Ageing, Work and Health Blog

A compendium of psychosocial measures

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:06:00 +0000

Dear All,

I would like to draw your attention to a new book in the library entitled A compendium of psychosocial measures : assessment of people with serious mental illnesses in the community

This contains information about a range of scales and tests used in the area of behavioural and social sciences in health. (This year there have been many inquiries about locating such measurement tools).

Each scale is summarised in terms of its primary source, purpose, reliability and validity. A brief description of the scale is also included.

I hope you'll find this resource useful.

Cheers,

Kate

Help is available anytime, anywhere via Adobe Connect

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Hi All,

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous piece of software called Adobe Connect.

For those of you who who aren't aware, Adobe Connect allows you to 'share' your computer with other people.

Say, for instance, you were sitting at home and couldn't figure out how to execute a search in Medline. Once upon a time you would have had to either visit the library in person, or contact me via phone or email to discuss the problem.

Now it is possible for Adobe Connect to 'bridge' the distance between you and I! Adobe Connect allows you to see my computer screen on your computer screen in real time and vice versa. This allows me to demonstrate things to you and you to demonstrate things to me. It's even possible to 'control' each others' computers.

Adobe Connect allows me to assist you regardless of where you're located. This makes things much more convenient for both of us!

All your computer needs for Adobe Connect to work is Flash (you don't need to have a personal Adobe Connect account or download the software).

For more information about Adobe Connect, check out this website.

Let me know whether you'd like to test it out!

Cheers,
Kate

Update on Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Dear All,

For those of you who aren't aware, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is an online portal which connects you to a range of scholarly sources about Indigenous Australians.

It is marketed as a 'one-stop info-shop' that aims to contribute to 'closing the gap' in health between Indigenous and other Australians by informing practice and policy in Indigenous health by making research and other knowledge readily accessible.

To maximise full text access to items, search Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet via the Library's Databases and Electronic Resources Page (browse the alphabetical listings 'A' or 'I'). Searching via the library website takes advantage of our electronic subscriptions.

Cheers,
Kate

EndNote X3 for Macs now available

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:12:00 +0000

Dear All,

As promised, EndNote X3 for Macs is now available to download from: http://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/endnote

There are a few other features of ENX3 I should mention (apart from the fact that it's a lot faster than X2):

You can use ENX3 with Open Office and Apple Pages software in addition to Microsoft Word
You can now create bibliographies at the end of sections/chapters as opposed to only at the end of documents

Cheers,

Kate

EndNote X3 for PCs now available

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Dear All,

EndNote X3 is now available to download if you own a PC (the Mac release date is not too far away). Download the updated version here (go to the 'Download EndNote' box).

Some of you may be thinking "why should I upgrade when I've only just become accustomed to using EndNote X2?!" There are a few answers to that:

There aren't any major differences between the two versions, except that X3 runs a lot faster than X2 (this is because certain files are no longer part of the software 'package' that is downloaded. If you happen to need any of these files, you can always download them separately.)
Libraries created in X2 are compatible with X3
It's easy to upgrade -- just follow the links!

If you have any questions about EndNote X3 please contact me: k.masters@library.usyd.edu.au.

Cheers,

Kate

Introducing Summon -- the Library's answer to Google

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Dear All,

If you've visited the library website recently, you will have noticed that we've just released Summon -- a search engine which simultaneously searches our catalogue and databases. It is similar to Google in that it is designed as a 'one stop shop' for your research needs.

Summon is simple to use and works best with a basic keyword search. You can limit search results to:

Scholarly publications
Publications where the full text online is available

You can also limit by:

Publication date
Library location
Content type
Subject term(s)

Summon is designed to make searching for basic information quick and efficient. It is not suitable to use for a systematic search because it lacks the power of individual databases! For instance, there are no MeSH Subject Headings available.

Summon is still in its Beta phase, so comments and suggestions are most welcome. Tell us what you think about Summon by clicking on the 'Feedback' link.

