1. GEOL415/515:
Utilizing science
databases
Laksamee Putnam
Research & Instruction Librarian
lputnam@towson.edu
Slides:
http://bit.ly/GEOLmoore2012

2. First…
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 Cook Library Reference:
 410.704.2462.
 IM/email
 Phone: 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
 Albert S. Cook facebook profile!
 Slides: http://bit.ly/GEOLmoore2012

3. A quick plug…
 The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel by
Steven Galloway, is the One Maryland
One Book selection for 2012. A book
club discussion is planned!
 When: Wednesday October 10th from
12:30-1:30PM
 Where: Cook Library Rm 507
 What: This meeting will begin with
Nicole Dombrowski Risser, Associate
Professor in the Department of History
providing background on The Cellist of
Sarajevo, a poignant novel about the
impact of music in modern warfare.

4. Agenda
 Discuss the TED video
 Create a RefWorks Account
 Break down your topic
 Search for articles

5. To start us off
 TED video –
 Eli Praser- Beware Online Filter Bubbles
http://xkcd.com/386/

6. RefWorks

7. Ideas
 Thinkup keywords for your topic
 Establish key concepts you want to find
out more about

8. How to use keywords
 What kind of effects do urban farms have on the
environment?
effect* “urban farm” environment
influence “urban agriculture” ecology
evaluation city cultivation soil system
prediction
effect* OR influence OR evaluation OR prediction
AND
“urban farm” OR “urban agriculture” OR city cultivation
AND
environment OR ecology OR soil system

9. Subject Specific Databases
 Which databases
are you currently
familiar with?
 There are more
 Your access will
vary

10. Small groups of 3-4
 Eachgroup choose a different database
to analyze:
 Scopus
 Science Direct
 GeoRef
 Academic Search Premier
 Cook OneSearch

11. Topic: Urban farms and the
environment
 Which words seemed to find the best
results? Synonyms?
 Is there an advanced search?
 Can you access full text?
 What features of the database were
useful? (time limit, peer reviewed option,
citations etc.)
 Problems?

12. Present your database
 Scopus
 Science Direct
 GeoRef
 Academic Search Premier
 Cook OneSearch

13. Features to remember
 Use the database to find synonyms
 Check the abstract
 Limitation tools – Time frame, Information type
 References Cited/Times Cited
 Citation creation
 Compose lists
 Import to RefWorks
 Interlibrary Loan - Illiad

14. Other places to search
 Google Scholar
 Advanced search features
 Can you access the full text?
 Where is the information coming from?
 Check the library Journal List
 USGS Website

15. Start Searching
 Startlooking for articles on your topic and
putting them into RefWorks

16. Next…
 Groupsof 3-4 will schedule appointments
to meet with me
 Bring at least 3-4 articles you have found for
your annotated bib
 We will discuss how your search is going,
what has worked for you, and what themes
you see developing in your research.

17. Questions?
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 Cook Library Reference:
 410.704.2462.
 IM/email
 Phone: 410.704.3746.