PDE2440 and PDE4421 Oct 2018

Editor's Notes

• #3: The range of resources we provide The value of resources in an academic context How to select the appropriate resources Develop an effective search strategy eg. Identify keywords, refining your search How to find and access books, journals and information for your projects using the Library Searchand other resources, as well as finding books in the library and from other sources. Evaluating the information for quality and relevance
• #4: Your finished piece of work is just the tip of the iceberg. Below it is should be loads of research ie. looking at theory and facts, being inspired, getting ideas, stimulating your imagination etc. Research at Uni of Huddersfield shows that students who use library resources get better degrees.
• #5: Sources game Magazine (A regular publication aimed at a profession, business or interest....trade/popular) Good: Latest news: events, jobs, products etc, concise info, easy to obtain Bad: lacks detail, can be bias, old issues hard to come by Standards (An agreed, often legally binding level of quality or way of doing something....regional, Nat, Internat, profession/sector) Good: Created by experts, confidence Company/market research report (Well researched overview of a company or product market. Could contain future trends, financial data, competitors and SWOT analysis) Good: Up-to-date: latest research/data, Insider information: information not freely available elsewhere, objective, accurate Bad: Hard to locate Webpage Good: All subjects covered, easy to use, mobile Bad: accuracy, no editorial control, anyone can add information, provenance Newspapers Good: Daily information ie. up-to-date, edited, current issues accessible Bad: Sensationalist, biased (unbalanced), harder to get back issues Conference proceedings (Collof aca papers distributed after a conference, cont the contributions made by researchers, academics etc) Good: Up-to-date: latest research, ideas, thinking on a subject, focussed/specialist, stringent quality control Bad: Too specific Journals Good: Up-to-date, Focussed: specialist subject areas, quality Bad: Too specific Books Good: overview, background knowledge, edited/quality Bad: Currency, detailed/specific information
• #6: Worth Global Style Network Homebuildlife: is an online trend forecasting and product design tool for the industrial design, home and interiors markets across 16 product categories including furniture, lighting, textiles, interiors and garden design…….trends, forecasting, business strategy, trade news and shows. Trend Hunter is the world's largest, most popular collection of cutting edge ideas, fueled by 132,000 insatiably curious people. Our trends, trend reports and innovation keynotes help creative people Find Better Ideas, Faster Standards: An agreed, often legally binding level of quality or way of doing something, created by experts, published in print or electronically. Regional: International, European, national, profession, industry etc eg. food industry has ‘Red tractor standard’ Guidance: can provide framework or acceptable level Confidence: ensure that product/service meets acceptable requirements/standards
• #7: More information about the range of resources available on the Library Subject Guide plus lots of useful online guides eg. how to search for information for your project.
• #8: What can you see in the picture…fruit If type ‘fruit’ into database will get millions of hits, how can you break it down ie. search for something more specific to get more manageable results Can you be more specific ie. Type of fruit: apples, oranges, bananas etc Location: Stall, market, outdoor market, fruit market, Britain Detail: boxes, signs, astroturf, prices, colour of fruit, lights, pound £ signs, special offer etc People in background: old, young, male, female > stall holder, customers, browsers etc Think of related subjects eg. retail, commercial, financial, point-of-sale Shopping, shops, fish/meat/clothes market, shopping centres, high street Town, city, centre, British town Nutrition: vits and mins Also: Orange or Blackberry: fruit NOT telephone Apple: fruit NOT computer Thinking beyond the obvious, looking for the detail that might make a difference.
• #9: What is your topic? What do you need to know? Where from? What are the keywords to describe your topic? Synonyms/alternative words, detail, broader subject, different spellings etc. You can find details of the types on information sources that you should be using in your ‘coursework details’ i.e. academic books, papers and journal articles, quality newspapers, information from corporate websites, independently produced research. Hand out plain paper and pens (if necessary) 5 mins. Feedback. PDE2400 Write a survey essay of about 6-8 pages/4000-6000 words, double column. Use IEEE reference style and format. The review needs to be related to robotics: Land Mobility/Unmanned vehicles Underwater robots Flying robots (UAVs/Unmanned aerial vehicles) Medical/Surgical robots Biomimetic systems [inspired by biological physiology to overcome challenging problems] Social robotics Domestic robots (vacuum cleaners…) Military/autonomous or remote controlled/artificial soldier/drone Planetary exploration The focus would be an overall survey and then a detailed research on any one of the above specialized topic (most of the students have chosen their topic of specialization, but this can change). PDE4421 These students are supposed to write a survey essay of 6-8 A4 page / 4000-6000 words double column IEEE reference style and format. The review needs to be related to be one particular area of robotic systems and control applications, such as (but not limited to) Interaction between humanoid robotics and neuroscience, Autonomous robots, Motor skill learning, Control strategies for robotics, Advances in assistive robotics. The focus would be an overall survey and then a detailed research on any one of the above specialized topic (most of the students would have chosen their topic of specialization, but this can change a bit).  
• #10: Accessing resources Click on MyStudy. You can now access library resources from the MyLibrary box……detail on next page.
• #14: London1054 Can create IEEE references in RefWorks.
• #15: Google Familiar and easy to use but can find too much information of varying quality Search results can be manipulated….information bubble…..search engines like Google start to learn what you are not interested in, so stop showing you some search results Search results sponsored…no accident that Wikipedia, Amazon etc at top of search results Searches for info from any source Pay for academic information Library Search Easy to use and will finds lots of academic info Designed to find you information: up-to-date, focussed/specific Search results by relevance Searches quality resources eg. Peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings , research etc Free access to full text ie. Information not freely available elsewhere
• #16: Students can also search individual databases.
• #17: Find journal articles, theses, books, and more, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Search across many disciplines Locate the full-text document through your library or on the web Keep up with recent developments in any area of research Save items in a personal library
• #18: Cite Them Right online is used to check that you have referenced correctly. It covers most of the referencing styles used within the university, but not IEEE. However it would be useful for other modules where you might be expected to use Harvard.
• #19: Introduce the importance of evaluating information for quality What do you think about this quote by Abraham Lincoln?
• #20: We’ve looked at the fun resources, now we’re going to look at more traditional resources…… Divide class into group and hand out worksheet and 4x items. Discuss. No right or wrong answers. All items found by doing a search on Robots. Which item is most relevant: Journal Article: specialist journal of robots and robotics Book: broad overview of robots and robotology Which item would be no use: Newspaper Article from the Sun Website (fake) Which item has the most academic authority: Journal Article: peer-reviewed, citations and ref list, biography of authors, etc Book: author has some academic authority (back cover blurb) Are any of the items bias: Newspaper article could be depending on the subject Websites can also show bias if created for specific purpose Also be aware of trade journals that have adverts Which item is the most current: Journal article: Dec 2009 Book: 1984 Newspaper article: Nov 2004 Website: Oct 2011 Would need to continue search.
• #21: Authority : Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? How have they carried out their research? Relevance : Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level? Intent : What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic etc? Objectivity : Balanced view? Opposing views represented? Links to supporting information? Currency: How old is this information? When was it last updated and by whom?
• #22: A84 Uni email
• #23: More help available at the link.