Cheers,

Kate

Increase exposure to your research!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Dear All,

In one of our meetings recently, I was asked how theses get indexed in the Australian Digital Theses Database (ADT).

The easiest way to ensure that your thesis appears in ADT is to upload it to the Sydney eScholarship Repository; ADT harvests our digital repository daily! Instructions on how to upload your thesis can be found here.

Don't forget that items from the Sydney eScholarship Repository are indexed in both Google and Google Scholar -- this is a great way to maximise your citation count!

Cheers,
Kate

APA 6th Edition now released

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Dear All,

For those of you who weren't aware, the American Psychological Association has released the 6th Edition of its referencing style.

EndNote has created an APA 6th Style File. Download it here.

We have also purchased several copies of the APA 6th Style Guide. Click on the image to be taken to the catalogue record:

Cheers,

Kate

1.1 million Australians will suffer from dementia by 2050

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Dear All,

A new report, released by Access Economics, estimates that 1.1 million Australians will suffer from dementia by the year 2050. The report, commissioned by Alzheimer's Australia, calls for greater government funding for research and services for those with the disease.

Listen to discussions on ABC Radio National.

Cheers,
Kate

Upcoming Information Skills Classes in the Health Sciences Library

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Dear All,

The Health Sciences Library will be running a series of information skills classes over coming weeks. There's no need to register for these -- simply drop in!

Here are the details:

Introduction to Endnote

Create an Endnote library -- Search databases / library catalogue and export references into your EndNote library -- Use EndNote to Cite While You Write (CWYW) in Word

Dates: Thursday 27 August & Tuesday 1 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

Literature Reviews: Finding, Analysing and Managing Your Information

Discover the purposes and key features of a literature review -- Learn how to locate and critically evaluate information -- Find examples of literature reviews in your subject area

Date: Thursday 3 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

Developing an Argument

Developing an argument to substantiate a point of view

Date: Tuesday 1 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Learning Skills Adviser
Venue: Health Sciences Library Study Room 1

Writing a Literature Review

How to tell a story and let your own voice come through in the review

Date: Thursday 3 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Learning Skills Adviser
Venue: Health Sciences Library Study Room 1

Pronunciation (designed for non English speaking background students)

Bring your own material, e.g. lecture notes, to practise pronunciation of medical terms

Date: Tuesday 8 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Learning Skills Adviser
Venue: Health Sciences Library Study Room 1

Writing a Report

How to structure different types of reports and decide on the appropriate language

Date: Thursday 10 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Learning Skills Adviser
Venue: Health Sciences Library Study Room 1

Where to Publish?

Which Journals have the highest impact factors in your areas of research? Who are the key researchers?

Date: Tuesday 15 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

Web of Science: ResearcherID

Help researchers to manage their publications and access citation metrics

Date: Thursday 17 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

Research Skills: Keeping Up-To-Date

Stay up-to-date with the latest scholarly information – Setting up alert services, My profile and saved searches

Date: Tuesday 22 September 12.00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

Research Skills: New Features of Web of Science

Recent enhancements to the Web of Knowledge platform including searchable funding data

Date: Thursday 24 September
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Presenter: Faculty Liaison Librarian
Venue: Health Sciences Library Training Room

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope to see you there,
Kate

JANE -- Making Publishing Easier!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Dear All,

Some of you may already have come across this tool, but for those who haven't, I wanted to introduce you to JANE.

JANE is an acronym for Journal/Author Name Estimator. Use it to find:

Journals to which you should submit your research
Relevant articles to cite in your paper
Reviewers for a particular paper

This is how it works:

Enter the title and/or abstract of your paper in the search box
Click on 'Find journals', 'Find authors' or 'Find Articles'
Jane will then compare your document to millions of documents in Medline to find the best matching journals, authors or articles

Use it next time you're going through the publication process!

Cheers,

Kate

Stop Press! Report just released by the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Dear All,

Last week the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre released a report entitled ‘Experience Works: The Mature Age Employment Challenge’.

