Guide for new students: Finding and using scientific information

Image: Jonne Renvall / Tampere University

These tricks work with most of the databases and search engines.

• Phrase searching - using an exact phrase and putting inverted commas around it e.g. "biomedical engineering"
• Truncated searching - using an asterisk (*) after part of a word to search for all possible endings e.g. gene* will retrieve references with gene, genes, genetic, genetically.
• Boolean operators - a way of broadening or narrowing searches by organizing the way words relate to each other e.g. AND, OR, NOT

If the search engine has an Advanced Search option then use it - it will produce more refined searches and better results.

On the Library guides web site you can find field-specific guides. Use these guides to directly access the information sources of your field, such as e-books, journals, and databases.

The site also contains other guides (like this guide for new students), which will help you search for information more effectively and help you to make the most of your library.

Here are some words and phrases you may come across when using the library. If you need any help understanding them, don’t hesitate to ask us!

• Database: A database is a searchable collection of information. Some databases include complete articles, while others only provide citations.
• Full Text: If a database contains full text, it means that at least some of the articles included are complete articles.
• Citation: A citation is the information needed to find a book, journal article, or other library resource. Generally, a citation includes the resource's title, author, date of publication, and information about the publisher.
• Peer-reviewed Journal: A journal where the quality of the articles is maintained through a review process conducted by experts prior to publication. The purpose of this is to make sure that the information in the article is valid and credible.

Plagiarism refers to representing another person’s material as one’s own without appropriate references. This includes research plans, manuscripts, articles, other texts or parts of them, visual materials, or translations. (Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 2012, p. 33)

Academic studies (and research) rely on using various resources to either support one's argument or to introduce claims that will be criticized. By citing and referencing various sources, the writer also displays a level of familiarity with a given topic. Not marking citations and references when using someone else's writings and ideas or presenting someone else's ideas as your own is called plagiarism. 

Plagiarism is usually caused by insufficient information searching skills.

Information searching teaching by the Tampere University Library are integrated into various points in your studies to ensure that you won't be guilty of unintended plagiarism. If you are not sure how to mark a citation or a reference, you can always ask the library for help.

Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to):

• Using someone else's text with little alterations (ie. changing a few words) without telling the original source.
• Leaving out citation information.
• Using direct quotes without quotation marks (ie. copy/paste).
• Self-plagiarism: re-submitting work you've done for a different course without disclosing the information that you have already received credit for it in other courses.

Knowing when and how to cite is an integral part of using scientific information. When using text or research results created by someone else, the source must be cited so that the reader can locate the original source and check the citation. All sources you cite have to included in a bibliography.

Citation practices vary across disciplines, and it is always advisable to first consult your own department teaching staff when it comes to citation practices in your discipline. Tampere University Library offers support in information use and management during the various stages of your studies.

The Library staff is happy to help you with any questions you might have regarding the library's services, resources or information searching.