Library:Research Skills For Engineering Students/Module 04/Page 03
Summon can be found on the UBC Library homepage under the default General tab.
Reviewing our questions from module 1, we can look at the risks of liquefaction in the event of an earthquake. Let’s try a search for (earthquake OR seismic) liquefaction.
By using search operators such as OR and brackets/parentheses ( ), you can find more relevant sources of information. There are other operators you can use in Summon. See module 3, the Summon help page, or ask a librarian for help if needed!
Once you have a results list, you'll notice there are many different types of material. Summon has the ability to apply filters or limits to your search results. The different filters will be found on the left-side of your search results screen. Explore these to determine some of the most helpful options for you!
One useful filter is Content Type, which will limit your results to a specific type of publication.
Books/eBooks are a great way to find overview, background, or historical information on a topic.
- Print books will be indicated with a library location - for engineering books, you’ll likely find them at Woodward Library
- To find out more about a print book, click either the book’s title or the link with the book’s location. You will be brought to the book’s UBC Library catalogue record. You’ll want to look at a few key pieces of information, including:
- Location
- Call Number
- Status
- If you’re not sure how to read the book’s catalogue record, ask a librarian!
- To find out more about a print book, click either the book’s title or the link with the book’s location. You will be brought to the book’s UBC Library catalogue record. You’ll want to look at a few key pieces of information, including:
- To limit results to ebooks only, click the Full Text Online filter
- To access an eBook, click either the book’s title or Full Text Online
- The viewing and downloading capabilities for each eBook will differ, depending on the platform or provider accessible by UBC Library. Sometimes you can download an entire eBook as a PDF, sometimes you can download chapters, and sometimes you can only view online.
You can also use the Content Type filter to find peer-reviewed journal articles about your topic. Let’s do the same search again in Summon, but apply different filters.
Under Content Type, select Journal Article. But not all articles are peer reviewed. Under Refine your Search, select Peer-Review.
- Be careful with this peer review limit. Ultimately, you will want to decide whether or not an article is appropriate for your needs using some of the strategies discussed in module 2.
- To access the full text of an article, select either the article’s title or Full Text Online.
- Depending on who publishes the journal article, the webpage you arrive at may look a little different. What you want to look for is how you can download or save the PDF. Sometimes the article is only available in HTML format.