Category: Resources

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Manchester University Press Hive: Political studies e-book collection

We now subscribe to the Manchester University Press Hive political studies e-book collection. The collection provides 165 books written by leading names in the field covering political events, ideas, movements, roles of government, voters, parties and leaders and the way these elements shape society as a whole.

This online resource will help you to understand contemporary political problems in their historical perspective and will cover key themes such as political thought, concepts and theory, international politics, globalisation and democracy through the ages.

Key features & benefits

  • A wide-ranging, authoritative coverage of the history of politics, edited and authored by key figures in the field
  • Cuts across boundaries of political science, public administration, anthropology, social policy studies and development studies and facilitates a conversation across disciplines
  • Includes extensive original research on recent and ongoing political events, such as Brexit
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Resource in Focus: Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies

Emerald Emerging Markets Case studies logo

Overview

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies (EEMCS) is an online platform of case studies covering a variety of business related subjects.

These case studies offer practical insights into “real world” situations giving students a chance to discuss the business problems and enhance their critical thinking.

The studies are peer-reviewed and focus on business decision making and management development throughout global emerging markets.

Subject covered include:

  • Accounting
  • Advertising
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Human Resource Management
  • Supply Chain Management

Case studies also include teaching notes (only available to Business School Staff Members).

Searching

Within the Case Studies search box you can enter your keywords or browse by subject.

Please ensure you have selected the Only content I have access to in the bottom drop-down menu to display only case studies we have within our subscription:

Screen shot of Emerald Insights highlighting where to choose Case studies and 'Only content I have access to'.

 

Access

EEMCS are available through our catalogue, Library Search. If you are on campus no password is required. If you are off campus you will need to log in using your University campus ID and password.

All case studies are also individually catalogued on Library Search so you can also locate each one listed separately on there.

Teaching notes for academics

The platform also provides teaching notes for academics, these suggest teaching strategies, target audience and possible responses to discussion questions that can help facilitate classroom discussion.

For academics to access the teaching notes, we will require an access URL which features a code. Please email the Liaison Team to obtain this.

You will need to have a personal account set up on the Emerald platform. You can set this up by clicking on the Login option in the top right hand corner.

To set up an account click on Register for a profile and complete the form:

Zoomed in screen shot of Emerald Insights showing where to register for a profile.

Once you have set up an account and are logged in, when you click on the access URL we can supply you, then you should be able to see the teaching notes. The notes are available at the end of each case. Users only need to click on the access URL once, after that when you log in and access each case you will automatically see the additional notes. Follow the instruction here for activating your access token.

Copyright and Distribution

All case studies are catalogued individually on Library Search so we would recommend you circulate or embed into Blackboard the catalogue record for the case study from our catalogue.

This means we get usage data from those accessing the Emerald platform.

To get a permanent catalogue link access the record on Library Search and click on the Permalink icon. Then paste the URL into your teaching materials, within Blackboard or your online reading list.

The licence also allows authorised users (e.g. staff/students) to print a ‘reasonable’ number of case studies. Academics can also make individual cases available through Blackboard as this is a password restricted environment. Students can then download and save/print cases from within the VLE.

Help materials

Once logged into EEMCS there are a help articles available.

For further resources on business cases, check out our Business Cases Resource Guide.

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Resource in Focus: SAGE Business Cases

'Cut to the case' banner for Sage Business Cases

Overview of SAGE Business Cases

This platform provides access to over 2,500 business case studies, which cover a variety of topics and industries focusing on global brands and companies.

Subjects covered includes:

  • Human Resource Management
  • Marketing
  • Operations Management
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Entrepreneurship
  • And many more

Case studies also include teaching notes (only available to Business School Staff Members), discussion questions and learning objectives.

Searching

On the landing page you can:

  • Browse by subject
  • Browse by content partner
  • Browse by academic level

Or apply your keywords and use the filter options down the left hand size to narrow your results list:

Screen shot of keyword search on Sage Business Cases.

Access

Sage Business Cases is available through our catalogue, Library Search. If you are on campus no password is required. If you are off campus you will need to log in using your University campus ID and password.

All case studies are also individually catalogued on Library Search so you can also locate each one listed separately on there.

