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Calling all second years!

Find out how to become a confident and effective user of digital search tools and resources.

Does the summer and your first year of uni seem like a distant memory? Are you starting to feel like the work has cranked up and that you need some extra help?

As we’ve been out on campus teaching and chatting to you lovely second years, you have been telling us that it’s got very serious all of a sudden and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed. But never fear, the library has some great new academic skills guides to help you find, evaluate and manage your information in order to help you get those top marks for your assignments. These are transferable skills that will underpin all your work here at NU and which will ultimately help you get you that job you have always wanted.

So what are you waiting for? Save yourself some time and stress by getting your information skills up to scratch now. And remember, your friendly Library Liaison team is always here to help!

 

 

 

 

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Ebook collections for Social Sciences

As part of an Evidence Based Acquisition model linked to eBooks from Springer we’ve now got access for 12 months to following collections for Social Sciences.

Business and Management 2018, 2017

Education 2018, 2017

Political Science and International Studies 2018, 2017

Palgrave Business & Management 2015

Palgrave Education 2015

Palgrave Language & Linguistics 2015

Palgrave Political Science 2015 and Palgrave International Relations & Development 2015 

Economics 2017 2018

Finance 2017 2018

Earth and Environmental sciences 2018

After 12 months we will analyse which ebooks have been accessed and make decisions based on that usage for titles to include permanently within our collections.

As part of our permanent collection from Springer we already have access to

Social Sciences 2018

 

 

 

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Business School – new resources

We are delighted to announce some new journal titles and other resources available from the University Library.

Ones useful for Business School staff and students are :

Case Studies

SAGE Business Cases

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies

These both offer a range of case studies covering all subjects within Business. For academics you get the added feature of teaching notes which suggest teaching strategies, target audience and possible responses to discussion questions that can help facilitate classroom discussion.

New journals

Econometrica

A bi monthly journal which focuses on the theoretical-quantitative and the empirical-quantitative approach to economic problems. This a 4* rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

European Journal of Information Systems

This bi monthly journal provides information on theory and practice of information systems for professionals in academia, industry, commerce and government. This is rated as a 3 journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

Global Economy Journal

This quarterly journal provides information regarding all aspects of the global economy, covering public policy, managerial, and macroeconomic considerations on a global scale. This is rated as 1 journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is for volume 1 to volume 14. The request for current access still remains on the School wishlist.

International journal of entrepreneurship and small business

This monthly journal provides an international forum in the fields of entrepreneurship and small business management. This rated as a 2 journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

International journal of innovation management

Published 8 times a year, this journal covers the advancement of academic research and management practice in the field of innovation management. This a 2 rated  journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

International journal of logistics; research and applications

This bi monthly journal publishes work related to logistics and the whole supply chain. This is a 2 rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

International journal of market research

This bi monthly journal contains papers covering important technical advances, practical applications, appraisals of specific problem areas and issues of current concern, together with correspondence and reviews covering the broad field of marketing and social research. This is 2 rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 33 onwards.

Journal of management studies

This journal aims to advance and develop models, frameworks and concepts in the broad areas of management organization, accounting, finance, public sector management, marketing and decision sciences.  This a 4* rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

Journal of time series analysis

This bi monthly journal publishes papers on both fundamental theory and applications, as well as review papers dealing with recent advances in major areas of the subject and short communications on theoretical developments. This is 3 rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is from volume 1 onwards.

Studies in nonlinear dynamics and econometrics

This journal published 5 times per year features theoretical and applied papers that characterize and motivate nonlinear phenomena. This is a 2 rated journal by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Access is for volume 1 to volume 18. The request for current access still remains on the School wishlist.

New Resources

Financial Times Archive 2011-2016

One of the best known newspapers for Business, we’ve added the archive for years 2011-2016 to our collections. This compliments existing archive and current access for this title.

Sunday Times Digital Archive

We’ve now added the archive for 2007-2017 to our newspapers collection.

Emerald eBook collection

We have bought a range of eBooks from Emerald these are all cataloged and available on Library Search.

Titles include:

Global opportunities for entrepreneurial growth; coopetition and knowledge dynamics within and across firms

Talent management in practice

Brand meaning management 

De Gruyter

We have access to De Gruyter’s enire ebook collection until June 2019, after which we will buy access to the most well used titles. This currently covers over 27,000 titles related to numerous subjects including business, economics, finance and management. All titles are catalogued individually on Library Search.

New Springer and Palgrave eBooks

During this academic year we have made available a range of ebook collections from SpringerNature which includes titles from Palgrave. This system has been using something called Evidence Based Acquisition to select the final purchase of ebooks based on the usage during the trial. For the Business School we now have available 117 ebooks from this supplier.

