INFORMATION SKILLS: Geography II
Exercise 1: Reading Lists
To help you interpret your reading lists efficiently: this exercise will not be
marked, but the correct answers can be found on www.plantlib.ox.ac.uk after the
session! The examples are from real reading lists.
If you are still puzzled about finding any particular type of reference after the
class, do ask library staff – we are here to help you at any time!
For each example:
Decide if the reference is to a:
- book (B),
- journal article (J),
- chapter or extract from a book (E),
- series (S),
- internet resource (U).
Mark up the ‘type’ column accordingly (B, J, etc).
Use the abbreviations sheet to help if necessary.
Search OLIS (if appropriate) and note a convenient location and shelfmark on
the sheet Mark ‘O’ in the ‘e’ column if the item is, according to OLIS, available
electronically.
For the journal articles, check TDNet to see if the journal is available
electronically. Mark ‘T’ in the ‘e’ column if it is. Does this correspond with
what OLIS says? See if you can find the actual article online using TDNet.
Now use Web of Knowledge to search for journal articles. Click the ‘Tour’ or
‘full text’ buttons if present to find the text of the article. Mark ‘W’ in the ‘e’
column if successful. Which method was quicker – OLIS/TDNet or WoK?
Exercise 2:
Bibliographic databases
GEOBASE OR GEOREF
1. Find a few articles on sea level rise that highlight the future plight of pacific
islands in an era of global warming. E-mail them to yourself.
2. You have a reference to Goudie and Viles (2003) which you know is about
geomorphology and climatic variability. Find its full reference using either
GEOBASE or GEOREF.
WEB OF KNOWLEDGE
Outside Oxford, you need an Athens account to access this database. Get one
online via https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk
1. Find some articles on the drying up or desertification of the Aral Sea by using
the combined searching facility. Mark a few references, submit them and then
e-mail your marked records to yourself.
2.. You have been asked to do a critique of David Harvey’s book “Spaces of
Hope”. How would you find out what other academics thought about the book?
Find a reference to a book review and e-mail it to yourself.
Exercise 3
Reference Sources
REFERENCE TOOLS
1. If you wanted to find a general introduction to the topic of a) Gaia Or
b) Biodiversity, where might you look?
2. You have been asked to give the vote of thanks to Ron Johnston who is
coming to speak to the Herbertson Society. Where might you start to look for
information about him? What hobby does he have outside his geographical
interests.
NEWSPAPERS
1. Find articles in “The Guardian” on global warming over the last month. How
many are there?
2. Edward Said (the author of Orientalism one of the set books for the Ideas in
Geography paper) died on 25th September 2003. Find 10 or so obituaries from
the world’s press. Make sure to get some non-western viewpoints as well as
Western views. E-mail the results to yourself.
1
2
3
4
5
References as cited on reading lists
Baeten, G (2000) The tragedy of the
highway. European planning studies, 8:6986
Boulton, G.S. et al. (1977) A British icesheet model and patterns of glacial erosion
and deposition in Britain. In: Shotton,
F.W. British quaternary studies-recent
advances, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 23146.
Evans, R. and Cook, S. (1986) Soil
erosion in Britain. Seesoil :The Journal of
the South East England Soils Discussion
Group 3, 28-38.
Fuchs, R.J. & Demko, G (1979)
Geographical inequality under socialism.
AAAG 69(2)
Ghassemi, F., Jakeman A.J. and Nix,
H.A. (1995) Salinization of land and water
resources. CABI, London.
6 Jones, H.R. (1990) Population geography.
2nd ed, Paul Chapman, London.
7 Pawson, E. (1975) The turnpike trusts of
the eighteenth century : a study of
innovation and diffusion. SOG Research
Paper, 14
8 Preece, R.D. et al. (1990) The Pleistocene
sea-level and neotectonic history of the
eastern Solent, southern England. Phil.
Trans. Roy. Soc. (London) B 328, 427-77
9 Rose, G. (1995) Tradition and paternity :
same difference? TIBG 20, 414-7
10 Sissons, J.B. (1980) The Loch Lomond
advance in the Lake District, northern
England. Transactions. Royal Society of
Edinburgh. Earth Sciences, 71,13-27.
Type Location Shelfmark “e”
11 Trudgilll, S.T. & Inkpen, R.(1993) Impact
of acid rain on karst environments. Catena
supplement, 25, 199-218
12 US Government 2000. Green dividends:
the relationship between firm’s
environmental performance and financial
performance. EPA-100-R-00-021.
Washington DC: EPA.
http://www.epa.gov/ocem/nacept/green_dividends.pdf
Accessed : 14/10/04
13 Vidal de la Blache (1921) The meaning
and aim of human geography. Extracted
in: Agnew, J., Livingstone D.N. & Rogers,
A. eds. Human Geography: an essential
anthology. Blackwell, Oxford .
14 Williams, M. ed. (1990) Wetlands :a
threatened landscape. Special publication
of the Institute of British Geographers no.
25. Basil Blackwell, Oxford.