Learning about research and information from the Covid-19 pandemic. No.6 Research builds on earlier research so remember to reference.

Research and referencing

Have you heard the story of how Pythagoras came up with his new theorem while bathing and jumped out of the bath crying "Eureka"? (See the start of the TED-Ed video below if you want to hear the story).

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that it worked like that and neither does any research and discovery which is carried out today. It is thought Pythagoras travelled widely and is highly likely to have been influenced by the architecture and construction work in places like Egypt and Babylon where he would have seen the principle working in practice. He may have been the first to prove it, however.

Research always builds on earlier research.. Scientists won't suddenly just come up with a treatment or vaccine for Covid-19 by sitting on a beach somewhere waiting for inspiration, they will be using previous research on subjects like viruses (especially Coronaviruses), the human immune system, DNA and what was done in previous pandemics for example, as well as testing new vaccines. The idea of using the blood from someone (full text is available on Gale Infotrac/ FE News) who has recovered from Covid-19 and giving it to someone who has the disease was tried in the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 when they did not have a vaccine. The Covid-19 scientists may have been using some trial and error with this idea too but the idea was based on something that worked in the past. Scientists are currently sharing information regularly and if you look at any of the Covid-19 research sites (e.g. Cambridge Fighting COVID website and the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium) you will see academics quoting and referring to other scientists' work as well as talking about the work they are doing themselves. They show how they have used previous research and other researchers' work.

How is this relevant to my research?

• It is always good academic practice to cite in text and reference everything you read and refer to in your assignments or presentations. Not to do this is plagiarism.
• Referencing shows you have read widely and if you show how it backs up your conclusions, your arguments are more likely to be objective and credible.
• References help someone reading your work follow the research back and give them other places to go for their research (just as you can use references in an author's bibliography for research).
• Your lecturer may disagree with your point of view but if you can show where you have found your information you are unlikely to be marked down.
• Referencing saves you copying and pasting large swathes of text (and going over your word count!) into your assignment as you can refer to some research, cite it and just summarise the relevant points in your own words. (Those who want to know more can check using the reference).
• Cite the author and year of publication throughout your assignment and then the full reference at the end (listed in alphabetical order by author).
• ARU and UCP use the Harvard referencing system and their website has examples for all sorts of resources you may use.
• The LRC has a referencing tutorial with quizzes you can do in the How do I? section of the LRC web pages on the Student Portal.

Learning about research and information in the Covid-19 pandemic. No.5 Finding and using statistics

Finding and using statistics

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us have been watching the daily briefing from the government and a regular part of this has been reporting on the number of cases and deaths as well as displaying a number of graphs.

Statistics (or data) are more than just numbers and have been used to predict the need for more hospital provision, PPE, to look for the peak of the infection, the "flattening of the curve" and to inform government decisions about social distancing, for example. We've seen they can tell a story, they can help us understand what is happening, they can show trends and inform theories.

Statistics however, are just numbers without context. The number of Covid deaths, though large and too many (especially for those directly affected), on their own mean nothing unless you can compare this to the normal expected death rate last year, for example. We also need to know what is being counted. Only recently have care home deaths been included in the figures.

Statistics have been used to compare and contrast. We have been able to see the UK death rate in comparison to other countries. They meant decision-makers drew similarities between the UK and Italy for example at the beginning of the epidemic. However, at the same time, statistics are to be viewed with caution. No one will truly understand what the statistics mean until the pandemic is over and lessons can be learned. Statistics ideally should be viewed with some analysis.

In the video below from the BC's Andrew Marr Show, Professor David Spiegelhalter (an expert) talks about the whole complex issue of using statistics during the Coronavirus crisis and why numbers on their own aren't always helpful. Also, he discusses how statistics can be used to help measure risk and put things in perspective.


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Using statistics in your research and assignments.

• Statistics are great sources to use for showing the scale of a problem or issue you are writing about and to make comparisons. Use them to show trends over time and predictions.
• Make sure you get your statistics from reputable sources. ONS (Office of National Statistics) collate a lot of information and make it available on their website. Specialist organisations e.g. charities also collect data on their particular area of expertise.
• It is worth checking what the numbers mean.  What definition was used to identify what was counted? For example, Mintel (a marketing database UCP students can access) uses information from MORI polls and outlines this on the website. 
• UCP students also have access to a database called Statista. By using this resource you know the statistics have come from reputable sources. Analysis is provided too and it has a section devoted to directing users to publications and websites where they can find statistics online for free.
• If you have a lot of data, try to present it in a graph or pie chart. Visual representation usually means more to the reader (and uses less words!). Try different types until you find the one which makes your point best.
• Always show where you have got your statistics from (i.e. reference).
• Be aware that people with an agenda may use and even manipulate statistics  to bolster their argument. Think critically as you read.
• Be wary of making statistics say what you want them to say - unless they really do. 

