Evaluating
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As a class, you will:
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Identify the provided sources as either scholarly/academic, trade/professional, or consumer/popular.
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Discuss reasons why.
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Sources:
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Data Science and Management
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Science News
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Yale ISPS Data Archive
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Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
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- Consider how scholarly publishing practices impact the types of sources available for your topic (ex. a current topic can take months to years to be discussed in scholarly journals or books)
- Consider whether you need primary or secondary sources
- Consider whether you need data or statistics
- Consider whether you need peer-reviewed sources
- Carefully compare the source details on your database results' page to your previously decided requirements (i.e. level of review, format, date of publication, etc.)
- Make sure to fact-check your gathered sources (particularly those gathered outside UT Libraries' databases)
- When in doubt, ask your librarian for help!
Searching
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In groups, you will:
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Explore the topic of your choice using the assigned search tool.
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Prepare to demonstrate for the class how to apply the assigned tool for future research projects, paying particular attention to the following:
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What keywords did you use?
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What filters did you use to narrow down your results?
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How did you evaluate your chosen results for quality?
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Was there anything unexpected about your searching experience?
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Would you use this tool again? Why or why not?
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Group assigned tools:
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Group 1 – OneSearch (Advanced)
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Group 2 – Ulrichsweb
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Group 3 – Web of Science
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Group 4 – data.gov
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Group 5 – Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
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Group 6 – re3data
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- OneSearch
One Search finds items from UT Collections as well as journal and newspaper articles, books and book chapters, and much more from multiple library resources.
- Ulrichsweb
A source of bibliographic and publisher information on more than 300,000 periodicals of all types.
- Web of Science
This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary citation index covering journal articles and conference proceedings in sciences, social sciences, and humanities from 1900 to current. Provides cited reference searching and journal impact factors. Also includes access to Essential Science Indicators.
- data.govData.gov is the United States government's open data website. It provides access to datasets published by agencies across the federal government. Data.gov is intended to provide access to government open data to the public, achieve agency missions, drive innovation, fuel economic activity, and uphold the ideals of an open and transparent government.
- Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)ICPSR has research science data and resources on topics like social media, politics, economics, social sciences, government, GIS, & more.
- re3dataRe3data is a community-driven source and reference for trustworthy repositories among the scientific community.
- Set up LibKey Nomad to easily access the full-text of scholarly articles
- Carefully consider your keywords
- Create a search string using the appropriate search tools (like Boolean Operators)
- Choose the most relevant library databases
- Input your search string into the database's advanced search bar
- Narrow or expand your search using the database refinement tools (like publication date, format, subject, etc.)
- Browse the results page (paying close attention to the abstract and listed keywords)
- Revise search string based on the results page as needed
- For datasets, review the available documentation for consistency and thoroughness.
- When in doubt, ask your librarian for help!