The top 5 based on usage are :

Development Report on China’s New Media

International Business Strategy Perspectives on Implementation in Emerging Markets

Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Driving Forces of the Global Economy

New Trends in Finance and Accounting 

Strategic Innovative Marketing 

Please contact the Social Sciences Liaison Team if you wish to see a full list of titles; all are available on our catalogue, Library Search

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Business School: New Springer and Palgrave eBooks

During this academic year we have made available a range of eBook collections from SpringerNature which includes titles from Palgrave.

This system has been using something called Evidence Based Acquisition to select the final purchase of ebooks based on the usage during the trial.

For the Business School we now have available 118 ebooks from this supplier.

The top 5 based on usage are :

Development Report on China’s New media

International Business Strategy Perspectives on Implementation in Emerging Markets

Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Driving Forces of the Global Economy

New Trends in Finance and Accounting

Strategic Innovative Marketing

Please contact the Social Sciences Liaison Team if you wish to see a full list of titles; all are available on our catalogue, Library Search.
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New journals for the Business and Management

We now have access to a number of core journals primarily associated with business and management subject areas.

  • Econometric Reviews. ISSN 1532-4168

The journal provides peer reviewed articles and book reviews covering current and developing topics in econometrics and advanced empirical economics, to statistics and other social sciences.  We now have access from volume 16.

  • Ergonomics ISSN 1366-5847

Ergonomics seeks to understand and improve human interactions with products, equipment, environments and systems. Topics covered include human biology, psychology, engineering and design. We now have access from volume 40.

  • International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications ISSN 1469-848X

This journal covers various elements associated with “logistics” including the management of processes, flow of materials and related information along the entire supply chain. We now have access from volume one.

  • Production planning and control ISSN 1366-5871

This journal bring together information on the management of operations in all industries. The journal would benefit researchers interested in operations management supply chain management and business improvement. We now have access from volume 8.

  • International journal of production research ISSN 0020-7543

Contains information on manufacturing, production and operations management research. We now have access from volume 1.

 

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Journal of General Management

The Journal of General Management is now available from 1999 in full text via Library Search. It is a key peer reviewed journal for business students and those studying management and business related subjects and covers strategy, leadership, supply chain management and corporate social responsibility. Click on the link here to go to Library Search.

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How to be a Fake News Ninja

As a University student it is imperative that you arm yourself against the barrage of fake news that can be found in today’s media.  To produce academically sound assignments and research, you need to be able identify and evaluate information quickly and with authority.

Here are 10 tips on how you can be a Fake News Ninja:

  1. Be aware: just simply knowing that not all information is created equal is the first step.
  2. Check the source: Where did the information come from? This can be tricky, especially on social media.
  3. Read more: don’t just rely on the piece of information that’s in front of you… go an find another reliable source and see if the facts are the same.
  4. Check the author: Do a bit of Google stalking to see if the author is credible.
  5. Check the references: does the item have references? What sources have they used? Are they credible?
  6. Check the date: watch out for re-posts old news items.
  7.  Check your biases: You own beliefs and prejudices can have an affect on how you accept information.
  8. Is it a joke?: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
  9. Ask a Librarian: Librarians are the original Fake News Ninjas.  Come and ask us about any reference that you aren’t too sure about and we can help you make an authoritative decision on  the information you use for your research.
  10. Knowledge is power: Read more about Fake News and how you can win the fight. Everything you need to know is in our Fake News Guide.

Read our other blogs on Fake News to be aware of the consequences of Fake News and the history and growth of Fake News.

References
IFLA (2018) How to spot fake news. Available at: https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174 (Accessed: 23 March 18)

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The consequences of Fake News

A scan of some of our “Fake or Fact?” stories this week might raise a few smiles, but as we’ve seen increasingly over the past couple of years, Fake News can have far-reaching consequences.
Hands up, who’s had the awkwardness of friends or family members reposting dubious material on Facebook? If so, you’re not alone. Apparently, according to a MIT study published this year, based on three years’ worth of Twitter meta-analysis, fake news travels up to six times faster than genuine stories. False stories were up to 70% more likely to receive a retweet – often due the novelty or shock factor.

In the sphere of politics, this can have worrying consequences. The U.S. election in late 2016 coined the term for us and is a particularly rich source of Fake news and political spin. Business Insider lists some of the most influential fake news stories to surface during this time; from false claims that WikiLeaks had proof of Clinton arms deals with ISIS, to a fictional Papal endorsement of Trump, said to have received nearly a million hits on Facebook. Only this month, the Jakarta Post reported on concerns of Fake News polluting the build-up to the Indonesian Presidential Elections next year as Facebook groups flood the country’s web spaces with doctored videos; something that has previous lead to protests in the streets of the capital.

