The first step in the information search process is an important one. During this initiation phase, you recognise your need for information and you start choosing your topic by brainstorming about it. Before you start searching for information it is important to think the information that you will need for your research. keep the following in consideration:
After choosing your topic, you need to explore this topic more in-depth. Start with writing down the things you already know and need to know in a mind map. Another approach is, to divide your topic in a main topic and in subtopics. That way you show relationships between the topics. You can use a tree diagram for this. The third approach is a Venn-diagram to compare similar topics. In the following tutorial you can find extra information on these tools.
Then it is time to familiarize yourself with the existing research.
All of the above affect the type of information sources you need.
The results of the orientation phase should be that you can identify the key concepts of your topic and that you have gathered definitions and theories described in basic literature. You can use a mind map to create an overview of the different aspects of your topic.
Sources to use during the orientation phase:
Writing a (re)search question is very helpful for defining the scope of your topic. You can narrow your topic by including one or more of these criteria in your question:
The 5W's might help you defining a good (re)search question:
5 W’s:
Before you start searching for information for an assignment, a project or a thesis, it is important to know which types of information and corresponding resources are available. Do you need information about the most recent developments in your field, or do you want to find academic articles and/or figures to support your research? You will find this information in various types of information resources. You can divide information into three categories:
Primary, secundary and tertiary sources
Primary sources refer to sources that are written/created by an original author. Examples are novels, poems, (academic) articles etc.
Secondary sources are sources that refer to and elaborate on one or several primary sources. Examples are review articles, analyses of novels etc.
Tertiary sources are sources such as encyclopaedia, dictionaries, guides, bibliographies, etc., that give an overview of what can be found in primary and secondary sources.
Full text information
In resources with full text information, you have direct access to complete publications. Academic articles are not always freely available. Therefore, Buas Library has subscribed to various relevant databases, giving you full text access. In the part BUas Library Resources of this Toolbox you will learn which resources are available to you via BUas Library.
Bibliographic information
Some databases and library catalogues do not give immediate full text access to publications. Instead, you will find descriptions of publications with a reference to the location. These so-called bibliographic resources contain information on publications, such as title, author, year of publication and a reference to a location, such as a shelf mark in a library or a link to a digital publication.
Subject-oriented information
Subject-oriented information is specialist information on a certain discipline. The content is aimed towards practical applications and is written for professionals in the field. You will find subject-oriented information in professional magazines, for example Funworld, and in subject-specific databases, such as Hospitality and Tourism Complete and Mintel.
BUas Library gives access to specialist information in your field of study. In step 2 in this Toolbox you will get insight in the subject-oriented information that is available to you.
Characteristics of trade publications are:
Scholarly information
The purpose of scholarly information is to present findings of research, discuss about the meaning of these findings and to develop hypotheses and theories. Scholarly information is published in academic journals or books, mostly in English. The quality of these texts is always assessed by two or more members of the same academic discipline. This is known as peer review.
Characteristics of scientific publications are, depending on the field:
Authors will release working papers to share ideas about a topic or to elicit feedback before submitting to a peer reviewed conference or academic journal. Working papers are often the basis for related works, and may in themselves be cited by peer-review papers.
Conference proceedings
This is a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the conference.
DOI
Scientific publications (articles, books, proceedings) have a digital object identifier (DOI). A DOI consists of an unique series of numbers and letters. This unique combination together makes a permanent link to an online location for the publication. This also guarantees the access to the publication, even if the URL changes. Please use a DOI when referencing. Below is an example of a scientific article with a DOI.
In the video below, you will be shown the difference between academic journals and professional magazines.
Please note: The Buas Library collection contains various databases with scholarly information, such as ScienceDirect and Springer Journals and E-books. Furthermore, you can find databases that contain freely available academic information, such as OpenAIRE.
Popular scientific information
In addition to scholarly information, there is also popular scientific information. This information is written for people who are not particularly specialized in a certain field of study. An example of this type of information is a journal such as The Economist or The New Yorker.
Characteristics of popular scientific, or popularizing, publications are:
General information
General information is information written for the general public, such as Time magazine and websites like http://www.bbc.com/news. Be critical when you use this type of information. Check out the part of this toolbox on assessing information, under Evaluating Information.