Learning about research and information during the Covid-19 pandemic No.4 Avoid fake news, conspiracy theories and misinformation - evaluate!

Evaluate your information sources

The World Health Organisation has called the recent spread of false information an "infodemic" that is "spreading faster than the virus". There have been claims of 5G causing the virus, that it can be cured by eating bat soup, claims that the virus was manufactured in a lab in Wuhan and even the US president himself is reported to have suggested injecting disinfectant (although he says this was taken out of context).

This isn't anything new - Samuel Pepys in his diaries at the time of the Great Plague (1665-6) wrote about different rumours spreading and he himself was frightened to wear a wig in case it spread infection as these were made from the hair of plague victims.

We have posted previous posts about Fake News and although it is particularly an online phenomena, all resources should be evaluated. The tabloids, for example, are published, edited and available in print, but a lot of the information they report cannot necessarily be trusted.

Have a look at this BBC video to understand how misinformation spreads and how to stop it.

How does this relate to student research?

• When doing research, check your sources. You are looking mainly to use academic resources which are of good quality and written by experts. Opinions may vary but they are formed by people who know their subject.
• Library online databases are collections of articles and resources which come from reputable sources. Start here and you will avoid the rubbish.
• When using the web, look at who has written the information and which organisation the website represents (and are they credible? do they have a particular agenda?).
• If using social media, look for the tick to be sure you are reading the official feed or account. Also does it trace back to a trusted website?
• Where possible validate a theory or fact by finding it in more than one source. If someone quotes someone else, find the original source if you can.
• Also remember though that public perception and rumours are a valid aspect of any issue too. (Revolutions have started fuelled by such things). You may refer to fake news and conspiracy theories, for example, but you will need to explain them and remain objective.

Learning about research and information from the Covid-19 pandemic. No.2. The most current information is found online.

For the most current and up-to-date information, look online.

While books and journals are useful and valuable for background reading, they are not the best resources for keeping up to date where new discoveries are being made and communicated everyday as is the case with the fight against the Covid-19 virus.

The last few weeks have seen universities and research institutes create new websites, twitter feeds and blogs to help share information as quickly as possible so others working on the virus can benefit from what they have learned. Together by sharing information they hope to build on each other's research and create tests, treatments and vaccines as quickly as possible. They can also be share the information quickly globally. An example of  scientists and academics from different institutions working together in the UK is the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium. 

The Cambridge Fighting COVID website is sharing information through a weekly update (via zoom and then the recording is made available afterwards). It may be considered by some to be raw and unpolished communication in this form (it is not edited with revisions like a book) but it is current, useful and credible (i.e. provided by the scientists and researchers themselves).

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/covid-19-virus-coronavirus-pandemic-4922384/

How does this apply to student research?

When researching a topic for an assignment, even if you use books and journal articles, it is always useful to refer to the most up to date developments too. Look online for trustworthy websites and social media.

In order to keep up to date whilst pulling together resources for your research, you may want to consider:-

• following key twitter feeds, blogs or Instagram accounts etc. 
• setting up alerts in library/ LRC databases so you are emailed when something new appears in the database on your chosen topic. 
• setting up saved searches you can re- run at intervals to pick up anything new.
  In order to do the last 2 options, you will usually need to set up an account within the database (this may be a further step to your OpenAthens login).

For recent events, newspaper articles and reputable news websites will be the best place to look. Websites like the BBC will even have some analysis on how things are understood at the time as events unfold but be aware time may prove that analysis to be wrong. (A historian would find this useful in itself as evidence of how people were interpreting the events at the time).

Over time more and more research on Covid-19 will probably be published formally in journals and books by the experts involved but I suspect at the moment there isn't time!

Learning about research and information from the Covid-19 pandemic -No.1. Primary and secondary research

Learning about research and information from the Covid-19 pandemic

There is lots that can be learned from the current crisis about information in its various forms and how best to do academic research as we experience these strange times. This is the first in a mini series of blog posts which explore some key "lessons" inspired by examples from the current crisis. Not sure how? - well read on......

No. 1 Primary and secondary research

Recently there has been a lot of news footage showing scientists working in labs with test tubes and various bits of machinery. Lab technicians are trying to understand the new virus, how it affects different people, how to test for it, and how to develop a vaccine against it, for example.
These scientists (who are lecturers, students and academics) are carrying out primary research as opposed to secondary research because (to put it simply) they are actually doing the research on the virus themselves- they are not reading what someone else has written about it.

If you look at some of the new academic websites on Covid-19 research you will see that they also refer to journal articles and other resources they have read (quite possibly provided through their institution's library!) - on Coronaviruses or SARS, for example - to help them understand Covid-19.  This is secondary research because they are reading what other writer(s) have previously written up following the primary research they have carried out. The Covid-19 scientists then apply this knowledge when they decide how to carry out their primary research. They in time write up what they discover and this is read by others as secondary research.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk
https://pixabay.com/photos/laboratory-analysis-diagnostics-2815639/

Whilst most of the primary research is focusing on the science at the moment there are also other forms of primary research going on largely through collecting statistics (e.g. cases and deaths) and also through surveys and interviews (e.g. how are people feeling about lockdown? What is the impact on small businesses as a result of the crisis?).