Teaching notes for academics

The platform also provides teaching notes for academics, these suggest teaching strategies, target audience and possible responses to discussion questions that can help facilitate classroom discussion.

For academics to access the teaching notes, we will require an access code. Please email lib-socsci@ncl.ac.uk to obtain this.

You will then need to have a personal profile set up on the Sage Knowledge platform. You can set this up by clicking on My Profile which is located in top right hand corner of Sage platform screen.

In the My Profile tab, you need to enter your details and then tick the box next to SAGE Business Cases Instructor Access and enter the access code.

This should then mean when you try and view any teaching notes associated to a case study, you will now have access.

A help video about unlocking teaching notes is available at: https://vimeo.com/260082960

Copyright and Distribution

All case studies are catalogued individually on Library Search so we’d recommend you circulate or embed into Blackboard the catalogue record for the case study from our catalogue.

This means we’ll get usage data from those accessing the SAGE platform.

To get a permanent catalogue link access the record on Library Search and click on the Permalink icon. Then paste the URL into your teaching materials, within Blackboard or your online reading list:

Screen shot of Library Search highlighting where to find the Permalink for entries.

The licence also allows authorised users (e.g. staff/students) to print a ‘reasonable’ number of case studies. Academics can also make individual cases available through Blackboard as this is a password restricted environment. Students can then download and save/print cases from within the VLE.

Help materials

Once logged into SAGE Business Case Studies there are a range of resources available, this video:

For further resources on business cases, check out our Business Cases Resource Guide.

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Finding Information: Types of Information

Light bulbs

In our previous blog we explored how looking for information in the right place can help save you time and effort.  However, sometimes, the right place to look can depend on what type of information you’re looking for.

While you’re probably familiar with books and you may have been introduced to journal articles, these are just two of the types of academic information available to you.  Depending on your research question or essay title you might also find it useful to explore, for example, conference proceedings, maps, company information or newspapers. 

Each type of information has its particular use; books provide an in-depth overview of a topic; journal articles are more specialised and focus in-depth on a particular area of a topic, and newspapers give you a useful perspective on events.  While Library Search can help you find a large range of information types, some types of information are only available in special databases or archives.  Before you start your search, it’s therefore important that you decide what types of information you will need to complete your assignment most effectively.  You can find out more about different information types on our Finding Information Guide and in the video below:

When you know which types of information you need for your assignment or project take a look at our Resource Guides, which provide useful links and guides to appropriate sources.

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Finding Information: Knowing Where to Look

Photograph of several closed doors, one painted yellow the others painted white.

When you’re looking for information to help you write your essays, assignments or projects it can be tempting to turn to the source of information you use every day – Google.  While Google can be useful in some ways (such as finding company websites or journal author’s profiles), it wasn’t exclusively designed to help you find good quality, academic information that is reliable and relevant.  This means you’ll likely have to spend more of your time wading through huge amounts of information and fact-checking resources for accuracy.

Thankfully, Google isn’t your only option – there are a number of different places to look that have been created with the aim of providing you with the information that you need, such as your reading lists, Library Search, and key Subject Databases.

Take a look at this video to find out more about how these sources can help you:

For more help on finding information, take a look at the Academic Skills Kit.

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Resource in Focus: International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

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We have online access to the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography. This reference collection gives you an authoritative and comprehensive source of information on the discipline of human geography and its constituent, and related, subject areas. The Encyclopedia includes over 1,000 detailed entries on philosophy and theory, key concepts, methods and practices, biographies of notable geographers, and geographical thought and praxis in different parts of the world.

This online copy of the Encyclopedia features extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy.

To access the Encyclopedia, you can find it in Library Search or on our Geography Subject Guide. If you have any questions about this resource please contact your Liaison Team.

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Resource in Focus: Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)

Photograph of a dictionary page, showing the definition of technology.

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) indexes and provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters and dissertations on linguistics and language sciences including topics such as:

  • Anthropological linguistics
  • Applied linguistics
  • Descriptive linguistics
  • Discourse analysis
  • Language – pathological and normal
  • Learning disabilities
  • Nonverbal communication
  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Psycholinguistics

It’s an excellent resource for those interested in the nature and use of language.

Screen shot of the LLBA search box.