Report Summary:

Mature age employment has been on the policy agenda many times over. Unfortunately, Australia continues to perform poorly compared with other countries. The report gives a candid snapshot of mature age employment in Australia. It outlines the distinctive barriers faced by older workers and draws on overseas approaches that hold lessons for us. It also presents potential policy responses, including:

Strengthening age discrimination laws
Creating incentives to encourage mature age workers to increase and update their skills
Promoting healthy workplaces to reduce employment barriers caused by health problems associated with older age
Supporting informed transition to retirement
Reducing disincentives for employment from government income support

We hope the report acts as a catalyst for encouraging government, major employer groups and unions to increase their efforts and develop a better coordinated approach to taking up this challenge.

Access the report here.

Thanks to Lindy for spying this publication!

Cheers,

Kate

New Books on Ageing in the Health Sciences Library

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:09:00 +0000

Dear All,

The following books are brand new acquisitions... look for them on the New Book Display in the Library...

Residential design for aging in place / Drue Lawlor, Michael A. Thomas.

Learning to be old : gender, culture, and aging / Margaret Cruikshank.

Healthy longevity in China : demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological dimensions / edited by Zeng Yi ... [et al.].

Aging and cognition : research methodologies and empirical advances / edited by Hayden B. Bosworth and Christopher Hertzog.

Aging and the Indian diaspora : cosmopolitan families in India and abroad / Sarah Lamb.

The aging of America : implications for the business of health care / Michael Carbine, managing editor ; Erin Trompeter, editor.

Gerontology for the health care professional / edited by Regula H. Robnett, Walter C. Chop.

With shaking hands : aging with Parkinson's disease in America's heartland / Samantha Solimeo.

Cheers,
Kate

Web of Science & Journal Citation Reports Demonstration

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Dear All,

You are warmly invited to a Web of Science and Journal Citation Reports Demonstration at the Health Sciences Library.

Here are the details of the session:
Where: Health Sciences Library Training Room, R112
When: Monday 3 August, 10:00AM -- 11:30 AM

Web of Science provides citation information on researchers and the papers they write -- it is useful for tracking seminal papers, leading researchers and key developments in a particular field.

Journal Citation Reports provides citation information on journals (including a journal's Impact Factor) -- it is useful for determining where to publish your research!

Please let me know if you have any questions -- looking forward to seeing you there.

Cheers,
Kate

Send Me Suggestions for the Library Collection!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Dear All,

My colleagues and I are currently ordering books for the library collection and would love your input! Let me know whether there are any books/DVDs you've come across during your research that you think we ought to purchase. Email me at k.masters@library.usyd.edu.au to send me the details.

Our budget to purchase research monographs runs out at the end of September, so start sending me your suggestions soon!

Please keep in mind that you are more than welcome to make suggestions for the collection year round -- our aim is to support your research needs.

Hope to hear from you soon,
Kate

Get Your Research Published! Part 3: How to Pitch to the Right Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Hi All,

Today's post is all about how to choose a journal in which to publish. For those of you starting out on the publication route, it is tempting to submit to any old journal in the hope that you'll get to see your name in print. This will definitely fast track your resume, but may backfire in the long run, as your peers twig to the fact that you've published in journals of a low standard.

So what criteria do you need to consider when choosing journals in which to publish?

1. Suitability of the journal

Above all else, the journal to which you submit a paper must suit the type of research you're doing. A good idea is to visit the journal's website. All journal websites have an 'About' section, which explains the research focus of the journal. Think about whether your topic corresponds to the research focus of the journal.

Also pay attention to whether a journal has a qualitative or quantitative focus -- there is little point submitting a grounded theory paper to a journal specialising in quantitative research methods.

2. Is the journal peer reviewed?

A peer reviewed journal contains articles that have been reviewed by a panel of experts prior to publication. In other words, peer reviewed journals are the gold standard in academic publishing.

Check Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to see if a journal is peer reviewed. Please note that 'refereed' is synonymous with 'peer reviewed'.

