Finding Information (I): Information Sources.

3.1. Scholarly Sources: Purpose, Types and here to Find Them.

!""#S.
hen should I use $oo%s&
to find in-depth, authoritative
information on a subject.
to put your topic in context
with other related issues.
to find historical information or
the classics in your
discipline.
to find summaries of research
to support a argument.
Types of $oo%s
'onographs: comprehensive information on a general topic, usually for
specialists in that topic. good monograph should give you a sense of
scope, historical bac!ground, and a thorough analysis of the issue.
(ompilations: collection of essays or articles, written by different authors.
"hile the articles are related somehow, the issues within the articles can
be much more focused on smaller aspects of the main issue.
)and$oo%s*'anuals: comprehensive information on a general topic,
usually for beginners in that topic #students or general public$.
here can $e found&
+sing the uni,ersity resource
%ry -d,anced search screen of your library catalogue: write in the box
biomedical engineering and selec &odern monographies
%ry +ni,erso.e: 'n (earch )atabases*(ubjects*&ultidisciplinary. +or
instance, Safari !oo%s "nline.
"utside resources
!ritish /i$rary: http:**www.bl.u!*
/i$rary of (ongress (+S):
http:**www.loc.gov*index.html
Try other e$ ser,ices:
0oogle !oo%s: http:**boo!s.google.com*boo!s
1"+23-/S.
,ournals are typically published by a
professional association or a scholarly
press. 1ournal articles are 4ritten $y
scholars in an academic or
professional field.
n editorial board reviews journal
articles to decide whether
they should be published #this process
is called peer re,ie4$. ,ournal articles
may be based on a study #or relate to a
study$ and usually co,er ,ery narro4
fields of research.
(ince journals are published at periodic
intervals, they are grouped in the
category called -periodicals.- %hey
may be in print format or on the "eb as
electronic journals #or e5ournals$.
n academic library purchases a good
number of journal su$scriptions in
both print and online form..
hen to use 5ournals&
to find out what has been studied on your topic or field of research.
to loo! for particular contributions and scientific ad,ances in your
discipline.
to find bibliographies that point to other relevant research
here are they found&
+ni,erso.e: is where access to the best /uality resources is possible through the
0niversity1s 2ibrary page: )atabases containing a wide variety of scholarly
journals, most of them only accessible by subscription
Free -ccess repositories
(ites offering free scholar documentation. 0sually recent and /uality information
"pen6"-2: The 6irectory of "pen -ccess 2epositories
http:**www.opendoar.org

