Social Work 240

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Social Work 240

• Katy Sullivan
• Summer 2007

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Outline

• Overview types of information sources
• Discuss scholarly information on the Web
• Look at the role of subscription databases
• Library resources at UMBC (and beyond)
• Hands-on time

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Traditional Information Sources

• Books
• Periodicals
• Scholarly Journals
• Trade Journals
• Popular Magazines
• Newspapers
• Grey Literature

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Scholarly Journals

• Often report original (primary) research
• Language of the discipline Can be very technical
• Authors are researchers, scholars in the field
• Extensive bibliographies and footnotes
• Published by universities, scholarly presses,
  research organizations, or specialized commercial
  presses
• Minimum graphics and advertisements

How can you tell if the article is scholarly?
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Scholarly Journals Article Selection

• Peer Reviewed/Refereed
• Articles must pass the scrutiny of reviewers who
  are experts in the field or on the research topic
  (usually outside the editorial board)

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Professional or Trade Journals

• Report current trends and news in the field Jobs
• Written for practitioners Extensive use of
  jargon
• Authors usually practitioners in the field
• Sources sometimes cited in the text
• Commercial or professional/trade publisher
• Use photographs, graphics, glossy ads related to
  profession

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Popular Magazines

• Values and uses
• Language
• Authors
• Sources
• Publisher
• Graphics

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Tools for Evaluating

• Review the journal itself
• Journals website
• School Social Work Journal
• Ulrichs International Periodicals Directory -
  http//www.ulrichsweb.com/UlrichsWeb/
• Use the right search tool

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Determine

• Scholarly Trade - Popular
• How do you know?
• Look at journal information
• Look for journal website
• Look at record in www.ulrichsweb.com
• Peer Reviewed/Refereed? (if scholarly)
• Audience

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Scholarly Content on the Web

• Google Scholar
• Why the free Web isnt the best place to search
  for scholarly material on your topic

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Role of a Subscription Database

• What is it?
• Via academic library, public library, workplace
  or organization
• Added value of a subscription database
• Filtering based on subject, document type,
  publication date, level of scholarship
• Greater search features PsycInfo
• More full text availability or links to library
  holdings
• Meta data

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Role of the Researcher

• Determine the quantity and type of information
  sources that you need
• 5 scholarly journal articles and 3 academic books
• Determine the most appropriate search tool

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Outline

• Overview of Library website
• Overview of major search tools
• Overview of major search techniques

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Looking for Scholarly Journal Articles

• Search a subject database
• Index journal articles, books, dissertations,
  government documents, etc.
• Choose a database
• Subject Guide
• Research Port

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Looking for Scholarly Journal Articles

• Connecting from Off Campus
• Research Port
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) Client

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Looking for Scholarly Journal Artilces

• Found an article?
• Use Find It link
• Electronic/online article through E-Journals
• Print holdings through Catalogusmai
• UMBC doesnt have access to it?
• Interlibrary Loan (ILL)