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How to do a literature search

This guide aids researchers in understanding how to perform an effective literature search. It outlines the significance of literature searches in academic research, emphasizing the need for a thorough grasp of your topic and its context. You'll discover various sources such as books, journal articles, and conference papers, along with tips on using citation databases and search techniques like wildcards and truncation. Furthermore, practical exercises are provided to enhance your skills and find relevant materials effectively.

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How to do a literature search

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  1. How to do a literature search Emma Coonan emc35@cam.ac.uk

  2. What is a literature search? • Searching for (chiefly) published work about a topic of your choice • Aiming to get a sound grasp of your topic and its context • Joining the academic dialogue

  3. 1. Where to look

  4. Your sources • Books - Newton (including eBooks) • Journals* - Newton; ejournals@cambridge * but you have to know (and search by) the journal title, not the journal article title

  5. Search by journal title on Newton

  6. … and on ejournals@cambridge

  7. Your sources • journal articles • book chapters • conference papers • Festschriften contributions • reports • reviews … ?

  8. What is a citation database? • Began as online indexes of journal articles • Expanded to contain other document types • Evolved in some cases into storage archives • May contain, or link through to, full text • Not comprehensive

  9. Explore your subject area

  10. 2. How to look

  11. Thinking about your topic • Napoleon OR Nelson (either name) • Napoleon AND Nelson (both names) • Napoleon NOT brandy (excluded word) • “Napoleon Bonaparte” (as a phrase)

  12. Thinking about your topic Trafalgar = (naval OR sea OR maritime OR marine) AND (battle OR conflict OR combat OR action …)

  13. Wildcards and truncation: ? and * ? replaces a character • ‘Wom?n’ finds ‘woman’ or ‘women’ • ‘Globali?ation’ finds British or American spelling * replaces any number of characters (including zero) • ‘Pig*’ finds ‘pig’, ‘pigs’, ‘pigmy’, ‘pigment’ ... • ‘Transfer*’ finds ‘transfer’, ‘transfers’, ‘transferable’, ‘transferability’ …

  14. Search exercise 1. Go to www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources and find the SCOPUS database 2. Search for material published from 2005 onwards on sustainable transport, with particular reference to cycling

  15. Check for links to full-text • Cupples, J., Ridley, E. Towards a heterogeneous environmental responsibility: Sustainability and cycling fundamentalism (2008) Area, 40 (2), pp. 254-264. • Cahill, M. Why the u-turn on sustainable transport? (2007) Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, 18 (4), pp. 90-103.

  16. Search exercise 1. Return to www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources and find Web of Knowledge 2. Search for material on cyberbullying among adolescents

  17. 3. Where to start?

  18. Start here … www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources/

  19. … or here ...

  20. Help and feedback • Slides and handouts at www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Courses/ • Evaluation forms • E-mail: user-education@lib.cam.ac.uk

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