How does this apply to me?
A number of UCP students (e.g. Psychosocial degree students) are about to start their Undergraduate Major Projects and some of them will be carrying out primary research through questionnaires and surveys. However,

• Primary research isn't enough on it's own, it relies on secondary research
• Secondary research is used to introduce and understand the topic- it provides context so you should include this in your project.
• Secondary research will help you formulate the right questions or research process in the first place to get the best results.
• Your secondary research will help throw a light on the results of the primary research and help you to draw conclusions at the end.

Why not follow the example of the Covid-19 scientists? It may not be a matter of life and death for you but it could get you a good grade!

Research Labs

New to the LRC: Research Labs

This month in the LRC we have introduced three research labs which can be booked out by students for research purposes. Students can book the labs at the main LRC desks and staff will be available to help students with their research and signpost them to the many resources that the LRC has to offer.

Photo of LRC Research Lab

Students are able to book out laptops and link up to the large screens at the back of each lab.

Finding Resources for your Assignments

From 13th January we will be running daily drop in sessions from 12.15 – 1pm to assist students to Find Resources for their Assignments. If you are studying at PRC or UCP and you would like guidance to find books on the LRC catalogue, search our electronic resources for information or would like help using eBooks, you can come along to the research labs where a member of the LRC team will assist you.

Learn about Academic Journals and how to use them.

What are Academic Journals?

Journals or periodicals are academic publications which are made up of articles which experts write to record new research and to discuss new developments in their field. For subjects like science and technology these can be particularly useful as new research is being produced all the time.

Many journals are published electronically and readers subscribe online. The library in a College or University usually subscribes to collections of these so students can use them in their study. Journals and journal articles are usually bundled together into databases with a search engine facility to help find the articles you need.

Click on the link below to see a video about journals that Nottingham University has created.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nmp/sonet/rlos/ebp/journals/what_are_journals/page_one.html

You can also find links to articles on Google Scholar, but you cannot guarantee that this will give you access to the full text of the article. You may need to search again for the full text article within the library databases.
ARU students can link Google Scholar to the ARU Digital Library and can access full text articles as long as they have logged in to the ARU library site first.

Print journals available in the LRC.
You can search for past articles in Gale FE News and Reference

LRC Academic Journals

The LRC at Peterborough Regional College provides access to Academic OneFile and General OneFile which include a range of journal articles on different topics. These are available from the LRC's Electronic Resources page on Moodle as part of the Gale FE News and Reference resource. UCP students also have access to a wide range of journal articles through ARU's Digital Library. 

New online learning package on Moodle

The LRC has just created a new e-learning activity which explains what academic journals are and how to use them with quizzes and activities along the way. So if you've wondered what abstracts or open access journals are or how to referencing journal articles then this could be for you. To find this go to the How Do I? section on our LRC 24/7 Moodle page.

Online access to Vogue magazines, photos and articles

Vogue Archive

Did you know that as a student or member of staff at PRC or UCP you have free access to the full archive of American Vogue from it's first issue in 1892 until the latest edition. The link to this is found on the Electronic Resources page on Moodle.

This includes photography, fashion, articles, adverts - in fact whole (in most cases) digitised copies of the original magazines which you can use as part of your course or for your own interest.

We advise you to use the Advanced search as then you can search specifically - for a particular accessory or fashion item , for example, or look for images by a particular photographer/ fashion designer. Alternatively if you want to look through whole magazines, you can browse individual issues.

For a comprehensive guide to using this resource click here. Alternatively ask a member of LRC staff to show you if you are unsure.

Fashion Show photo by AhmadArdity (CC0 Creative Commons)
from  https://pixabay.com/en/fashion-show-fashion-catwalk-model-1746581/
(Not from the Vogue Archive)

Who may find this useful?

Art students - Look at textile design or use the resources to inspire your own designs. Look at fashion or textiles as an art form and see it in it's context so you can understand what influences certain designs at certain times.

Photography students - Look at techniques used for fashion photography and photographing people. Study the lighting used perhaps or look for examples of effects you would like to create.

Media and Journalism students - Look at journalism styles and content through time or currently. Study and soak up techniques used in one of the leading fashion journals.

Hair and Beauty students - You can view hairstyle and make-up trends at a particular time in history and read the techniques used to create the various styles at the time. The more recent issues will show more up to date trends.

Performing Arts students - Like hair and beauty students you can see how actors should dress and look in something set in the past or in the fashion industry and try to recreate these authentically for a production.

Marketing students - Look at advertising and brand creation either currently or through time and within one industry (i.e. fashion).

