How to Find Information: A Guide for Researchers

List of figures
List of tables
List of abbreviations
Foreword to the first edition
Preface
Acknowledgements

The information gathering process
Making the most of a library
Finding information about existing research
The type and detail of information required
Discovering relevant materials
The online searching process
Citation searching
Obtaining the full text
Using the World Wide Web for research
Accessing materials
Evaluation of resources
Citing references
Keeping records
Intellectual property and plagiarism
The research community and keeping up to date
The changing landscape of research

Summary checklist
Appendix 1: Using a library
Appendix 2: Formats of information sources
Glossary
References and bibliography
Web addresses
Index

• How do I find relevant information for my thesis, dissertation or report?
• How do I evaluate the relevance and quality of the information I find?
• How do I find the most up to date information in my subject area?

Anyone setting out to research a topic, whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level, needs to find information to inform their work and support their arguments. This book enables researchers to become expert in finding, accessing and evaluating information for dissertations, projects or reports.

The book works systematically through the information-seeking process, from planning the search to evaluating and managing the end results. It suggests how to do this efficiently and effectively whilst using a range of sources including online bibliographic databases and the internet.

This edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect the use of new technologies in research by offering the most contemporary information on:

Online researchCritical evaluation of resourcesIntellectual property rightsResearch communitiesThe changing landscape of research informationSubject-specific resourcesWritten by an academic librarian, this book provides key reading, not only for academic researchers, but for anyone working for commercial, public or government bodies who has to contribute to research projects.