3. What is the 'publishing impact' of the journal?

The final criterion to consider is whether the journal in question has a high or low publishing impact. That is, does the journal contain articles that are highly cited, or do experts in the field generally ignore its content? You want to make sure you publish in a journal that is highly respected by the academic community you're working in.

There are two tools you can use to determine the publishing impact of journals. The most well known is Journal Citation Reports, an ISI Web of Knowledge product. The other tool at your disposal is Journal Analyzer in Scopus. You should use both when comparing the publishing impact of one or more journals.

JCR used to be the undisputed leader in this field. In recent years, however, Scopus has gained ground. In many academic circles, Scopus is the preferred tool as it has better coverage of Social Science titles as well as new and more obscure titles. It is also very easy to use.

If you keep all of these in mind as you whittle down your journal list, you can't go wrong!

Cheers,
Kate

Get Your Research Published! Part 2: How to Write a Review Article

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Hi All,

Today's post is a step-by-step guide on how to write the type of review article that will get published. Review articles examine literature that has been published on a particular topic. They are good to write for two reasons:

1. If you've written a literature review as part of your thesis or dissertation, much of the groundwork for writing a review article has already been completed (there is much remodelling involved, however).

2. Review articles are often very highly cited because they give a comprehensive overview of the topic in question. This is good for your H-Index!

Step 1 -- Summarise

This is merely the first step!! Try to focus on seminal publications and those which detail new developments in the field.

Step 2 -- Synthesise

Draw out the implications of what you’ve read
Ask yourself: “so what?”
Arrange information in a meaningful way
Go from the micro (what individual publications say) to the macro (what the literature says as a whole)
Where are the gaps? How are you going to fill them?

Step 3 -- Analyse

Don’t take arguments at face value – scrutinise them!
Use the REVIEW criteria to stay on track:
- Relevance (Is it central to my topic or peripheral?)
- Expertise of author (Are they highly cited? Well respected?)
- Viewpoint of author/organisation (Are there any affiliations that would bias the research?)
- Intended audience (Is it aimed at an academic audience or the general public?)
- Evidence (Are sources cited correctly and consistently? Does the evidence support the conclusions reached?)
- When published (is the information up to date?)

Step 4 -- 'Authorise'

How is your interpretation of the literature going to contribute to the field?
- Theoretical contributions?
- Practical contributions?
Are you going to:
- Extend the body of knowledge that exists?
- Purposefully depart from it?
Reviewers are looking for fresh insights!

This last step is the most important of all -- it will set you apart from others attempting to get their research published!

Stay tuned for next week's instalment which is on finding literature review models.

Cheers,

Kate

Get Your Research Published! Part 1: Refining Your Material

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Hi All,

I've decided to publish a blog series on getting research published. After all, this is the goal to which all postgrads aspire!

Today's post is on refining your material -- an essential step when pitching papers to journals. In coming weeks I'll provide tips on how to transform that massive dissertation into a series of pithy, journal-friendly papers.

Try to keep the following in mind...

Is your paper specific enough? Having a clearly defined topic better enables you to select the most relevant resources to cite and makes it easier to market your paper to editors.
Is your paper pertinent enough? Publishers are always looking for papers that relate to current health issues. Either examine a completely new issue that's burst onto the scene, or re-examine an existing health issue in light of new developments.
Is your paper's scope narrow enough? This is the easiest way to stick within those pesky word perameters that journals so strictly enforce!

Stay tuned for next week's instalment, which looks at the key steps to writing a good scholarly paper...

Cheers!

Basic and Advanced EndNote Sessions

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Dear All,

The Health Sciences Library will be running Basic and Advanced EndNote sessions over the next few weeks.

The Basic session is designed for new Endnote users who are interested in learning how endnote can help you with your study, research and teaching. Learn how to:

· Create an Endnote library
· Enter a reference manually
· Enter a reference using the Online search option
· Search databases and and export references into your EndNote library
· Use EndNote to Cite While You Write (CWYW) in Word

Session Details:
Friday 19th June 1-2pm

The Advanced session is designed for experienced Endnote users who are interested in learning about the new features of Endnote X2. The session will include information on the new features including the FIND FULL TEXT option and how to use Custom and Smart Groups. The session is scheduled for a ½ hour demonstration and ½ hour for YOUR questions on Endnote.