Sociology students who for example want to look at how gender and class are portrayed over time or within or through fashion or advertising might find this useful. Images give an idea of popular culture at a particular time.

Anyone interested in fashion who has an interest in fashion (historical or present day).

Google - tips and pitfalls

Using Google to search

A large number of us use Google as the search engine of choice, but is it really the best way to search for information for your academic work?

Google searches for information using algorithms - a set of automated rules which are applied as it trawls for keywords you've put in the search box. Google does not index everything and there is a lot of good information in the hidden web (not to be confused with the dark web!) which will never find it's way in to Google results. The hidden web includes contents of specific databases and collections held by organisations which haven't made these searchable by Google.

The problem is that Google does not exist first and foremost to bring back the information you require. It exists to make money in advertising revenue and so your top links are likely to be sponsored links (whether they are relevant or not). It will often put the most popular results first and you may not want the most popular - you want the most relevant.

Google tracks your use - either by your login or IP address and remembers what you searched for and this will influence what results are brought back in future. Google will assume you want information  from the country in which you are searching  and in the language in which you typed. It tries to mould it's results to you and so two people can get totally different results from the same search.

That said, its academic arm Google Scholar is a useful tool for students for finding articles and papers, but again does not give access to everything. Also, full text access will still often only be available with your University login.

For more information, see the relevant chapter in Phil Bradley's book Expert Internet Searching. available in the LRC.

Image CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/magnifying-glass-google-76520/

Tips for using Google effectively

• If you want to keep your searches private so your searches can't be tracked, you can apply relevant settings or delete search history.
• Use Advanced search to be more specific about your search. You will find this hidden in the Settings menu.
• Use Google Scholar if you want to search academic resources. You can set it just to search just for sources provided by ARU, for example, but you will need to log in to the ARU Digital library first to read the resources. You may want to try turning off the settings too to see everything else that is indexed.
• Use the image search for photographs and images.
• Put words in speech marks to keep them as a phrase "University of Peterborough", "health and safety"  "prime minister". Google tends to look for words next to each other first anyway, but using speech marks is standard for phrase searching in most databases.
• Save typing by using an asterisk (*) to indicate missing letters. Paint* will search for paint, paints, painting, paintings, painter, painters.
• Type the most important search word first in the search box.
• If you just want to search for sites from a particular country type site:.uk (before your keywords), for example, for UK sites. If you just want results from UK government sites, for example, use site:.gov.uk before your search term(s).

Further resources

Massachusetts Institute of Technology have a useful guide to searching Google (but setting Google Scholar up for MIT is not relevant unless you study there!).
The University of Bedfordshire have some useful Google Scholar tips on their library site.
Google itself has provided some video "power searching" courses which you can work through.

Top tips for new UCP students

Welcome to new degree students at UCP

This week we started delivering some inductions and tours to new degree students at UCP. Next week we will have a stand at UCP Freshers.

Once you go to University, the emphasis changes to you doing far more of your own research rather than just being given information. You need to learn how to search for information in a range of different resources.

Some pointers to help you start using Library Services 

• Degree students are allowed to take out 14 books from the Learning Resource Centre at Peterborough Regional College. We are your main print library.
• UCP students have their own PC area (please book at the desk) but can use any computers in the LRC if they wish.
• The LRC is open until 7 Monday to Thursday and in vacations and it's much quieter then if you want to get some work done.
• UCP students have access to books at Anglia Ruskin University but must collect and return them to Guild House. (You can request them online).
• Black and white printing in the LRC is free, but you need to use your PRC login to get on to the computers in the first place.
• The LRC librarians deliver some of the Study Excellence Sessions at UCP on Mondays and Thursdays 1-2 pm. Do come and see us. Topics include Beyond Google, Using images, Evaluating information, E-books and Box of Broadcasts.

UCP student PC area in the Learning Resource Centre

Anglia Ruskin Digital Library

• You have access to a wealth of resources through this online library.
• When you are outside the UCP building, you need to login first to see the text of the resources.
• We strongly advise you look at the subject guide for your course as it will show you key databases and resources relevant to your subject.
• Familiarise yourselves with searching the catalogue and the databases now while you don't have any assignments so that when you come to do some research you can spend time actually researching rather than learning how everything works.
• Follow the instructions on the screen for accessing different resources to ensure you have full access.
• Staff in the LRC can help you if you are unsure or have trouble finding what you need.

Top tips for starting university

To finish I found this article from the BBC featuring their Top 10 tips for starting university

Health and Safety at Work and finding trustworthy organisation websites

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

On the 28th April, it is World Day for Safety and Health at Work so we thought we would take a look at resources which may help when learning about health and safety. It is something which affects the workplace but is also relevant to the home, for example.

Most  (if not all) vocational courses at College cover this topic and everyone who works needs to know about it. You may even be asked about it in an interview. Health and Safety covers anything from use of computers and manual handling to fire safety to working with chemicals, food or specific tools.

