This document provides guidance on finding and accessing resources for media and film studies research at the university. It outlines key resources such as reading lists, the library catalogue, journals, subject guides, and film databases. It then discusses effective search strategies, including defining keywords, using truncation, and utilizing Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT. Recommendations are also provided for citing sources using the Harvard referencing style and staying updated through the library blog and Twitter account.
15. Searching
Define your search terms clearly and simply
“The portrayal of young people in the media in
Northern Ireland”.
What are the key words or phrases?
Synonyms
youth/adolescent/teenager
Ulster
Broadcast (media), radio, TV,
(television)
17. Limit your search
Year range
Geographical area
Language
Type of publication
18. AND
This means that all terms must appear in
the results
This will NARROW your results down
e.g. youth AND media AND Northern
Ireland
19. OR
This means that any of the alternative
terms can appear
This will BROADEN the search out
e.g. adolescent OR youth
20. NOT/AND NOT
This will EXCLUDE terms
This will NARROW the search down
Use this with caution!
E.g. broadcast media NOT radio
21. TRUNCATION
This will keep you to find all variations of a
word
Most databases use the * symbol but
always check the HELP section to be sure
e.g. adolescen* will find adolescent,
adolescents and adolescence
22. Remember
Plan your search strategy in advance
Be prepared to be flexible
Make use of the HELP features in
databases
Evaluate your findings
Record your search strategy
Record your results
23. Film databases
Film Index International
International Film Archive
JISC Media Hub
(for others see subject pages)
29. Citation
Reference the articles/books/films you have consulted
to:
give credit to other authors' concepts and ideas
Provide evidence of the breadth and depth of your
reading
enable others to locate the references easily
avoid being accused of plagiarism
Harvard
http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/library/citing_referenc
es/docs/Citing_Refs.pdf
http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm