How do you solve a problem like researching for assignments?: Welcome

At university, you will be asked to complete a range of assignments. You will need to draw on high quality and academic information to help you answer your assigned question. In each section, you have information to read, videos showing you how to do something with activities and quizzes to put your skills into practice and test your knowledge!

This guide represents between one and two hours of study time.

The study time given does vary to factor in the range of research knowledge and search skills each student may have. Some tasks may take longer than others and if you read all the resources that are linked to from the guide and the journal articles, then the study time may be longer.

Is this the guide for me?

This guide is written to support students within their first year at Sheffield Hallam University studying within the Department of Biosciences and Chemistry. If you are studying within another College or Department, you can find about more about search skills using Search Start.

You will find out:

• how to make sure your work is based on high quality information.
• how to find books and journal articles using Library Search.
• how to identify different journal article types e.g. a review journal article and a primary journal article.
• how to maximise and expertise in using specialist Biosciences and Chemistry resources available to you during your time as a Hallam student.
• how to evaluate information.
• how to cite and reference information.

How to use this guide

The guide is split into sections and you work through the sections from left to right.  There are two ways to move through the guide. You can use the sections at the top or the navigation buttons at the end of each page to move to the next and previous sections.

In each section, the content is arranged in linear order and you scroll down the screen box by box. All the boxes include a title to make it clear what you are working on in that section and the boxes are numbered.

When you see this icon -  Activity - this is your time to put into practice your skills and complete and activity.

Be study kind to yourself!

Each section, after this section, includes a Take a break box to encourage to be study kind and take time a break or at least a rest from the screen! Maybe stand up and take a walk in the fresh air or maybe grab something to eat or drink, Remember drink to think!

Before you begin, lets take a snapshot of how confident you feel researching for information at university. Click the radio button that best describes your confidence levels. All responses on the polls are anonymous clicks.

At the end of the guide, we will ask the same question at the end of the guide to see if there are any changes to confidence levels.  There will also be recommendations for you to follow to build and develop your skills further depending where your confidence levels are at the end of this process.

  Activity 1: Answer the poll

Academic libraries are full of useful information! We are here to help you access the most up to date information and we have a wide range of support services that can help you maximise your time in the Library.

  Activity 2: Watch the Welcome to your library video to make sure you do not miss out!

This video covers how to access many of our services, physical space and find out more about support that is available.

Academic libraries... more than textbooks!

Great news! Your time to research is not limited to when the library is open or when you on campus!

We offer the following services and support 24/7/365!

• You can use our physical space and print resources whenever you need.
• You can research at the time that best suits you as online resources like eBooks, databases and e-journals are available on and off campus.
• And if you have a Library related question in the middle of the night... you can still ask us for help as Library Chat is 24/7/365!

You can find out more about all the services the Library offers and how to use the physical space using the resources below.

Lets check what you remember from the Welcome to the Library video!

 Activity 3: Answer the poll.

You can find the Question answers in the Build on this section in Box 4. Answers.