Finding quality websites on health and safety

When using the internet to help with research, it is best to concentrate on information from trusted organisations. For example:

Government departments - identify these by the .gov at the end of the URL e.g. www.hse.gov.uk is the Health and Safety Executive website and www.food.gov deals with food hygiene. The Health and Safety Act  itself (plus other legislation) can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37 .

Charities and other trusted organisations - identify these by the .org at the end of the URL e.g. e.g. http://www.safetygroupsuk.org.uk (Safety Groups UK - a  charity that promotes health and safety).
You may find a .com website useful like The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (https://www.rospa.com/) but as a rule you need to treat these sites with care as anyone can set up a .co.uk or .com website whereas organisations and government departments can only register to use the .org and .gov websites.

Hospitals and NHS websites - identify these by the .nhs.uk at the end of the URL. The NHS patient safety website has all sorts of interesting information for those of you working in/ studying Health and Social Care particularly.

Academic websites, identified by the .ac.uk web extension, can also be trusted but perhaps not so relevant here. The College's moodle site (including your course page) has .ac.uk at the end of the main URL and includes information and resources created by your Lecturers.

If you are not sure, take a look at the About Us section of the website (if there isn't one, think twice about using it). Who are they? Who writes the website? What is their experience/ qualifications?

Google tip: To restrict your search to just government websites, for example, use site:.gov.uk in your search (Others would be site:.nhs.uk or site.ac.uk or site:.org.uk). You can also do this site:.uk to just find UK sites - something that is very important with anything to do with legislation. Other countries do not have the same standards and laws for health and safety as the UK although much may be the same.

Other online resources

The Health and Safety Executive website has a list of the ten worst Health and Safety myths. They also have a collection of videos on their website and a related YouTube channel. These include case studies and examples where health and safety has gone wrong.

They also have an e-learning package Slips and Trips which is free to use.

The Jisc Hairdressing Training resource (available from our Electronic Resources page on Moodle) has an activity where hairdressing students can test their knowledge of Health and Safety when blow-drying hair. It includes particular hazards in a salon environment like turning heating tongs off and not leaving them unattended, safety with perm solutions and keeping the salon clean.

Use Infotrac to find examples in the news or in magazines which demonstrate what happens if health and safety good practice isn't followed or where accidents have happened.

Remember also, that we have books too. The general books are at 363.11 with other subjects having specialised books in their own areas (e.g. construction 692.9 or 624.0684).

Human Anatomy Online Resource

Primal Pictures Human Anatomy Resource

Are you a Health and Social Care, Sports or science student? Perhaps you have to learn about the skin as a beauty student or about health and fitness as a public services student? Do you want some different activities to help you revise the human body for your exams? 

Human Skeleton
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=241967&picture=human-skeleton

The LRC has the ideal online learning resource for you on their Electronic Resources Moodle page. If you are a tutor and would like to put the link on your course pages, please let the LRC know and we will send you the relevant information.

Primal Pictures provides a complete and medically accurate online 3D model of the human anatomy. It is derived from genuine medical scan data that has been interpreted by a team of anatomists and then translated into 3D images by graphic specialists. Parts of the body can be seen in different layers by digitally peeling the layers back or adding them on. All text is written by medical specialists. 

In addition to graphics, there is information on

• aging (how that part of the anatomy ages), 
• clinical conditions, 
• case studies (sports, health & social care or medically related) to discuss or on which to answer questions
• module quizzes to test your knowledge.

In the top right hand area, you will  notice some pages have interactive learning activities. These can be colouring and labeling activities (a great way to mix revision and mindfulness!), 'click a structure' activities where you can click over an image to see what areas are called and also links to the module quizzes.

There is a demonstration video from YouTube below but a link to the tutorial video to help you use the resource is available on the Electronic Resources page with the link to the resource itself. If you are tutor and would like a member of LRC staff to give a demonstration (to students or staff) or take a hands-on training session for this resource, please contact the LRC. Further help is also available by just coming in and asking us! We'd be happy to help.

Focusing your topic

Help with choosing an assignment topic and breaking a topic down.

LRC staff have been going in to a lot of groups over at UCP (University Centre Peterborough) and also holding 1:1 dissertation sessions with students this year. One skill lots of students find difficult is deciding exactly on what specific topic to pursue. As it was World Thinking Day this week, we thought it an ideal opportunity to think a little about this in our blog. Please note: the examples used below are used to show a process rather than as a recommendation of a good title. Always check your topics with your tutor.

1) Start with a large general topic of interest - something you are naturally interested in, but also which is relevant to your course.
 For example, Marketing, Social media,  employment law, blood, health and safety, mental health.

