Week Three

Summary Of Lecture:

In today's lecture we were told all about Online Librarie's and Database's and how we can use them to our advantage for research. Using the Online Database's makes it more convenient and more accessible to everyone (easier to copy, paste and to take notes from). A few types of Online Database's are Journals, Electronic Book and also Electronic Artworks. On the down side of Online Librarie's some sources and pages could be out-dated and some pages or sites you may have to pay and subscribe to. The artwork is orginal which is good but because it is original it could have a low resolution and therfore making it harder to see every bit of detail. Today's lecture also included how things have changed in terms of libraries in 300BC to online libraries now days and the advantages and disadvantages of both of the two. With the use of online libraries access is more readily available although it can be hard at time to navigate your way through the page to find what it is that you are looking for. Always remember the copyright and plagiarism laws when viewing and taking notes from these sources as well.




Summary Of Tutorial:

In the tutorial we learnt how to use ECU's online library service's and were asked to locate an online journal on the economic impact of global warming on business. Once this was completed we were asked to visit the MEDline plus website and spend some time going through the health topics and drug information.

10 useful functions/search tips

Natural Language- One of the easiest methods, just enter a full sentence ( your assignment topic) as your search query and the software should translate it into a search for that database.

Keyword Searching- A common method involved for searching the internet. Enter selected words making sure spelling is correct and plurals because only exact matches will come up.

Boolean Searching- Boolean searching is a system of linking terms with commands known as operators to specifiy the relationship between the terms in the search request. These operators are (AND, OR, NOT, NEAR, WITHIN and ADJ).

Modified Boolean Searching- A series of symbols is used, rather than operators, to specify the relationship between the terms in the search request. An examples is "a phrase being enclosed in commas".

Using Search Screen Tools- Read the search screens of the search tool you wish to use carefully as they often offer extra search features

Be Specific- For example use early childhood education not just education or use global warming not just environment

Medline plus users

The website http://www.medlineplus.gov/ would be used by people who work in the medical field and would use it if they were uncertain of a diagnosis of a disease or something to that effect. Medlineplus is a trusted source which can direct you to information that can help answer any health questions you have.

Reading 1 Summary- ‘Finding what you want on the web’

Bill Thompson explains how he has used only Google as his primary search engine for years but now wants to expand his horizons and use other search engines to find either better sources or more credible sources. Bill explains some of the fundamentals of being able to find exactly what it is you are looking/searching for on the internet.

Reading 2 Summary- 'Bare Bones Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips'

This website and in particular the bare bones lesson 7 web page explains different techniques on how to find what you are looking for when using search engines. The whole website is devoted to helping people evaluate websites and to find exactly what it is they are looking for by a means of using search engines.