Transcript CHE403 Professional Practice Department of Chemical

Finding and using information:
Access, quality, ethics
CHE403
Professional Practice
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Science
Engineering & Computer Science Library
March 2009
Created by Cristina Sewerin. Revised by Michelle Baratta
Outline
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Chemical engineering information and sources
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Identifying ‘quality’ sources: evaluation,
methods, pitfalls
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Ethics & professionalism in information creation
& use
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Example Cases
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Conclusion
Research 101: a review
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use general sources at first
work your way towards primary
references
General
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start with encyclopedias, basic sources
then move to thin textbooks
thick textbooks
review articles
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then finally to primary articles
Specific
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Where to Start?
-databases
-data sources
-MSDS
-theses databases
-standards
-patents
-regulatory materials
Encyclopedias and Basic Sources
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Kirk-Othmer
Encyclopedia of
Chemical Technology
Ulmann’s Encyclopedia
of Industrial Chemistry
CRC Handbook of
Chemistry and Physics
All are available online
Searching the Library Catalogue
Search Terms
Facets
Sorting
Library
Location
Call Number
Now What?
Major Chemical Engineering Article
Databases
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SciFinder Scholar
Compendex
Web of Science
Scholars Portal
Scopus
Things to remember when searching…
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Databases use controlled terminology
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Different databases use different terms
Use Thesaurus when available
Truncation and Wildcards
DatabaseBoolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Specific
Refine search to get more specific & fewer articles
Databases use different terms, even for the same
thing
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“descriptor” versus “subject”
SciFinder Scholar
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Major database in chemistry/chemical engineering
 Reference Database
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Structure Database – CAS Registry – specific chemical
substances, some 1957-present, some classes 1900’s –present
 Reaction Database – 1907-present, single and multiple step
reations
Requires registration to use web-based version
 Once you register, can use from anywhere
Also available as a client-server system
Online tutorials, guides and search strategies available
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CAplus – 1907-present
Medline 1950-present
Compendex
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+5000 engineering journals world wide
1969 to the present
Engineering Index Backfile goes back
to 1880s
Updated weekly
Thesaurus
Controlled Vocabulary
Search Tips
Google Scholar
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Benefits
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Free to search
Citations from many different sources not indexed in
databases, including journals, books, conference papers,
technical reports
Good coverage of Non-English and international materials
Multi-disciplinary
Citation index capabilities
Can export into bibliographic citation manager (e.g.
RefWorks)
Google Scholar
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Drawbacks
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Full-text not included
Ranking and limits restricted
Precise searching restricted
Duplicate citations
Limited to online documents
Inflated citation numbers
Comparison between Google Scholar
and Web of Science/Scopus
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Publications of Library and Information Studies
Faculty
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Google Scholar – 2552
Both – 1629
Web of Science/Scopus – 1104
.
(2007). Impact of data sources on citation counts and rankings of LIS faculty: Web of science versus Scopus and Google Scholar. Journal of
the American Society of Information Science and Technology, 58(13), 2105-2125.
Meho LI, Yang K
Coverage of Google Scholar Compared
to Compendex
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Coverage for material published in
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1930’s – 33%
1970’s - 57%
2000’s – 88%
Increase in material found corresponds to
increase in digitized materials
Meier, J J, Conkling, TW. (2008) Google Scholar's coverage of the engineering literature: An empirical study. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 34(3), 196-201.
Business Resources
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e.g. management, sales, marketing
Rotman Business Information Centre (105 St.
George Street) is main source of business
information at U of T
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Print material is reference only
Most databases are available remotely, however
some are only available at the BIC
Many business-related databases are also
available from public libraries e.g. TPL
Business Resources
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Market Research Monitor
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Factiva
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Consumer market information, company profiles,
market shares
Media, company profiles
Scott’s Business Directory
Industry Canada – Strategis
Statistics Canada
So, which ones to use?
A strategy:
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Select 2 or 3 or even 4 likely databases, e.g.,
SciFinder, Web of Science, Compendex
Construct a search
Use appropriate syntax, limits
Use citation management software such as
Endnote or RefWorks to manage citations,
eliminate duplicates
Keeping current: alerting services
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Common tool for academics or professionals
Database query is saved and re-run automatically
Email alerts sent if the update contains any new
records that match your saved query
May be daily, weekly, monthly
Available in most databases including SciFinder and
Compendex
Standards and Codes
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What are standards?
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Standards are documents that describe the
important features of a product, service or system
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Example: CSA Standard Z262.1-90 Ice Hockey Helmets
specifies a hockey helmet’s material, area of head
coverage, impact resistance and durability
What are codes?
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Codes are collections of laws and rules which
provide correct procedures to maintain uniformity
and safety.
