Accessing Academic Literature

for Professional Development

and Research
Vanessa Armand & Sara Van Dan Acker
A Workshop for TESOL professionals
The Global Teaching Institute, Tokyo International University
November 23, 2016

Workshop Abstract
In response to the universitys limited access to academic articles, and in
support of a research-oriented PD requirement for re-contracting, this 45
minute workshop will offer advanced tips in finding and acquiring journal
articles and other academic literature online. Workshop participants are
encouraged to bring their own topics of professional interest to search for in
the workshop.

PPT by Armand &

Van Dan Acker (2016)

Outline
Maximizing results with:
Google & Google scholar
ERIC.ed.gov
DOAJ.org
Academia.edu
ResearchGate.net
Contacting authors directly
Lazy Scholar [extension]

Storing & organizing articles

with:
Google Drive
Mendeley
Evernote
Audience topics/workshop time
Q & A / comments
PPT by Armand &
Van Dan Acker (2016)

PPT by Armand &

Van Dan Acker (2016)

What are your research interests?

Topic/research you are currently working on?

Topic/research you are interested in working on next semester?
Lit. Review necessary for past/current/future research publication?

Where have you looked for articles in the past? (Why?)

What online tools have you used? (Why?)
How successful do you think your searches have been? (Why?)
What would you still like to find?
PPT by Armand &
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General Search Tips

Look at titles and keywords of articles for related buzzwords

Consider timeframes and how buzzwords may have changed
Search and change buzzwords
Use or not use a VPN (to get .com vs. co.jp results)

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains for list of domain

extensions in different countries

Alternate between complete sentences, phrases, and keywords

Try various search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.)
The most relevant results will be found in the first two search results pages
Check reference lists and search from those
PPT by Armand &
Van Dan Acker (2016)

Maximizing searches in Google

Tips & Tricks

quotation marks to search for an exact phrase

(-) minus sign to eliminate results containing certain words
Site: function to filter search results only within a given website
Search the Google news archive
Try keywords and/or the whole phrase

PPT by Armand &

Van Dan Acker (2016)

Maximizing searches in Google Scholar

(scholar.google.com)

Look first for articles with link (.html or .pdf) to the

right of search results
Sort by relevance to search words & by date
Filter by date e.g. since 2005
Use advanced search box
Create a library of articles to read; keep track of
articles youve cited in papers that you have in your
library
*If you have access to an outside university library, add
it to GoogleScholar in Settings Library Links Type
in your library name save
(You will have to log into your corresponding
library account)

PPT by Armand &

Van Dan Acker (2016)

ERIC

http://eric.ed.gov/

ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center

Offers peer reviewed articles that are available for free

Filter results by peer reviewed and full text available
See http://eric.ed.gov/?advanced for specific search techniques. Simplified filters:
Date
Descriptor
Source
Author
Publication type
Education level
Audience
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Van Dan Acker (2016)

DOAJ

https://doaj.org/

DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals

Search Open Access journal articles

Full text available for most articles.
Filter by:
Journal vs. article
Title
Subject
Publication date
Publisher (by institution & by country)
Full text language
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Academia.edu
*A type of LinkedIn for Academics; similar to ResearchGate.

Make an account and subscribe to areas of research/literature you are interested

in

Upload your own academic papers

Get updates on readership

Follow academics/authors you are interested in to see what they are reading

Automatically receive new article submissions from those selected areas

Easy way to communicate with scholars and authors

Discover dissertations and masters theses

Dont discount these materials - theyve been peer reviewed and often will
have plentiful reference lists
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ResearchGate.net
*Like LinkedIn; similar to Academia.edu

Search & follow research projects

Explore, ask, and answer research-related questions in your field
Access [full text] publications & data shared by other researchers
Search by keyword, by author, by institution & department
Follow authors, institutions/departments
Create a profile & make your research discoverable by others

Get statistics on readership and citation; get a score for your contributions to to build
and leverage your reputation and to collectively boost the reputation
of an institution

Connect w/colleagues, co-authors, & specialists in your field

PPT by Armand &
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Contacting Authors Directly

Dont be scared of emailing an author directly!

Most authors will be delighted that folks read their materials and have questions about them.
They might be able to point you in the direction of other sources.

Use your work email address

Be specific in your email (see example below)

Dear Dr./Professor ______________,

I am a [position/title] at [institution name] and I have come across your article entitled [Title of Article] while researching
[topic]. After looking at your impressive CV, I am sure that your work would help develop my understanding of this issue.
There is a problem, however. My university's library subscriptions do not provide access to [Journal Name]. Would it be at all
possible for you to send me a soft copy? I promise not to distribute it further and would be indebted to you for this service. If
required, my [person in superior role] can contact you to substantiate this request.
Regards,
XXX

Email template courtesy of Joseph Vitta

PPT by Armand &
Van Dan Acker (2016)

Keeping track of the articles you find

With Google Drive

Cloud storage & mobile access

Organization: folders
Searching: search readable PDFs & .doc & Google Drive files (doc, form, slides...)
Collaboration: share feature w/ can edit or can view restriction

With Mendeley

Cloud storage & mobile access

Organization: folders
Searching: function also searches words in annotations
Collaboration: share and joint-edit papers securely in Groups
*Annotating: read & annotate .pdfs and .docs w/ sticky notes and highlighting
*Reference Management: create citations & reference lists
*Exploring: get suggestions from Mendeley based on articles in your Mendeley Library
*Networking: find related papers/people in Groups
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Tips From Your PD Coordinators

From Sara...

Save all sources with the author, year, and abbreviated title
If you dont need it, purge it
Always check reference lists of sources that worked well or that you liked
Use the CRAAP test - evaluate your sources!

Even if its scholarly, its not necessarily credible.

From Vanessa

Hoard academic lit but organize it! You never know when youll need it.
Keep a type of annotated reference list/graphic organizer by theme with various
sources

Additional tools

Lazy Scholar (lazyscholar.org)

Web browser plugin extension

Helps find academic articles within a

webpage
Gives you recommendations
Citation maker
Project created by a Ph.D. student

Evernote (evernote.com)
Take notes, sort, and organize

information
Syncs with Google Drive

Check out this post about how it can

keep you organized:
http://www.nextscientist.com/evernote-fo

r-research-phd/

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Q&A / Comments