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PHYS 499 : Library Resources Guide

Resources & Tips for Physics Research for Seniors & Juniors

Welcome to the PHYS 499 Library Resources Guide

Welcome to the PHYS 499 course guide.  This guide covers resources available to you for researching information that will help you complete your course projects.  Some tabs also give some tips for searching library databases, and resources for specific projects.

Prior to our in-class Library Research Session: complete the pre-class activities below so you will get the most out of the in-class activities.

 

Need help figuring out what you're looking for, coming up with a research strategy, knowing which database to search, or finding something you need?  Ask me, Tracy Bicknell-Holmes, your librarian!

  • Contact info - under left navigation menu of this page
  • Fall consultation hours
    • Tuesdays 12noon-2:00pm & Thursdays 10:00am - 12:00 noon; Bronco Learning Commons, Library 1st floor
    • By appointment (in person or via zoom)

I know you're very busy! I'm available to meet evenings, weekends or early mornings if that works best for your schedule

 

Go to Albertsons Library button

Your Launch Point - the Library's Website @ https://boisestate.edu/library

Pre-Class Activities Part 1 (5-10 mins)

Please complete this anonymous, 4 question survey by Tuesday, January 28th at 5pm so the Physics Librarian/Professor can tailor the PHYS 499 library research session so it so it best helps you in your research.

PHYS 499 Pre-Session Survey

Find the Library Resources Guide for PHYS 499 in Canvas

Your librarian has created a resource guide for your class project. The PHYS 499 guide is linked directly to the course through Canvas.  Log into Canvas, go to PHYS 499. Find the "Library Resources" option in the left navigation bar. Look at the Library resources available - including room reservations and help via chat.  Find the link to the PHYS 499 Resources guide.  Click on the link and take a look at the guide.

 

Example of Library Resources in a Canvas course

Pre-Class Activities Part 2 - Complete Citation Manager Worksheet (30-40 mins)

What is a Citation Manager and why should I use one?

Citation manager software software allows you to:

  • Easily cite your sources
  • Create a personal library references and citations by importing citation information from indexes, databases, the Library's Catalog, and websites
  • Organize your references and share them with other researchers
  • Insert citations directly into your work processing documents using a plugin and easily create bibliographies

Once you have set up citation management software and become familiar with how it works, it can save you a lot of time and headache citing resources when you're writing, and creating a bibliography of sources or references in your papers.

NOTE: There are several different citation managers available. I recommend Zotero. It is open source, free, available from anywhere via the Internet, and has a low learning curve. If you have the time and are interested in how the various citation managers compare, take a look at Belmont University Medical Schools' guide Select a Citation Manager: EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero

 

Complete the Zotero Citation Manager Worksheet

We will be using the Zotero during our in-class Library Session. This worksheet will guide you through downloading the software and plugins, saving article records to Zotero and creating citations and a bibliography in a word processing document. Please complete this assignment before you come to class! 

If you encounter problems getting records into Zotero, send me an email at tracybicknell-holmes@boisestate.edu and we can do some troubleshooting.

 

Already using another citation manager like Mendeley or EndNote?

Complete the Citation Manager Exercise using your preferred software to make sure you know how to do all of the things we will be doing in class. Need some tips, go to the EndNote - Citation Manager or Mendeley (Rowan University).

Pro Tips: Preparing to do Research

Get Organized

Before you start your research, spend some time preparing and getting organized:

Identify the parameters of the topic such as scope, depth, purpose:

  • What is the purpose of the research?
  • Who is the audience?
  • What is the perspective (e.g. experimental, applied, exploratory)?
  • What is the expected end product?
  • How much time and money can be allocated to this project?

Clearly Define your Topic: Make a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables of interest. Make sure to list synonyms and related terms. As you search and discover new terminology, added it to your list.

Take Good Notes as you Research. This will help you develop your literature review later, and will help you keep track of which sources relate to your research and how. You may want to make note of:

  • The main ideas of the source
  • Questions or comments about the argument’s or author’s credibility
  • Key points or quotes that you might include in your paper with page numbers to locate them
  • Whether or not the source will be useful in your research paper and how

It can be helpful to Keep a search log. Think of this like a research notebook, but one that tracks your search strategy and results. Report the date, database, search string and filters, relevance of results and any other notes that might be useful if you get ideas later or can't remember what you found where.

Track your sources. Using citation manger software like EndNote Web, Zotero and Mendeley can help, and your notes can go right into the software with the citation attached.

  • Books: author, title, publisher, place of publication, date of publication, call number and other location information, content notes
  • Print Journal Articles:  author, title of article, journal title, volume and issue number, inclusive page numbers of article, date of issue, location information
  • Electronic Full-Text Articles: same information as for periodicals plus URL or DOI if available, date you accessed the article, producer (publisher or aggregator), library where or through which the database was accessed
  • Web sites: URL, date, producer, title or name, and the date you accessed the web page

Are you Off Campus? Log into my.boisestate.edu first

Many Library resources are paid for by the Library on your behalf, and come with strict licensing agreements. To use them, you will need to go through the Library's proxy server to authenticate you as a BSU affiliate. If you're using Google Scholar and have it set up to help you Find full text in the BSU Library's collection, you won't have access to the full text without authentication.

Log into myboiseState.edu before you start your research and single sign-on will take care of the authentication for you. By doing this you'll avoid the interruptions that come with authentication requests to put in your BSU user name and password to get to materials.

Set up Google Scholar, InterLibrary Loan and a Citation Manager

Before you start your research, take time to do the following if you haven't already done so:

  1. Set up Google Scholar to show Albertsons Library's collections. This makes it easier to find full text articles and reduces searching to find the books, documents, etc. available at BSU
  2. Set up your Interlibrary Loan account, so you can easily request articles and books that BSU's Library doesn't own 
  3. Set up a citation manager account for EndNote Online, Zotero, or Mendeley, so you can manage your citations and references

All of these options are free, and will reduce the interruptions you face you do your research. You'll find resources in the pages of this guide to help you accomplish these things.