And even when we know we might be dealing with dubious information, Fake News can continue to wield influence. Newcastle University’s own Dr. Gavin Stewart, a meta-analysis expert explains “claims with no scientific proof cast doubt over those with overwhelming evidence, leaving us at the best confused and in the worst case making totally the wrong decision.”

A strong example can be found in the now discredited research of Andrew Wakefield. Back in 1998, Wakefield drew unsubstantiated links between the MMR vaccination and childhood autism. Despite the widespread exposure of the fraudulent claims and rebuttals from the medical community, vaccination rates of the MMR vaccine dropped, and last year saw a 400% increase of measles cases across Europe.

So what does this mean for you as a current student?
The National Literacy Trust has been conducting research into pupils’ critical skills, and worryingly, has found that 35% of teachers in the UK taught pupils citing fake news and satire as legitimate sources. A fifth of pupils between 8 and 15 believe that everything found online is trustworthy and true. The antidote to this is building on one of your core graduate attributes and competencies – critical thinking. Always check out stories you’ve found online before using them in your work. Who have they come from, how partisan is that group or author? Is the material satire? What does the author stand to gain? Employers in all industries are looking for graduate with sharp reasoning skills and sound judgement. As students producing work in the current “post-truth” climate, your job is a little tougher, but you can turn this to your advantage by proving you have the skills and the smarts to outwit the Fake News racketeers.

Read our other blogs on Fake News to learn about the history and growth of Fake News and how you can become a Fake News Ninja.

References
1. Vosoughi, Roy and Aral, (2018). “The spread of true and false news online.” Science, 359: 6380, pp. 1146-1151.
2. Roberts (2016) “This is what fake news actually looks like — we ranked 11 election stories that went viral on Facebook.” Business Insider UK. November 17th
http://uk.businessinsider.com/fake-presidential-election-news-viral-facebook-trump-clinton-2016-11/#5-hillary-clinton-sold-weapons-to-isis-and-it-was-confirmed-by-wikileaks-7)
3. Pearl (2018). “Indonesia battels fake news as elections looms” Jakarta Post. 15th March http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/03/15/indonesia-battles-fake-news-as-elections-loom.html
4. Newcastle university (2018) “Filtering out Fake News” 7th March. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2018/03/fakenews/
5. Houston, (2018) “Measles back with a vengeance due to fake health news” The Irish Times. Feb 23rd. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/measles-back-with-a-vengeance-due-to-fake-health-news-1.3401960
6. National Literacy Trust (2018). “Commission on Fake News and the Teaching of Critical Literacy Skills in Schools” https://literacytrust.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/all-party-parliamentary-group-literacy/fakenews/

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History and growth of Fake News

Fake News is nothing new and has been going on since time began!

Have at look at our timeline on our Fake News Guide for a snapshot of how Fake News has shaped history:

With the introduction of mass news with the invention of the printing press, and the massive up-rise in news being created and fed via social media, the growth of the term ‘Fake News’ and the actual production of Fake News stories has grown exponentially in recent years:

  • The term ‘Fake News’ is searched for in web browsers 70.8-118 thousand times a month.
  • #fakenews has over 251.2k mentions on Twitter
  • In 2017 Donald Trump mentioned the term ‘Fake News’ in public correspondence, 320 times!

Not only has the volume of Fake News grown, but also the speed that it spreads.  However, maybe there is a way we can slow it down:

Read our other blogs on Fake News to be aware of the consequences of Fake News and how you can become a Fake News Ninja.

References
Kiely, E. (2018) Trump’s Phony ‘Fake News’ Claims. Available at: https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/trumps-phony-fake-news-claims/. Accessed: 23 March 2018).
Smith, R. (2017) The Numbers Behind Fake News. Available at: http://www.dailyinfographic.com/numbers-behind-fake-news. (Accessed: 23 March 2018).

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Where to find theses and dissertations?

Many of you are busy writing your dissertation right now, in the depths of your Masters project or wrestling with your PhD. If you are looking for ideas then look no further than our Theses and Dissertations Guide.

There are many reasons why you would use other theses and dissertations for your studies:

  • Has anyone else done a thesis or dissertation on my topic? If so…
    • How similar is it to my research question? Do I need to change my question slightly?
    • What references/citations did they use? Check them out, they might have used some good references that can help you.
    • Can you use this theses/dissertation as a reference for your research?
  • Inspiration! Maybe you have a vague idea what your research question is, but you want to see what’s been done already.

Our Theses and Dissertations Guide tells you what print and electronic theses NU Library holds, where to find international theses and signposts you to further information on theses/dissertation production.