subject Guides also list useful dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
Quick guide to completing this question:
- Read through Define Your Topic and 2. Identify Keywords in Developing a Search Statement in the Online Tutorial.
1.3 Convert your list of keywords into a search statement. Use Boolean operators,
the asterix * for truncation and double quotes ” ” for phrases.
Quick guide:
- Read through Search Operators and 4. The Search Statement in Developing a Search Statement
- Examples of how you might fill out Aspects 1-3 (below) for three different topics.
Aspect 1
spider* or arachnid*
AND Aspect 2
web or silk or fiber* or fibre* or thread
AND Aspect 3
nmr or “nuclear magnetic resonance”
Aspect 1
doping or drug*
AND Aspect 2
sport* or athlet*
AND Aspect 3
biomarker* or “biological marker*”
Aspect 1
water or aquatic or aqueous
AND Aspect 2
“high performance liquid chromatography” or hplc
AND Aspect 3
triazin* or atrazine*
IMPORTANT: Only use phrases for terms in common use (eg. “biological marker*”). Do not search using sentences/phrases generally. See the examples given in the Search Statements box towards the bottom of the Searching Databases : Too Few Results page for more information on why it is important to identify keywords.
Aspect 1
Aspect 2
Aspect 3 (if you have a third aspect to your search)
Which operator/s would you use between Aspect 1-3 above? (Select the appropriate Boolean operator using the Bold function in Word)
AND OR NOT
Q.2
2.1. List the two Library journal article databases most useful for this topic
Refer to the Subject Guide for your discipline for a list of relevant databases. Do not select LibrarySearch as this is not a journal article database listed in the Subject Guides.
Quick guide:
Your subject guide:
Your selected journal article databases:
1.
2.