Session Details:
Friday 5th June 1pm-2pm
Saturday 6th June 10-11am
Thursday 11th June 12-1pm
Sunday 14th June 2-3pm
Monday 15th June 10-11am

Please register for these sessions by emailing the Health Sciences Library: healthsciences@library.usyd.edu.au

... or by visiting our registration page: http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au/search/Q(endnote and health)

Cheers,
Kate

Federal Health & Ageing Budget 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:27:00 +0000

Dear All,

The recent Federal Budget has been quite contentious! See how the Health and Ageing Portfolios fared.

Cheers,
Kate

New product on trial: Nursing@Ovid

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Dear All,

The Library is currently trialling Nursing@Ovid. This product enables you to simultaneously search Nursing Journals and Books@Ovid, as well as journal articles from Cinahl, Meditext, and Sociological Abstracts.

The trial ends 29 May, so get in quick!

Access the databases trial page here

Please let us know what you think of Nursing@Ovid by filling out the feedback form

Cheers,
Kate

Upcoming Embase and Scopus classes!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Dear All,

Our information skills series continues with Embase and Scopus classes now on offer.

For those of you who aren't aware, Embase is a major pharmacological, biomedical and drug information database - the European equivalent of Medline. It contains a large number of full text articles from journals published worldwide.

Scopus is a large multidisciplinary database covering published material in the humanities and sciences. It also provides citation analysis of authors and subject areas. i.e. discover how often, and by whom and particular article has been cited, and track major research trends within a subject area.

Here are the class details:

Embase
Monday, 11 May 2009 10:00am-12:00pm
Health Sciences Library Training Room R112

Scopus
Monday, 11 May 2009 1:00pm-3:00pm
Health Sciences Library Training Room R112

Please register for these classes here and put the date in your diaries!

Cheers,
Kate

Converting CINAHL searches from Ovid to Ebsco

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Dear All,

As most of you are probably aware, the CINAHL database is no longer available on the Ovid platform – it has moved to EBSCO.

I have a handy reference sheet which explains how to convert CINAHL searches from Ovid to EBSCO, as I know how frustrating it is to get used to another interface!

I can't attach this, but if you would like me to pass it on, please email me: k.masters@library.usyd.edu.au

Cheers,
Kate

OvidSP workshops coming up

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:20:00 +0000

Dear All,

I wanted to alert you to some OvidSP workshops coming up soon. Here are the details:

OvidSP Basics
Monday 20th April 2009
10-11 AM
Health Sciences Library Training Room R112

Topics covered:

· Access
· Database selection
· Search modes
· Searching within search modes (changed functionality)
· Display and access to results (changed functionality)
· Access to full text (changed functionality)
· Searching full text
· Where to find out more

Ovid Extra
Monday 20th April 2009
11-12 Noon
Health Sciences Library Training Room R112

Topics covered:

· Full text searching (how is full text searching different from database searching)
· Creating autoalerts (SDIs)
· Table of contents autoalerts
· Expert searches
· Saving searches and personal accounts (changed functionality)
· New OvidSP features (customization and universal searches)

Register for these classes here or email the library for more information.

Have a great Easter (eat plenty of chocolate!)

Kate

New Database on trial -- China Data Online (Statistics)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Masters) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Dear All,

I wanted to alert you to a new database that is on trial at the moment -- China Data Online. This product brings together government statistics and census data relating to China. With thousands of available variables and a powerful online search platform in English and Chinese, China Data Online is the premier tool for China studies.

Please take a look at this database if it corresponds to your topic area. The trials page is at: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/trial.html. The trial ends 19 April 2009, so get in quick!

Please fill out the Database Evaluation form at: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/dbevaluation.html. The more (positive) feedback the library receives, the more likely it is that we will subscribe to this database on an ongoing basis.

Cheers,
Kate