Computer Science
MSc Project
briefing –
Researching for
your project
Tony Wilson
Academic Liaison Librarian for Computer
Science
May 2013
Session aims
After today you should:
• be aware of the resources available
• be able to select appropriate resources to use
• know some effective searching techniques
Electronic resources – web search
engines and subject gateways
• Web search engines
– Google, Google Scholar (now with links to the Library’s
electronic holdings), All the Web etc.
• accuracy and authenticity concerns
– CiteSeer – scientific literature digital library and search engine –
focuses primarily on computer science
• Internet subject gateways
– specialise in subject related information
– only authoritative material indexed
• TechXtra – cross searches 31 different collections for articles,
websites, books, latest news, theses, in engineering, maths and
computing
Electronic resources – web search engines
• Web search engines
– Google Scholar (links to
the Library’s electronic
holdings)
– Can also set this up at
home
– Remember it’s a filter so
use with care!
Google Scholar
Full text freely
available
Available from York
Full text off campus
Google Alerts
• Allows you to monitor information about
topics that are of interest to you.
• Great for
– Monitoring a developing news story
– Keeping a current eye on research
You can also set up Google Scholar alerts
Open Access Repositories
White Rose – Full text available
• Results will display on
YorSearch.
• Search the repository
directly.
http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/
How do you find Library resources?
YorSearch
• Choose to search
the catalogue or
all resources
• Refine search to
locate eresources
Searching the catalogue
Only view items
that are available
Refine by Subject
Searching everything
Choose to expand
search beyond our
resources if you wish
Limit to peerreviewed journals
Refine your results to
select resource type.
E.g. conference
proceedings
Your Subject Guide
Your first stop for
support in
accessing
Computer Science
resources
Also has
information on……
Arranging a
research
consultation with
Tony
Useful websites
Tutorials and
guides
Latest news
Subject guides – journals and
databases
Provides links to the most
relevant databases and fulltext journal collections for
you
BUT….
Not everything
For a comprehensive list
use the e-resources guide
Locating full text of the papers you
discover
• SFX links records to subscriptions
• May be one of two different styles
Electronic resources – e-journals
• IEEE Xplore – Provides access to:
– All IEEE and IET journals, magazines, transactions
and conference proceedings, and all approved and
published IEEE standards, excluding drafts.
– Complete backfiles to 1988
– Selected content back to 1913
• ScienceDirect – World’s largest full text
database of scientific journals.
IEEE Xplore
Citation features in IEEE
This includes for IEEE and
other publishers
IEEE Conference proceedings
Browse Conferences by title or topic
IEEE – most popular journal
downloads
Coming up! IEEE Hints and tips 23
May
•
•
•
•
Find the articles you need for your work
Time-saving techniques
New features to help you
How to publish with the IEEE and much more
Interested link for signing up on the Computer
Science Subject Guide
2.30 LFA 015 Harry Fairhurst Building
Electronic resources – e-books
Lecture Notes in Computer Science – archive
also available.
Access through Computer Science subject guide.
Also on the Library Catalogue.
There are also many more e-books available on the
catalogue from other e-book providers such as
Dawsonera, MyiLibrary, and Safari (coming soon)
Electronic resources – theses
• Index to Theses – lists all UK PhD theses and includes an abstract for
each. Non-York theses can be obtained via InterLibrary loans
• Australasian Digital Theses Program - Digital theses produced by
postgraduate research students at Australian universities.
• White Rose eTheses Online– Collection of doctoral level theses from
York, Leeds and Sheffield Universities.
• EThOS – Electronic Theses Online Service
• DART – Europe E-theses Portal - Doctoral-level electronic theses
which are held in European repositories. Provides a link to at least
one electronic copy of every thesis listed in its database
Access via Reference subject category on the E-resources Guide.
Electronic resources -Bibliographic
databases
• Electronic indexes of published work
• Examples, INSPEC and Web of Science
– databases cover different subject areas and
materials
– not limited to the Library’s collections
– always use more than one database!
• Access via E-resources subject guide or
Computer Science Subject Guide.
Can’t I just use Google?
You could, but…….
Bibliographic Databases
• Allow much more focussed search options than Google
• Are the top Google results really the best results? – Personalisation
concerns – we don’t all see the same results when we search Google!
• Contain high quality academic materials – Google can bring back materials
of dubious quality
• Are the specialist sources of information for your academic discipline
• Will find results that you won’t find on Google
• Provide details of related articles
• Designed for academic searching – Google is easy and looks nice but it’s
not the best tool for academic searching!
Some Key Computer Science
databases
Computer Abstracts
Indexes over 200,000 abstracts dating back to
1987.
Covers all major subject areas including:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Artificial Intelligence
Communications and networks
Computer theory
Database and information systems
Hardware
Programming
Systems organization
Some key Computer Science
databases
Science Citation & Proceedings Indexes (via the
Web of Knowledge)
– General Computer Science 1900 - date
– citation searching
– Proceedings section for conferences & meetings
• 1990 - present
– Register to customize your search experience
– Recorded training materials available. Links on the
database.
Other useful Databases
Zetoc (British Library Electronic Table of Contents)
– One of the world most comprehensive research databases
– multi-disciplinary 1993 to date
– Provides access to over 28,000 journals and more than
52,000 article citations and conference papers.
– Set up Zetoc Alerts or RSS feeds to keep track of new
research in your area.
– Choose to search journals, conferences or both
Some Key Computer Science
Databases
INSPEC
leading abstract publication for information in
physics, electronics, electrical engineering,
computer science and information technology.
- updated weekly
- 1969-present
- Also an archive available dating back to
1898
Effective Searching - Planning
• Plan out your search on paper
– easy to keep a record if computers crash!
– helps clarify your searching strategy
• Consider the scope of your search
– what is the time period you are searching within?
– try a quick simple search first
• Remember to think about synonymous terms
– use truncation or wildcards as appropriate (e.g. * ?)
• e.g. col?r will find colour, color (but also coloniser)
• e.g. comp* will find computer, computers, computing etc
Effective Searching - Reviewing
• When you have some results ask yourself
– do they answer your question?
– are they appropriate for your needs and of
sufficient quantity AND quality
• Be prepared to search more than one
database for a comprehensive search
– INSPEC does NOT cover everything you need
– if you are unsure of which ones to use - ask!
• Leave enough time to find, and read the full
articles!!!
Troubleshooting Searches
• Too few or no results?
– are my keywords the right ones?
– am I using the ‘right’ database for the subject?
• Too many results?
– should I include more specific term(s)?
– could I eliminate unwanted concepts from my
results?
Items not held in the Library
Inter-library loans (ILLs)
– £2 each –
– register for online requests by following the inter-lending link on
YorSearch
– journal articles – posted photocopies to any address or use electronic
delivery to your desktop, books & other materials – loaned
Boston Spa minibus on alternate Wed/Fridays
– Book via YorSearch.
Ongoing assistance
Help is available from Tony Wilson, Liaison
Librarian for Computer Science.
Email: tony.wilson@york.ac.uk
Help and Information
Find me in Harry Fairhurst LFA128
Any Questions?