EVLU 3010
Research Strategies & Resources
Today we will be covering:
- An overview of UM Libraries resources
- Search strategies
- Citing
Library Resources
1. UM Library Search
- All physical resources within the Libraries
-
Some (not all) of the databases we subscribe to
- Includes many reference texts available online (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc)
- Very broad search engine - might get a lot of unrelated results.
Preliminary Searching
- Start brainstorming keywords
- What do you know about the subject so far?
- Expand your background information
- Reference sources: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc...
How would you start a general search on the topic of new urbanism?
Search Tip #1
Put a phrase "in quotation marks" to find results with that phrase.
E.g.: "gothic revival" - finds documents with this phrase
Searching for gothic revival without quotation marks finds all documents with gothic and all documents with revival.
Gothic architecture = medieval, mid-12th to 15th centuries
Gothic revival architecture = 18th & 19th centuries, renewed interest in Gothic style
UM Libraries Homepage
umanitoba.ca/libraries
Which is the better search?
A: "climate change" AND Canada
B: "climate" "change" AND "Canada"
Searching beyond the UM Library Collection
- Request whatever you need via Document Delivery
- Library Search > Include Results beyond UofM
- Databases include results beyond our subscriptions
- Avery Index - architecture
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs - Canadian topics
- Google Scholar (with links to UM resources)
- WorldCat.org
Landscape Architecture guide
bit.ly/UMlandscape
Search Tip #2
- Use AND between keywords to narrow your search
E.g.: (Canada AND "new urbanism") - results will contain both of these keywords
- Use OR between keywords to make your search more broad
E.g.: ("climate change" OR "global warming") - results will contain at least one of these phrases
Search Tip #3
Try to find all the different ways of expressing the concept you're searching for. This can be done by:
- putting OR between synonyms (Canada OR Canadian)
- adding an asterisk (*) to the root of a word:
E.g.: Canad* - finds Canada, Canadian, Canadians...
"new urbanis*" - finds "new urbanism", "new urbanist"...
(note: don't use this for short root words - art* = art, arts, artist, artificial, arthritis, Arthur... 292 million results in Library Search)
Search Tip #4
Use NOT (all caps) before words or phrases you want to exclude from the search
E.g.: gothic NOT revival - no results for "gothic revival" will come up.
Miami dolphins NOT football
True or False:
Adding an asterisk to the root of a word (eg architect*) will give you fewer results.
Requesting Items
- Sign in to the Library Search with your umnetID
- UM email account without "@myumanitoba.ca", same password
- Problems signing in? Staff at any library desk can help, or chat with staff online
When requesting a book that's checked out, the other person has 7 days to return it.
Other potentially useful guides...
-
Philosophy guide
- Databases > Arts & Humanities Citation Index
- Political Studies guide
- History guide
Citation Guides
Academic Learning Centre Resources
Questions?
- Landscape Architecture Research Guide: bit.ly/UMlandscape
- All library staff can help with basic questions
- Research support: librarians on desk 1:30-4:30 Monday-Friday
EVLU 3010 Research Strategies & Resources
EVLU 3010
By Ellen Tisdale
EVLU 3010
- 742