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Example: Ontario Building Code
Online guide to standards & codes
held at U of T
All active CSA and ASTM standards
now available online via library
subscription; ISO and IEC as well
Access to Information After You
Graduate
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Engineering and Computer Science Library
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Main source of engineering information at U of T
Students - access to print materials in the
library and to sign out; online information in
the library and from home
ECS Library – open to the public
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5 public access workstations that do not require
login with access to most online resources
Access to stacks and reference material, but can
not sign things out without a valid library card
Access to Information After You
Graduate
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Reference Services in ECS Library
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Alumni Card
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Available to everyone
Alumni Reader - $60/year; 14 day loans; no renewals
Alumni Research Reader - $125/year, $75/6 months, $50/3
months; 100 loans; 2 renewals
Digital Library for Alumni
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$126/year, $73.50/6 months
Access to select databases – ProQuest 5000, Business
Source Alumni Edition
Access to Information After you
Graduate
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Most public libraries (e.g. TPL, Vaughan
Public Libraries) have online access to fulltext
databases
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Public Library card FREE!
Access online resources and catalogue from
home
Not as many resources
Identifying Quality Sources
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Peer-reviewed journals
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Journal Ranking
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Articles are critically evaluated by experts on the
subject before it is published
ISI Journal Citation Reports database uses
citation data to ‘rank’ journals
No method is perfect
Identifying ‘quality’ or significant
sources
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Use journal databases, e.g., Web of Science,
Compendex, but limit your search to review articles
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Citation chasing
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experts identify significant authors & articles
useful for revealing gaps, controversies, future directions in research
beware author biases
Examine works referenced in articles
Citation databases – Web of Science, Google
Scholar, Scopus
When using citation data, beware..
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Assumption of correlation between ‘peer esteem’
and ‘citation rate’
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Simple count does not take into account context of
citation
e.g., “by misinterpretation of their own data, Smith et
al erroneously suggest that…”
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Some of these tools exclude important engineering
literature: preprints, tech reports, patents,
conference papers
You’ve Finished the Lit Searches,
You’ve Evaluated the Information…
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Ethical and legal use of information
Ethics, Professionalism and
Intellectual Property
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Plagiarism – copying another
individual/group’s work with the intention of
passing off the work as your own
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Copyright – literally, the right to copy
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Doesn’t end when you’re finished school!
Governed under the Copyright Act in Canada law
Intellectual property - Includes items that can
be copyrighted, patents and trade marks
Ethics, professionalism in reporting
research
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Be honest in reporting research flaws
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Be aware of publication patterns and ethical
issues
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e.g., ghostwriting phenomenon in medical journals conflict of interest with marketing interests
Who Cares?
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Why bother searching for information and
using it ethically?
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Students
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Professionals
Example Cases
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Literature Review - Johns Hopkins University
Ethical Use of Information – Plagiarism at
Ohio University
Literature Searching Example – Johns
Hopkins University
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Johns Hopkins University study, 2001
Asthma study using hexamethonium
24-year-old healthy female volunteer died
Incomplete search of online resources did not find
relevant information on hexamethonium dating from
the 1950’s
Federally funded medical research involving human
subjects at Johns Hopkins was suspended by the
US Office for Human Research Protection
What Not to Do
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“"This is just laziness. What happened is not
just an indictment of one researcher, but of a
system in which people don't bother to
research the literature anymore.“”
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Dr. Frederick Wolff, professor emeritus at the
George Washington School of Medicine, as
quoted by the Baltimore Sun
Hopkins faults safety lapses (2001 July 17). Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.md.hopkins17jul17,0,7841538.story?page=2
Ethical Use of Information –
Plagiarism at Ohio University
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Mechanical engineering graduate students
Brought forward by student who couldn’t get
his mechanical engineering master’s thesis
proposal approved – spent time looking at
previous theses in the library
Investigation went back over 20 years
More than 38 papers questioned
Plagiarism at Ohio University
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One student took about 7 pages from another
student’s thesis
Another one contains a chapter that almost entirely
came from a previous thesis; both contain sections
from a textbook published in 1989
One had gone on to become engineering professor
At least one person had their master’s degree
stripped, at least 12 required to re-write
Tomsho, Robert. (2006 Aug. 15). Familiar words: Student plagiarism stirs controversy at Ohio University --- some foreign engineers' grasp of
research fundamentals becomes a concern to peers' --- not really intending to copy.' The Wall Street Journal p A14. Retrieved March 10
2009 from Factiva.
Review
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Start with general sources and work your way
to primary research
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Don’t forget about standards and codes
Each database has it’s own quirks and
limitations
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Use appropriate sources
Use the characteristics of each database to your
advantage, and use multiple databases
The Moral of the Story
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Don’t believe everything you read - evaluate
resources for their source and the quality of
information provided
Use information legally and ethically
Questions?