Current information
Current information concerns recent developments and is intended to keep the reader up-to-date with the latest developments in a particular field.
This information can be found in newspapers, magazines and on websites. Consulting these resources is a good way of keeping track of the latest developments. However, it is important to be cautious of their reliability. Check out the part of this Toolbox on evaluating information.
Please note: BUas Library has subscriptions to printed newspapers, such as BN De Stem and a database with international newspapers, called Nexis Uni. You can find Nexis Uni in the overview of databases on the BUas Library website.
Background information
It is important to know what relevant terms, models and theories belong to a certain discipline. This concerns background information which can be found in books and manuals. BUas Library has a large collection of background information. Check out the Library Catalogue and the Metasearch to find books and manuals on the topics you are interested in.
Factual information
Sometimes, you need facts and figures to support your research. These could be facts concerning a company, statistical facts or concrete facts. You can find this factual information in databases, dictionaries and encyclopedia. On the Buas Library website you will find databases with company info, such as Nexis Uni, databases with statistical information, such as Statista and encyclopedia and dictionaries.
Research results
Research results, such as results of experiments, theoretical calculations, models, computer simulations and reports on practical applications can be found in reports, PhD theses, but also in scholarly journal articles. You will find this type of information in databases such as ScienceDirect.
Academic articles are often reviewed prior to publication by fellow academics. The reviewers consider whether the publication is up to the academic standards of the day; only material that passes this review is published. This procedure is known as peer review. Peer review is used mainly in the context of academic journals, where it is organized by the publishers.
The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary defines a digital foot print as a trail of data you create while using the Internet. It includes the websites you visit, emails you send, and information you submit to online services.
Passive digital footprint
The data trail you unintentionally leave online.
Example: your search history, which is saved by some search engines while you are logged in.
Active digital footprint
Data that you intentionally submit online.
Examples: sending an email, publishing a blog and posting social media updates are another popular ways to expand your digital footprint.
What is fake news?
The Cambridge Dictionary describes fake news as "false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, usually created to influence political views or as a joke."
How can you recognize fake news? Check out the infographic and video below for some tips:
Fact-checking
The process of verifying the accuracy of information and statements made by individuals or organizations. Fact-checking is an essential aspect of journalism and research, as it ensures that the public is provided with reliable and accurate information. Fact-checking is necessary because it helps to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation. These fact-checkers might be helpful:
Types of fake news
Check out this infographic about 10 different types of fake news:
Search engines, such as Google or Bing, provide access to the Open Web or Surface Web, which includes Web sites and pages that are freely available to the public. Library databases are part of the "Invisible" or "Deep" Web. In the Deep Web you find information you have to pay for.
Open / Surface Web
Deep Web (for example Library Resources)
How do search engines work?
Be aware of filter bubbles when using search engines and social media:
When you visit a website, you may think you’re getting the same content as everyone else. But almost anywhere you go online, algorithms keep track of what you like to click on. These algorithms give you content based on what they think you like, and they will continue to do so until they’re mainly showing you content you’ll likely consume. This process can lead to the creation of a filter bubble (GCFGlobal).
Open access is a broad international movement that seeks to grant free and open online access to academic information, such as publications and data. A publication is defined 'open access' when there are no financial, legal or technical barriers to accessing it - that is to say when anyone can read, download, copy, distribute, print, search for and search within the information, or use it in education or in any other way within the legal agreements.
Open access is a publishing model for scholarly communication that makes research information available to readers at no cost, as opposed to the traditional subscription model in which readers have access to scholarly information by paying a subscription (usually via libraries).
One of the most important advantages of open access is that it increases the visibility and reuse of academic research results. There is also criticism, and the aspect of quality deserves extra effort. The principles of open access are set out in the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003). This declaration has been signed by many international organisations for academic research, including all Dutch universities and research organisations.
Source: What is open access?
“Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.”
These materials are any creative works that are used for educational purposes, such as texts, images, sound or video, which are available digitally. It can be either materials that lecturers offer to a student or materials that the student independently finds and uses in his or her studies. Digital learning materials published under an open license, such as Creative Commons. Such a license allows users to copy, (re)use, edit, rearrange and distribute the work.
Source: What are open educational resources? | SURF.nl
Source: Open Educational Resources | UNESCO