How to keep up to date in your field
Tips for Effective Literature Searching
CIVIL Enginieerin
A/Prof Hadi Khabbaz
Email: hadi.khabbaz@uts.edu.au
Room 2.511B
If we knew what it was we
were doing, it would not be
called research, would it?
Albert Einstein
RESEARCH is an endeavour that
scholars intentionally set out to enhance
their understanding of a phenomenon
and expect to communicate what they
discover to the large scientific
community.
(Leedy and Ormrod, 2005, p. 4)
Publish or Perish
Why do we need to use Literature?
“If I have seen a little farther, it is by
standing on the shoulder of giants”
(Isaac Newton, 1643 - 1727)
“Standing on
the shoulder of
a giant”
Add at least an epsilon to
the body of knowledge
We Need More Information
Confusion
More Information
less confusion
Information
The volume of publication output has exploded.
More Information Brings More
Confusion!?
Confusion
Too much
Information more
confusion!?
Information
The volume of publication output has exploded.
Question to a Tasmanian
Devil:
How do you eat a horse?
Ans: In small bites.
Teamwork!?
How to Reduce Confusion with
Heaps of Information
Collect and integrate information in a
systematic and well-organised approaches.
How to Reduce Confusion
An Example in Engineering Discipline.
• Historical Background
• Theoretical Aspects
• Mathematical Aspects
• Design Aspects
• Experimental Aspects (Field Measurements, Lab Testing)
• Numerical Analysis
• Construction Aspects
• Social, Economical and Environmental Aspects
• Case Studies/Case Histories
• Worked Examples
• Lessons learnt from previous collapsed structures/disasters
Tips for how keep
up to date in the
field
TIPS
Starting Point:
Try appropriate and
different key words
SAMPLE
13
Large volume of publications
• You cannot rule out the possibility that
your research topic has already been
addressed in a recently published paper.
• It is important to keep up with published
works in your field and use a structured
search strategy to make sure you don’t
overlook similar publications.
Source: Editage
Benefits of a good literature search
• Avoid duplicating already published work
• Provide strong justification and discussion for your
study based on previous research
• Determine the best methods for your research
• Explore gaps and weaknesses in existing studies
• Become familiar with terminologies in your field
Source: Editage
More Tips
• Be familiar with alternative vocabulary used in your
topic
• Search multiple academic databases, e.g.
ScienceDirect
• Check publisher databases and journal websites
databases e.g., Scopus, ISI Web of Elsevier’s ScienceDirect,
Google Scholar, SpringerLink, Wiley Online
Source: Editage
More Tips
• Keep a written record of your searches.
• Maintain a list of keywords and keyword
combinations
• Use a reference manager like Endnote / MS-Excel
• Use alerts to keep up with new publications.
e.g.
Table-of- Contents (TOC) alerts, citation alerts, and keyword alerts.
Source: Editage
Backward and Forward Searching
• Backward Searching: Follow the citations and
browse through the reference list of relevant
articles to find more related articles.
• Forward Searching: Look at papers that have
cited relevant articles since publication.
Accept to be the reviewer of journal papers
and research applications.
Source: Editage
Backward and Forward Searching
Read the related work (or previous work) section of the
papers in the working set of papers. You'll usually find at least
a few papers related to your subject. Include them in the
working set. (This is a backward search.)
Do a search on Google Scholar or Citeseer for each paper in
your working set. See what papers cited those papers, include
them in the working set. (This is a forward search.)
Google Scholar
Cite Seer.
Source: http://www.ece.ncsu.edu
Conferences and Networking
• Attend conferences and seminars in your field.
• Check conference proceedings as they can provide the
latest findings and discussions on the topic you’re
studying.
• Try to search various literature: including theses and
dissertations, books, conference proceedings government and
organizational reports, technical, and statistical reports and working
papers
• Social Networking Sites : e.g. Facebook, Linkedin ?
THAnk You
&
Good Luck With
your Research