Resources for Sociology Research

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Resources for Sociology Research
Honours Year Library Tutorial

• by
• Hayati Abdul
• clbha_at_nus.edu.sg
• 29 August 2007

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Objectives

• To show you how to
• Use Library portal to access resources
• Search LINC Sociology databases using
• Keywords, Synonyms
• Boolean operators - AND, OR, NOT
• Parentheses ( )
• Retrieve references, full texts
• Mark, save or print or mail references

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Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the session, you will
• Know where to access resources via library portal
• Be able to locate relevant library materials from
  LINC
• Be able to search effectively Sociology databases
  for
• journal articles
• conference papers, book chapters
• full text articles

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Contents

• Search Strategy
• Searching Databases
• Using LINC
• Resources on WWW
• EndNote Web
• Getting Help
• Hands-on Session

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Search Syntax Strategy

• Boolean operators
• Truncation
• Grouping using parentheses
• Keywords Concepts
• Search statements

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Refine or broaden your search Boolean Operators

• Use AND to combine terms
• Use OR to broaden search
• find synonyms, alternate
• spellings
  
• Use NOT to narrow search

identity
blogging
AND
transnationalism
transmigration
OR

delinquents
criminals
Delinquents NOT criminals
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Truncation Parentheses ( )

• Use wildcard symbol to
• retrieve terms with part of word specified
• blog retrieves blogging, bloggers, blogs,
• transmigra retrieves transmigrant(s),
  transmigration
• Use round parentheses ( ) to
• group words to be searched together
• (aged OR elderly) AND care
• Retrieves care of aged, care of the elderly

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E-Resources

• Databases
• E-Journals
• E-Books
• Newspapers
• Examination Papers
• E-Reserves
• Statistical Data

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Databases for Sociology

• Sociological Abstracts
• Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index)
• Social Sciences Abstracts
• PERIND
• International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
• Expanded Academic Index
• Communication Mass Media Complete

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Ways to access databases from Library portal
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Sociological Abstracts

• Producer CSA Illumina
• Coverage 1979 - present
• Provides bibliographic references and abstracts
  of journal articles, conference papers, book
  chapters/reviews, etc. on
• culture, social structure, social
  differentiation
• social psychology, sociology of the arts,
  business, education, studies in violence and
  power and more

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Keywords Concepts
Blogging and Identity
Lets search the above in Sociological Abstracts!
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Keywords, Concepts Search Statement
Transmigration negotiating home and national
identity
Lets search the above in Sociological Abstracts!
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Search tips for Sociological Abstracts

• - Searches single words or
  phrases
• Can limit by date range or specific databases
• Results listed by
  
• - by dates or
  relevance
• Check for more relevant
  headings
• Create a bibliography using QuickBib facility
• - allows multi-searching
  in available search boxes drop down menus

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Social Science Citation Index via Web of Science

• Producer Thomson Scientific
• Coverage 1980-
• Provides access to
• multidisciplinary scholarly journal literature
  of the social sciences
• author abstracts
• cited references
• full text articles

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Keywords, Concepts Search Statement
Is Singapore a welfare state? If yes, why and
from which perspective? If no, how would you call
the Singaporean social policy regime?
welfare state OR welfare society
(welfare state OR welfare society) AND singapore
Lets search the above in SSCI via Web of Science!
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Search tips for Web of Science

• - search subject words (topic), author
  name(s) or affiliation, journal title,
• - requires search field tags e.g. tstopic
• - enables restricting items from your
  search with not.
• - allows for combining previous searches
• Viewing search results
• - click on title to view additional
  information
• - enables combining search result sets
• - saving search strategies for future use.

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PERIND

• Index to Articles Relating to Singapore,
  Malaysia, Brunei ASEAN
• Producer NUS Libraries, 1980-
• Subjects Humanities, social sciences, business,
  medicine architecture, building, science, law
• Materials indexed
• journal articles, book chapters, conference
  papers
• Search tips
• Use drop-down menu for Boolean operators fields
• Enter Keywords, subject terms, phrases
• Save selected records using IE toolbar
• Filegt Save asgt html format.

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Keywords, Concepts Search Statement
Lets search the above in PERIND!
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E-Newspapers

• Major international local newspapers
• New York Times, Asian Wall Street Journal,
  Business Times, The Straits Times, more
• Two major databases
• Factiva
• Producer Dow Jones Reuters
• Lexis/Nexis Academic
• Producer LEXIS-NEXIS
• Access via Library portalgtE-Resourcesgt
  E-Newspapers

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Keywords, Concepts Search Statement
Why do people use/not use public transport in
Singapore?
(demand OR prefer OR usage OR choice) AND
public transport AND singapore
Lets search the above in Factiva or LexisNexis
Academic!
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Newspapers

• Press Clippings
• In-house collection of articles from Straits
  Times and Business Times
• Articles about Singapore, Malaysia, ASEAN
• Check LION under Press Clippings Collection -
  Subject Headings List
• Available from Singapore-Malaysia Collection
  (SMC)
• Microfilms
• The Straits Times from 1880 -

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NUS Theses Academic Exercises

• Search LINC
• Find by or limit to Theses Collection
• By call no HM15 200 (for 2000- )
• By keyword
• academic exercise and sociology and national
  university and singapore
• By topic
• Sexual minorities in singapore homosexuals
• homosexual and singapore

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Statistical Sources

• Access E-ResourcesgtDatabasesgtBy typegtStatistical
  Data
• EIU Country Data
• Inter-University Consortium for Political
  Social Research
• SingSTAT Time Series
• Statistics on Singapore annotated bibliography
• World development Indicators
• Yearbook of statistics, Singapore (print web)

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LINC
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LINC

• Adjacency (Phrase searching)
• moral panics changi village
• Truncation
• (for 15 characters)
• Operators,
• AND, OR, NOT, ( )
• Proximity Near, Within
• commodification near culture
• Fields
• aauthor, ttitle, ssubject, nnote
• Limit Search, Marking, Saving Exporting

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Resources on WWW
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Materials Not Found in Library

• Request for Document Delivery Services (DDS)
• Journal articles, Book Chapters, Conference
  Papers
• Request via E-Forms (Library Portal)
• All requests must be approved by Supervisor
• Use another Library which has required item
• letter of introduction from supervisor
• call the library for conditions for access

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Citation Style

• Library Instruction Online (LION)
• How to cite references
• American Sociological Association (ASA style)
• EndNote Web
• web-based software that stores organizes
  references
• can import references directly into a Word
  document in a preferred citation style

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EndNote Web

• Register via Web of Science (WoS)
• Registration valid for one year
• Install Cite While You Write Plug-in
• Close all other applications
• Save references from WoS other databases into
  My Endnote Web Library
• Select relevant import filters
• Enter references manually into EndNote

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Subject Guides

• Good starting point for research in Sociology
• Contents
• Databases
• Journals
• Reference Sources
• Theses
• Library Instruction Tips
• Internet Sources
• Newspapers,
• Access Library portalgt E-Resourcesgt Subject
  Guides

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Getting help
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We are here

• Advisory Service atInformation Desk,Central
  Library,Level 5.
• Email us askalib_at_nus.edu.sg
• Tel [phone]