Image (CC0) by Mohamed Hassan https://pixabay.com/en/light-bulb-inspiration-ideas-2652929/

2) Is there an aspect of that topic more specifically that interests you? Can you break it down further? If you have a few options, note these down and as you start searching consider going for the topic which gives you the most results/ resources which you can use. If you are getting too many results, you probably need to consider breaking it down further.
Following on from the examples above, you might decide to focus on digital marketing, twitter, equal pay legislation, white blood cells, fire safety, depression.

3) Can you break your topic down (or be more specific) by providing a context?
For example, within a particular industry, in a particular setting, in a particular environment, within a particular sport, within a particular type of organisation, within a specific species or within a certain profession.
Continuing with my examples we might choose,

• Digital marketing in the hospitality industry
• Use of twitter by broadcasting companies
• The impact of equal pay legislation on the entertainment industry
• New developments in fire safety in the hospitality industry
• White blood cells in dogs
• How depression is portrayed in TV soaps. 

You may find results then on one context and be interested in seeing if you can apply it to another context or to make a comparison between them.

CC0 image by qimono https://pixabay.com/en/question-mark-pile-question-mark-2492009/ 

4) You then may want to be even more specific. You could define this further by age group or particular sort of restaurant, by country or time period. You could also define by a particular goal or aim. If you have started searching as you go, again, you might have seen certain issues coming up more frequently and there may be particular aspects trending currently. Choose an area where the resources exist and with information you understand. Make sure it is relevant to your course subject.

So again, how about,

• Use of digital marketing to teenagers by fast food chains.
• Comparison of the use of twitter by different Radio stations to encourage customer feedback from their audiences.
• The impact of equal pay legislation on the film industry, particularly in Hollywood.
• What changes are the hospitality industry implementing to reduce fires in kitchens?
• The causes and treatment of low white blood cell count in domestic dogs.
• How the portrayal of depression in TV soaps has changed over the last 5 years.

 If you need any help with finding resources to help you decide what to use as your topic, please ask a member of staff in the LRC. We can also combine this with a classroom session on searching for information (e.g. databases).

Note-taking from reading

Note-taking from reading

Last week, we focused on reading for your assignments. This time, we are looking at the process of taking notes as you read.

Each person needs to find the way that works best for them. Some students will prefer to be more traditional with linear notes like lists and bullet points. Others will prefer to be more visual and use mind maps and spider diagrams. Some will write freehand on paper and others will prefer to type using a computer. Below, are a few tips (largely taken from the further reading resources below) which are relevant whichever way you use.

Photo CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/student-concentrated-preparation-1178024/

• Prepare beforehand - remind yourself what you are taking notes about and what exactly you are trying to find out. This will ensure that from the outset you are aiming to keep your notes relevant.

• Decide how you want to organise your notes. Are you going to have different page for each theme or argument?  Remember to number your pages as well as you go so that you can read them back in the right order!

• You may want to start by highlighting or underlining text. This is especially useful with e-books as you can save highlighted text in different colours and annotations and access them from your bookshelf (remember to log in first). Please don't do this in library books!

• Notes should be brief. Avoid full sentences. Create your own abbreviations and use them consistently.

• Leave space before moving to a new point so you can add details later (perhaps from another source).

• Don't try and write down everything. Initially try reading without your pen in your hand (or hands on the keyboard/ mouse) to resist the temptation to do so.

• Try and write in your own words where possible. This shows you have understood what you are reading and you will need to do this when you come to write your assignment anyway.

• Note viewpoints and arguments, not just facts, making sure you also note who the viewpoints belong to. You may want to decide on a specific way to record your views as you go along.

• Note names and quotations exactly including page numbers and resource details for your citations and bibliography.

Sources and further reading 

The LRC has Stella Cottrell's book The Study Skills Handbook (shelved at 371.3) which has a section on note-making.

We also have an e-book Improving your study skills: study smart. Study Less. by Shelley O'Hara which has a chapter on taking notes. Read this in college or outside using your PRC network login.

ARU has a note-making guide which covers note-taking from lectures as well as from reading.

The SkillsYouNeed website also gives some useful note-taking advice.

OneNote

PRC computers have OneNote software on them so you can create your own online notebooks with sections and add notes, links, images etc. A useful feature is that the URL of anything copied from the internet is automatically added. There is of course other software and apps available which you may prefer to use.

Evaluating information - celebrity endorsements and advertising

Evaluating information

In the LRC we are always keen to encourage students (and staff) to be careful when using the internet for finding information. We want everyone to look critically at the information they find before deciding whether it can be used as a source for an assignment.

Advertising and celebrity endorsements

Be aware of websites - especially company websites - which are selling something. If hairdressing and beauty students are looking for information on the human skin, for example, they may find plenty of websites from companies selling skin products which also have pages explaining how the skin works. Much of this information may be correct and they may have consulted with dermatologists but they will probably have paid them to give information that helps sell their product (and perhaps leave out other information), for example. We would recommend using our Primal anatomy online resource, for example, as an alternative.

