Searching for Researching workshop

Searching for Researching is delivered by The University Library at 301: Student Skills and Development Centre, which is located at 301 Glossop Road. The workshop will show you how to find the best resources for your research project. You will learn about different information sources and how to create an effective search strategy to produce a manageable set of relevant results. You will also consider evaluating information, referencing and plagiarism – making sure you use your own ideas and reference the work of others properly.

Places are still available on the workshop for the following dates:

• Thursday 20 November 2014 (18:30-19:30)
• Tuesday 2 December 2014 (12:00-13:00)

For more information and to book your place, please click here.

 

Information Skills Advisory Service

Do you require help with literature searching for your assignments?

Would you like some advice on referencing?

Would you like to speak one-to-one with a subject Librarian?

If so, then the Information Skills Advisory Service is here to help you!  The service is located on Level 1 of the Information Commons – just ask at the Information Desk. There is no need to book an appointment – drop in between 13:00 & 17:00, Monday to Friday (during term time).  However, please be aware that there may be a queue for the service during busy periods.
 

myResource Lists

The Library provides an online reading list service, myResource Lists, with links to electronic resources such as journal articles, ebooks and websites in addition to items physically held in the library. You can search for your reading lists by course, lecturer and department. For more information, please see our short introductory video on the myResource Lists homepage.


How do I access myResource Lists on & off campus?

You can access these in the following ways:

 

• Via the Reading List link in your MOLE course menu
• Via the My services menu in MUSE
• From the Library web pages, under the A to Z link
• From the StarPlus homepage

What do I do if I have any problems, or can’t find a myResource list for my course? Email: readlist@sheffield.ac.uk 

StarPlus for all: basics and more

StarPlus, the Library catalogue, can be accessed from your MUSE account (under My services) or from the Library webpages at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library.

Remember to sign in by clicking on the University members link at the top of the page. This will give you full access to resources and features including the e-Shelf and your online Library account.

Search under the University Collections tab to find: books, ebooks, journals, theses and multimedia.  Enter keywords into the search box then refine your results later.

Use the Articles and More tab to search for journal articles from databases.  All results shown will be available for you to access. However, you can also choose to include results without full text online access.

Top tips

• Use quotation marks when searching for a phrase, e.g. “global warming”.
• Use an asterisk at the end of a word to represent alternative endings.  For example, educat* will search for: education, educating, educational etc.
• Use the e-Shelf to organise, print, email and push your search results into reference management software. Add search results to your e-Shelf by clicking on the star icon (located on the left of each search result).
• To request a book that is out on loan, click on the Get It tab and then click Request (top left of window).
• Look at the Subject Guides to identify the key databases and online resources for your subject area. Link to the Subject Guides from the home page of StarPlus.
• Search for and connect to databases from the University Collections tab.
• Take a look at our StarPlus tutorial to learn more.

Searching for your research project

Need to search for literature for a research project?

Start with a search for books on the StarPlus University Collections tab.

Then move onto searching for journal articles. The Articles and More tab in StarPlus defaults to search Primo Central- a general, multidisciplinary database. This will give you quick, quality results. Make sure you have signed into StarPlus by clicking University members at the top of the page.

For a more specific search, use databases. Find the databases useful to you on your Subject Guide: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/subjects/subjects. Subject Guides also give links to other relevant information sources.

Search tips: Make sure you think about your keywords and any alternative words or spellings that could be used. Learn more about constructing your search here: https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/info_skills/successful_db.html

Use the Find It buttons in databases to check access (Print and electronic) to articles of interest.

Planned Industrial Action at the British Library (St Pancras and Boston Spa)

A one day strike will be taking place at the British Library’s buildings at St Pancras and Boston Spa on Wednesday 15 October 2014.  There is likely to be significant disruption to the Reading Room Services at St Pancras. The Boston Spa Reading Room is planning to be open but there may be disruption to the services.  There might also be a delay in the delivery of some collection items to St Pancras Reading Rooms on Thursday 16 October.

It is advisable to check any changes to opening hours and available services.

For further information and updates please see here

Updates can also be found on Twitter: @britishlibrary  

Welcome to all new and returning students

Welcome to the University of Sheffield!  We hope you will enjoy your time here and we look forward to meeting some of you at induction sessions arranged by your department.

To get you started on finding resources for your studies, check our Introduction to library & computing services web pages or pick up our QuickStart Guide from any library site. Our web pages contain links to our subject guides and a suite of information skills tutorials, together with videos on a range of topics. Check out our one-minute video on how to borrow a book.

You’ll need your UCard and PIN to borrow books using our self-service machines. If you forget your PIN or want to change it go to https://www.shef.ac.uk/cics/password sign in, and follow the instructions.

When you borrow a book we’ll renew it for you automatically unless someone else wants it. We’ll send you a weekly borrowing statement by email, so check this carefully to make sure your books aren’t wanted back. We're running a no-fines pilot this year, so please think of others and return books if they're requested by someone else. You may find yourself blocked from further borrowing if you keep books needed by others. Success of the pilot depends on you - we don't want to have to reintroduce fines!

If the book you want is out on loan, you need to request it online through the StarPlus Library catalogue and we’ll email you when it’s ready to collect. Select the Information Commons as your collection site for 24/7 self-service collection. Remember to sign in to StarPlus by clicking the University members link at the top right of the page.

Remember we’re here to help you, so come and speak to us. Our library HelpDesk can answer your email or telephone enquiries. Just email library@sheffield.ac.uk or telephone 0114 222 7200. You can also get specific subject help from your subject librarian.