Library - Requesting
information on a topic
The library's reference staff are information specialists who can
provide advice on locating information for members' work or study needs.
For free advice and assistance contact:
Canterbury Medical Library Reference Desk 03-364-0504
Princess Margaret Hospital Library 03-337-7899, EXT 66698
or email the library on referencecml.uoc@otago.ac.nz
Research on your behalf
The library's experienced reference staff can also undertake research
on behalf of members and evidence based medicine concepts can to be applied
to your search topic if required. We undertake research at an hourly
rate (state your time requirement) or we offer several standard package
deals:
Basic Search
For this service we check the Voyager library catalogue and databases
available within the library for information on the subject you
nominate. You receive a list of relevant references and an outline
of the sources checked. The items identified will not be supplied under
this service. Members will need to forward requests for desired items
separately.
Full Information Search & Delivery
We check Voyager and all relevant databases available to library staff
within the library. You receive a list of references plus one or two
of the most relevant books or journal articles cited in references
retrieved. The number of items delivered will depend upon availability.
Thinking about your Topic
Thinking about your topic before you start can save you a lot of time
in the long run.
1. |
Describe your topic in one or two sentences. |
2. |
Write down the subject terms and any other words or synonyms for
the subjects. Check out the subject headings used by the databases
you select before you start selecting references. |
3.
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Consider the purpose for which you want
the information, is it:
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Think about the aspects required: |
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Do you want to restrict your search to specific
groups?:
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6.
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What kinds of information do you want, don't forget:
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7.
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Do you just want recent information?
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8.
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How much information do you need? Do you need all
relevant information or just a few relevant references?
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9. |
Write down the details of any relevant references
you have already. These may help you to identify other references.
For instance you can look for articles citing your references. |
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