With the royal engagement this week, some magazines are talking about Meghan Markle the brand and what products she uses. Companies search for high profile people to say they use their products as this can make a lot of difference. Do you look at a celebrity social media account, for example, and decide a product must be good if favourite celebrity uses it?This is called influencer marketing and can be very subtle. Companies can even dress adverts up as news stories. See the South Park video below for a humorous take on this.

 However, Celebrity endorsements do not mean that the products are necessarily the best and the Advertising Standards Authority have ruled that it is now illegal for a celebrity to endorse a product without indicating this in any posts they make on social media.

Listen to a BBC podcast here about why you cannot always trust adverts online.

How do I know if what I read online is an advert?

All celebrity social media accounts (twitter, vlogs, blogs etc) must now by law indicate whether any content is a result of a commercial relationship - i.e. the celebrity is being paid to endorse a product by the company which makes it (i.e. there is a commercial relationship). You will also notice that Google indicates where it's results (usually first in the list) are adverts - so you know they have been paid to put these results first rather than that they are necessarily most relevant to your search. So, think twice where there is #ad  or #adfeature in an online post or website and avoid using the content in an assignment. Smilarly you might also notice the phrases "sponsored content" or "ad or promotion". Avoid this content and instead look for information from recognised organisations (charities, government departments, authorities, associations) or academic institutions. Look for the About link to find out about the organisation/ person behind the website.

The Advertising Standards Authority have more information on this on their website.
Have a look at their advice on identifying when something is an advert.
If you are a marketing student, you may like to read about the Oreo lick race case which led to this standard being introduced or even better read the article through our Infotrac resource.

Info Trac - online newspaper articles and journals

Online newspaper and journal database

This week, we've been going in to some Journalism groups down at MJC to explain Harvard referencing but also to show them how to access the electronic resources which are made available to PRC students by the Learning Resource Centre. When you use these, you know you are using quality resources which when used in your assignments can get you extra marks.

Newspaper articles are great for finding examples to illustrate points in your assignments (or crimes, accidents, new buildings, events etc.). Journals articles are generally short informative pieces often about a more detailed aspect of a topic.

One particular resource which is useful for all students is InfoTrac - a database of newspaper and journals database.
Have you noticed that a lot of newspaper websites are now restricting the number of articles you can view or they cut off the article half way through with an advert encouraging you to subscribe? Have you looked for journal articles and found that the site wants payment?

If you use InfoTrac, you will not have to pay for access, you just need to follow the link from the electronic resources page on Moodle (under the Learning Resource Centre tab) and if asked (outside PRC), choose Shibboleth access, then Peterborough Regional College and input your network login and password.

There are a range of video tutorials to help you. See the video tutorial below for a basic guide to searching for journal articles (our database includes newspaper articles and these can be searched with the journals or separately in the same way).

More tutorials are found here.

If you are a student at UCP, you have access to a number of journal databases similar to this. The ARU digital library gives you access to Academic OneFile which you use in much the same way as the PRC database (and you have access to both).

Keywords and Topic Finder

Searching for information digitally or in books relies on you first thinking of different keywords which the authors may have used related to your topic. InfoTrac has a really useful feature to help you with this called Topic Finder. It  finds other topics related to your search and displays them in tile or wheel format. You can then click on any tile or segment to see results from the database. When we've shown this to students in sessions, they have been impressed. See the video below and then have a go.

If you want any more information or help in using newspapers and journals in your work or searching for information, please do ask in the Learning Resource Centre. We can also do demonstrations or sessions in classes or with groups if requested.

Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green event

Be Healthy, Stay Safe, Be Green

Yesterday was the College's annual Be Healthy, Stay Safe, Be Green event and the LRC had a stall at this. We enjoyed talking to students who came to our table and asked them what their prescription for a healthier life would be. Here are some of the suggestions:

Stay healthy

Love yourself

Love life

Be positive

Enthusiasm

Physical exercise (football)

Eat healthy food

Drink water

Stop smoking

Eat less fast food!!!

Smile and have fun

Always make the most of everything

Friendship

Read more

Less stress, less worry!

Eating better!

No drugs

Work hard, relax, exercise

Eat fruit and vegetables - 5 a day.

Student prescriptions for a healthier life
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

National Wellbeing Statistics

Statistics are useful sources of information and the Office of National Statistics website is a good place to start for all sorts of UK statistics (crime, population, employment etc.). Each year they report on the nation's wellbeing. Follow the link to read the latest report which covers happiness, life satisfaction and anxiety levels.

If you want to take your own Happiness Survey the Oxford happiness survey is available to print here  or you can take it online.

At the Be Healthy Stay Safe event, LRC staff enjoyed meeting Wendy, the College's new Counsellor. If you need someone to talk to, you can contact her and she will help you. In the LRC we have a collection of Reading Well Books on Prescription which GPs have recommended (set up by the Reading Agency) including some especially for young people. Books cover topics such as overcoming anxiety, overcoming depression, self esteem, stress and OCD. We also have a number of the mood-boosting books which are feel-good, uplifting fiction reads.