'n the repository content introduce the search text, biomedical engineering, a
number of sites appear and from there lin!s to full text resources is achieved,
i.e. 3io&edical 4ngineering 5n2ine #
6irectory of "pen -ccess 1ournal (6"-1
http:**www.doaj.org*. )irectory of open access journals
3rowse by (ubject and select 3iotechnology #67 journals available$.
)irectory of the 2arge 8adron 9ollider beauty #94:;$
("3F7273(7S, '77TI30S, "2#S)"PS, P27(76I30S<
=rofessionals, experts and scientists meet periodically to exchange and mutually
review the last advances within their discipline or area of interest. "or!s are
usually presented orally to the community of interest and then published as
Conference Proceedings, which are given to all attendees. Sometimes,
proceedings are published as monographic issues of a journal or even as boo!s.
hen should I use conference proceedings&
to find out what are the last developments within an area of interest.
when you need to research a very current issue or topic.
here can I find them&
>o to 0niverso-e: many of its databases include conference
proceedings. 4xample: '(' "eb of ?nowledge
5pen)5:. 9onferences: http:**www.opendoar.org*find.php #9ontent
%ype@9onferences
Precedings
%he interest of publishing =recedings lies in sharing new and preliminary findings with
colleagues on a global scale. 't provides a rapid way to share preliminary findings,
disseminate emerging results, solicit community feedbac!, and claim priority over
discoveries. =osting pre-prints manuscripts, posters or presentations allows the author
claiming priority of the findings and to receive feedbac! from peers, prior to formal
publication
&olecular crowding defines a common origin for the "arburg effect in proliferating cells
and the lactate threshold in muscle physiology : ;ature =recedings
http:**www.opendoar.org*
27P"2TS
0sually commissioned by institutions or corporations, they contain
technical information, strategic analysis and information that can
be published through conventional or informal channels6.
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here can I find them&
>o to the li$rary catalogue: (ubject A #your subject here$ and +ormat
%hesis.
%ry e.archi,o: available through the university library website.
"n the e$:
- 5pen)5:. %heses http:**www.opendoar.org*find.php #9ontent
%ype@%heses$
- %4(45: https:**www.educacion.es*teseo*ir>estionar9onsulta
"2#I30 P-P72S
"here can ' find themB
'n 4-rchivo #uc6m$ and other repositories
ST-TISTI(S
%here are two main !inds of statistics: descriptive and inferential statistics:
6escripti,e statistics describe some feature#s$ of the participants involved in a
study. +or example, the statistical information generated from student evaluations
of instruction available on-line #http:**oira.tennessee.edu*sais*$ are presented as
descriptive statistics. %his !ind of statistical information generally ta!es the form
of means #averages$, percentages or fre/uencies. (imply put, descriptive
statistics describe a population #in this case, the students enrolled in a particular
course$ but do not claim to represent the views of the entire population #all
students enrolled at the 0niversity of %ennessee$.
(ource: http:**www.lib.ut!.edu*instruction*com*informationsources
Inferential statistics differ from descriptive statistics in one very important
aspect. "hen using this !ind of statistic, we see! to ta!e information from a
sample #.,CCC registered voters$ of a population #D.E,CCC,CCC registered voters$
and ma!e inferences or claims about those same features in the entire
population. s we discussed about the information derived from descriptive
statistics, it is essential that you ma!e appropriate and ethical use of information
derived from inferential statistics. 'n particular, use caution about ma!ing claims
about a population from a sample of responses. (tatistics must represent what
they claim to measure and they must be from a reliable source.
"here can ' find themB
- 7+2"ST-T.
- "7(6: 5rganisation for 4conomic 9ooperation and )evelopment
- I37 #'nstituto ;acional de 4stadFstica$.
27F7273(7 "2#S
6ictionaries. +or instance, the 6ictionary of Pure and -pplied Physics
#available through the 2ibrary1s catalog$.
7ncyclopaedias. 4ncyclopedias contain factual information about many
different subjects. %hey are typically organiGed alphabetically by the name
of the subject or topic #called articles or entries$. %he amount of
information provided in encyclopedias can vary from a few paragraphs to
several pages. %here are two main types of encyclopedias: general and
subject-specific. 0eneral encyclopedias provide overviews on a variety
of topics. Su$5ect.specific encyclopedias contain many entries that all
focus on one field of study. %ypically, general encyclopedias are
published as multiple-volume sets whereas subject-specific encyclopedia
may be made up of one volume or multiple-volume sets.
hen should I use encyclopaedias&
when loo!ing for bac!ground information on a subject or topic.
when trying to find !ey ideas, important dates or concepts.
to get a basic context behind a subject or topic.
here can I find them&
>o to +ni,erso.e and try this resources:
!ritannica #general encyclopedia$.
3.9. Popular (non.scholarly) Sources.
37SP-P72S.
;ewspapers provide articles about current events and news. %here are newspapers
published locally and nationally. 2i!e journals and magaGines, newspapers are
-periodicals- because they are published regularly and a good percentage of
newspapers are published on a daily basis. &any newspapers also have their own
"eb sites with today1s news although they don1t necessarily provide free access to
bac! issues. ;ewspapers are made available to you by subscriptions purchased by
your library.
When should I use newspapers?
to find current information about international, national and local news.
to find editorials, commentaries, expert or popular opinions.
Where can I find them?
>o to your libraryH Iou will find your favourite magaGines displayed on
special stac!s.
(ome are also available on the "eb.
'-0-:I37S.
&agaGines publish articles on topics of popular interest and current events. &agaGine
articles are typically written by freelance writers or professional journalists and are
targeted to the general public. %hey often contain photographs and advertisements.
2i!e journals and newspapers, magaGines are called -periodicals- because they are
published at regular intervals throughout the year. Iou can find print magaGines at
newsstands and in libraries. (ome are now available on the "eb as electronic
magaGinesJ.
When should I use magazines?
to find information or opinions about popular culture.
to find up-to-date information about current events.
to find general articles written for people who are not necessarily
specialists in a topic area.
Where can I find them?
>o to your libraryH Iou will find your favourite magaGines displayed on
special stac!s.
(ome are also available on the "eb.
+inally, remember:
'f you want a one or more page summary or bac!ground information, try an
encyclopedia.
'f you are loo!ing for a more comprehensive analysis of your topic, loo! for
boo!s.
'f you are loo!ing for more detailed analysis on some aspect of your topic,
loo! for articles.
'f you are loo!ing for an objective accounts of an event, loo! for newspaper
articles.
'f you are loo!ing for more obscure or esoteric information, pop culture
topics, or historic primary documents, loo! for websites
(ource: =resentation by ,avier 9alGada =rado