Literature

Finding Literature

The topic of finding literature to reference for a position paper is a highly uninteresting topic however, I also know that it is a crucial skill to learn early on in university. In this weeks post I will be covering what types of literature I use and what types I avoid when searching, what tools I use to find them and how to make the search easier.

What I avoid:

•  Don't use Wikipedia: Anyone can edit Wikipedia, I had a friend who was listed as the mayor of cork for half a year.. need I say more?

•  Don't just google for any websites: Although some websites can be useful, the majority of the websites on the internet are not peer reviewed nor scholarly!

•  Don't use the majority of magazines and newspaper articles: Sometimes there might be an article which has been written by someone who knows their stuff, or who interviewed someone who knows their stuff but I've found this usually isn't the case.  

• Don't buy expensive academic books: Books can be valuable resources however the ones written by someone who has a PhD usually cost over $100 each so I'll gladly avoid these.

What I search for:

• Scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and articles: These can be found on the internet in easily accessible formats and are usually my first choice.

• Government published websites: Sometimes they know what they're talking about There is nothing they do not know.

• Library books: The easy way to access those expensive books, however sometimes it might be difficult finding specific books.

Searching tools:

Scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and articles
When I'm looking for scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and articles, I like to use Massey's library database search. The Massey library search function can be found at www.massey.ac.nz/massey/research/library/.

Government published websites
A simple google search with the word govt (or similar keyword, ex. gov) will usually return results but there usually aren't more than a couple of relevant results

Library books
I'd probably look for these in a library.. maybe

How to make the search easier:

• Use keywords: Make sure you're using keywords which are most relevant to your topic. Less words are usually better for finding more specific results.

• Use a phrase search: To search for a group of words in a specific order, surround the phrase with quotation marks. This allows for more accurate results.

• Use a date filter: Limit your search between a certain time period which is relevant to your topic or exclude results which are outdated.

• Use a file type filter: I like to search for files which are easily accessible (PDFs or websites containing journals/articles)

...And that's how I find my literature when I'm looking for academic resources. These methods have worked well for me many times in the past but I'm also aware that I don't have the most varied resource types so I'm open to any suggestions about more extensive methods.

Introduction

 Introductory Post 
For the next nine weeks I will be recording a series of blog posts for a communication paper I am taking over summer.

Where a summer is usually spent when a person isn't communicating for a university paper

Who am I?
My name is Jaco Wilhelm Uys but I prefer being called Wil. I was born in South Africa around 20 years ago but came to New Zealand at an early age so I've spent most of my life growing up and living in this awesome country. During my free time I enjoy being outdoors and exploring the many forests, lakes and beaches which New Zealand is filled with. If i'm not out and about I'll usually be drawing, producing music or reading. After finishing my degree in plant science I plan on traveling around the country and doing as much camping, kayaking and hiking as I can before heading overseas.

Why am I doing this and Where do I want to be?
After I finished high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study or if I even wanted to study further but I also didn't want to sit around doing nothing or working 40 hours a week. I had an interest in nature so this lead to me finding a year long course in horticulture and while it was good fun chilling in a garden and doing re-vegetation plantings in the bush for the most of the day, I felt the need to continue on to something more challenging. I searched through botany and horticulture related university courses and found Massey's Plant Science program which has lead me to taking the communication paper behind the creation of this blog.
I've looked at conservation and plant breeding for possible areas that I would like to work in after studying plant science at Massey. I want to work in these areas because I would like to make a positive impact on the world by researching and breeding plant varieties which:

• are more resilient
• are better grown in dry areas
• produce higher yields
• absorb more CO2 and produce more oxygen 
• produce larger quantities of medicinally used chemicals

Another potential summer location

How do I think this paper will help me?
One day I'll be living in a cabin in some remote forest but until then, communication will be an unavoidable and important aspect of getting things done in life so my expectation is that this paper will be helpful in many aspects of my future studies but in particular, group work, presentations and writing.

Future Posts
Over the next nine weeks, the posts I make will be about things I find interesting in the areas of Botany, Communication, Conservation and Science.