CMPT 781:
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Library Workshop
Yolanda Koscielski
Engineering, Computing Science and Criminology Librarian,
Burnaby campus
Spring 2013
SFU Library – Self-test
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What is the difference between LibrarySearch, FastSearch,
and the Catalogue?
How many databases does SFU Library subscribe to? eBooks?
Where can I find SFU theses/dissertations from the School of
Computing Science?
What kind of financial support can the library provide to
graduate students who are publishing?
Where to Search…?
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Catalogue
Fast
Search
Library
Search
Databases
Google
Where to Search?
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Library Search vs. Fast Search vs. The Catalogue…
Fast Search
•Search for Books & Journal articles at the same time
•Newspaper and magazine articles
•Expand selection for all libraries’ resources
Fast Search
• Contains 100% of our catalogue
• Feature: quantity – wide range of results
• But: few tools for topical refinement – use other
sources
• May need to use databases mapped to a
disciplinary perspective
FastSearch
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Subject
Terms ≠
Subject
Headings
Use with
caution
Library Search
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Criminology 220
Library Search
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Searches 100% of Fast Search content, (which
contains 100% of the library’s catalogue)
Divides Fast Search content by info type – books &
media, newspaper articles & more, journal articles
Additionally, includes:
 Summit,
the Institutional Repository
 The library website – FAQs, Research Guides & other
web pages
 Course reserves
Finding books
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Use:
 Fast Search – limit by context-specific facet
“book”
 ebooks
included
 Catalogue
 ebooks
included
 Key Feature: Subject Headings
 Course
Reserves Tab, e.g., CMPT 820
Finding books – Call numbers
Finding books – Call numbers
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Library Catalogue
–
Call numbers
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TK 301 R2207 2011
TK 7885 R23 1992
TK 7885 R5 2008
TK 9401 R3 C2 2005
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Made up of a combination of meaningful numbers and “dumb” numbers
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TK = Electrical Engineering;
TK 7885-7895 = Computer Engineering
R23 = Unique ID for SFU library
1992 = Year of Publication
1st number is read as a whole number, 2nd alpha-numeric portion is read as a
decimal
Catalogue Searching
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Start with keyword search
Identify a good title(s) and review its subject
headings – a core strength of the catalogue
Redo search using subject headings
 Good
strategy for any research
 Subject headings = topical terms from a controlled
vocabulary, assigned by human, allows for subject
collocation
 Usually 3-5, but could be 2-7 for each item
Databases
A few reasons to use databases:
 Better for cycling a search, literature reviews
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Subject searching vs. keyword searching
Helpful, reliable search limiters and high data
quality
 Mapped to a disciplinary perspective
 Not all database articles are included in Fast
Search
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Databases
A few reasons to use databases:
 Better for advanced searching
 Excellent
for Boolean searching!
Recommended Databases
Computing Science databases
 ACM Digital Library
 journals,
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Springer
 Includes
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magazines, newsletters and conference proceedings
Lecture Notes in Computing Science
IEEE Xplore Digital Library
 journal
articles, conference proceedings, standards, and
some ebooks
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ArXiv Archive
Web of Science
Recommended Databases
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Trade or popular articles:
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CPI.Q, CBCA
Applied Science and Technology Index
Computer Source
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A database of journals and magazines covering topics such as
computer science, programming, artificial intelligence, cybernetics,
information systems, robotics, and software
Computing Science databases
Using databases …
Using databases …
Using databases …
‘Where can I get this?’ links
Full-text article
‘Where can I get this?’ links?
Full-text article
Google Scholar
•Search from the library’s home page to avoid
being prompted for payment
Popular vs. scholarly publications
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Which is scholarly?
 What
are the differences between popular and
scholarly publications?
Scholarly publications
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PEER REVIEWED or
REFEREED
Reports on original
research (primary
research)
Written by academics
Written for academics,
researchers
Longer articles
Technical language, jargon
Always cites sources
Little to no advertising
Definition of a Scholarly Article:
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Articles in scholarly journals are peer-reviewed*
“Peer-reviewed journals are publications that include only
those articles that have been reviewed and/or qualified
by a selected panel of acknowledged experts in the field
of study covered by the journal” --EBSCO
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Also called peer-reviewed articles, refereed articles,
scholarly articles
*key criterion = peer-reviewed
Scholarly versus Popular
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Informs or entertains
Sells products
Aimed at general public
Written by writers
(rarely subject experts)
Brief articles
Simple, non-technical
language
Rarely cites sources
Scholarly versus Popular
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Scholarly Journal Articles
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Journal of the ACM
Audience: Academics
Writers: Unpaid scholars and
researchers
Often visually boring with tables,
charts but no advertising
Include abstracts and citations
Good for historical, current,
scholarly, in-depth perspectives
Subject-specific jargon
Key criterion: peer-reviewed
Popular Magazine Articles
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Wired
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Audience: General public
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Writers: Paid, non-specialist
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Colorful, graphics, advertisements
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Does not include abstracts or
citations
Good for broad overview and
popular perspective
Accessible language
Scholarly versus Popular
Do you know how to recognize academic articles
when you see them?
Is this article scholarly? Why/why not?
 What
are the differences between popular and
scholarly publications?
This journal is peer-reviewed, but this article isn’t.
Here is the
complete article.
CMPT Theses
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Digitial Dissertations
Finding SFU Theses (guide to finding)
 Theses
Registration System
 2010
+ theses and dissertations (before being moved to the
catalogue and institutional repository)
 Catalogue
 Full
collection of SFU theses, with links to electronic versions,
when available
 Search by Theses School of Computing Science as “title”
Open Access Funding
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SFU Open Access Fund
a
central fund to support SFU authors who publish in
Open Access journals that charge Article Processing
Charges
 Publishers of open access included:
 BioMed
Central
 Hindawi Publishing
 Public Library of Science
 SAGE Open
 Springer Open
Open Access Funding
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What is open access publishing?
 (Academic)
Articles or books that are free to read on
the open internet (no subscription required)
 Benefits
to publishing in open access journals
RefWorks
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Citation Management Software
 ACM
style for numerous journals, e.g. Journal of the
ACM
 IEEE style
 Works with LaTeX
Write your paper & cite your sources
Need Help?
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The library provides many ways to get help:
 In-person
at the reference desk
 Telephone
 Email
 Chat reference - AskAway
 Txt Us
 Research Commons
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Yolanda Koscielski, Computing Science Liaison
Librarian (Burnaby) ysk6@sfu.ca
Thank you!
Yolanda Koscielski, Liaison Librarian for Engineering,
Computing Science, and Criminology