The database provides both basic and advanced search options and you can limit your results by information (source) type, publication date, subject, language and more.  You can also limit to peer reviewed items only.  While some full text items are available, LLBA item records generally provide only bibliographic information and an abstract, so look out for the ‘Find@Newcastle’ button in your results page, which will help you check for a full text copy of an item in Library Search.

LLBA has the advantage of including a specialised linguistics thesaurus, which you can use in advanced search to refine and focus your search. The thesaurus provides a searchable list of all the subject terms used in the database and highlights links between broader, narrower and related terms, helping you to select all of the keywords relevant to your topic.

Screen shot showing the LLBA thesaurus and advanced search screen.

ProQuest provide a helpful and detailed guide to LLBA which includes search tips for basic and advanced search as well as some sample searches you can work through to familiarise yourself with the database. 

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Where to find Standards?

This small, but beautifully formed Standards Resource Guide will give you all you need to know about what standards you can access whilst at Newcastle University.

Standards are codes of best practice containing technical specifications and guidelines. They are used to ensure uniformity and consistency, reliability and safety and provide a quality benchmark.

We have full text access to all current BS, ASTM and IEEE standards.

Many ISO and EN (and some IEC) standards also have BS equivalents and are available online too.

To support teaching and research, we also purchase a small number of individual standards from other organisations (e.g. ASME, API, etc). These are usually available in hard-copy and you can find their shelfmarks on Library Search.

If you need a particular standard for your research, dissertation, or to support your teaching, please contact the Liaison Team or ask us to investigate buying it for library stock.

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Resource Guides: it’s all in the name!

Last week, we let you in on the secrets of Library Search. This week we want to introduce you to our Resource Guides.

Library Search is a great starting point for any piece of research or essay, but there comes a time, when you need some extra help in finding a particular type of information. And that’s where our Resource Guides come in.  We have a range of guides to suit your information needs including: company information, market research, government publications, newspapers, maps, statistics, patents, standards, theses and dissertations, plus much more.

The guides group together all the main library subscriptions we have for that specific type of information, as well as linking out to key external links and resources too. Wherever possible we also include guidance and help on how to get the best out of the databases and links and group the information together into a logical and helpful way. We know how busy life is and we simply want to save you time!

So what you are waiting for, go and check out our fabulously named Resource Guides, because they do exactly what they say on the tin!

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Getting the most out of e-books

Woman reading on an eReader device.

We have over 0.7 million e-books accessible through Library Search, including titles that feature on your reading lists, or those that have been recommended by staff and students. Sometimes we buy them through large bundle deals with specific publishers so we gain access to lots of research titles all at once.

Why use e-books?

e-books are incredibly useful resources as they are available 24/7 from any location, work with most devices and some come with snazzy features such as keyword searching, annotation options, links to other relevant information, and reading aloud facilities to name but a few.

How do e-books work?

As we get e-books from different platforms and providers you might see a different layout each time you access one of our titles but the logic is the same. You can navigate using a toolbar, you can normally turn pages using little arrows at the top or side of the page, you can jump to specific chapters and in some cases, print or download all or some sections of the e-book to read offline.

Unfortunately, one thing you can’t do with e-books is download and save offline a copy of the book to keep forever, there are usually some download restrictions. This is because we have subscriptions or licence access to titles but we don’t own the title. There is something called Digital Rights Management where publishers can control the copying, pasting and downloading of their content, this is linked to issues with privacy and copyright.

How do I access e-books?

Simply navigate to Library Search and enter your keywords to look for a book title as usual. Library Search is the best way to access resources whether you’re on or off campus as it makes sure you’re logged in correctly and can access resources simply and quickly.

Watch this short video to begin searching for books and e-books.

From your search results, choose an e-book which looks relevant e.g. Essentials of Business Research Methods by Hair, which we know is popular book for Business students doing dissertations. If you are off campus, you will need to sign in with your University ID and Password.

Once the e-book has loaded on the screen, hover over the functionality buttons to see what they do. For example; the search option will be useful if you’re looking for specific topics; use the Table of Contents to navigate straight to a chapter you’ve been told to read, or select the paint pallet to change the colour of the background to help with your reading.

Not all titles are available in eBook format for an institutional library to purchase, but if you’d prefer a title in electronic format we can certainly investigate. Just let us know by recommending a book.