Anti-bullying Week

Finally, this week has also been Anti-bullying week and we had our own display with socks coloured in by students (as recommended by the national campaign).

Anti-bullying Week display
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Book Boxes

Book Boxes

Did you know that the LRC can put together a book box for tutors/lecturers to use in their lessons?

Ideally we like a week's notice of the topic (but we can do this quicker) and we do need to be sure that we have stock on the particular subject.

Please contact the LRC in person, by phone or email and let us know the topic, when you need it and how many students there are in the group. We will have the box ready for you to collect before your lesson and then you can return it at the end. We can also suggest other resources such as e-books. If you would like a librarian to come to your class and do an activity with your group using the box, then we can help with this also.

Pile of 5 books
https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-five-books-51342/

5 things to do with a book box

1) Introduce books as a way to research

    a) Give each student a book and ask them to find a topic

    b) After 5 minutes ask students to then say how they found the information.

    c) Talk about the index and the contents pages. (Tip: go to the sections where there are the most 

        pages first before the individual pages e.g. 33-37).

    d) Discuss other ways students can know whether a book is useful for their research

        i.e. blurb on the back, author, how old it is, which country it's published in

2) Use a box of books to practice Harvard Referencing

    a) Ask students to use the plagiarism and referencing blended learning activity on the LRC 24/7             page to learn about how to reference.

    b) Then give out books and ask students to reference them either in teams or individually.

3) Use the box of books to help introduce a topic by asking the students to research it themselves

     a) Set some questions

     b) Ask students to research the answers using the books from the box (with or instead of   

         websites) either individually or as teams.

4) Use the books to inspire students when they are choosing what to do for an assignment. e.g. an art  

     assignment/ project or make up/ hair activity.

    (One of our most challenging book boxes was for an art assignment on "Containment". We had to

      find images which portrayed the idea of being contained, imprisoned, caged etc.).   

5) Use a box of fiction to encourage students to look at books to read for pleasure or to introduce 

     them to poetry. One lecturer who worked at the college in the past read with/to his students in
     their tutorials!

    

LRC Halloween book display
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Dissertation Research

Dissertations

FE students are on catch up week (half term) this week but UCP students still have lectures and the LRC stays open for all students and staff who want to use us.

Over the past few weeks, LRC librarians have been in to a number of tutorials at UCP to talk to students about finding information for their dissertations. Here are a few tips from the LRC team for getting started:

Getting started on your literature review/ dissertation research

Choose a topic that you are interested in - you will be living with it for a long time.

If you know a broad area you are interested in, you might find it useful to look in a journal dedicated to the subject (if there is one) and have a look through recent contents lists for issues that are currently topical.

You need to find a subject with enough literature, but not so much that you get too many results and your research becomes unmanageable. Even if you are doing primary research, you will need to find enough literature to show the context in which your research fits.

You can refine your subject by focusing on a particular age range (e.g. teenagers, the elderly), country or area (e.g UK) or a particular time period (since 2000), for example.

Before you start searching

Plan your search terms - list synonyms (words that mean the same), acronyms (and what they stand for), wider concepts (things that affect/ are affected by your topic), narrower subjects (specifics), different forms of a word (woman, women).

Set up a system to record everything you find which is useful -why not decide to write a Harvard reference for each source you find as you go along so that it isn't a massive task at the end. Note key page numbers too so you can find sources again.

Laptop image from www.pixabay.com (Stocksnap) CC0

Searching for information

Combine the different terms you listed in your planning in different combinations and search the ARU Digital library and the PRC LRC catalogue on Moodle.  (You can also use Google Scholar if you prefer but you won't find links to the PRC catalogue on there and you need to log in to the ARU Digital Library first to view anything, anyway. Note down other keywords and phrases that you find authors have used as you discover them and integrate them in to your searches. There is always likely to be some trial and error involved and different search terms will yield different results.

Books are a good starting point to familiarise yourself with a topic. Use the bibliographies in these to find other authors and sources which might be useful (note them down as you find them).

For success in your dissertation, you want to be using a range of different, yet appropriate, resources. Have you tried searching for theses or conference proceedings, for example? How about open access databases or  websites of accredited organisations?

Get a quick idea of whether a resource is relevant by reading the abstract.

Be disciplined - it is easy to go off on a tangent - keep to your topic. Only reassess what you are searching for if you are getting too few or too many results.

Asking for help

Remember that the librarians in the LRC at PRC are here to help you if you are having problems finding what you need or indeed if you are justlooking for some other places to explore. We can also suggest ways to put searches together to retrieve the most relevant results. We can help you quickly there and then or set up a 1:1 appointment for a more in depth session.