Download Training Exercises

Training Exercises
Search. Research. Discover.
The exercises outlined in this document can be applied to any full text database or Collection within Informit.
Warm up Exercise: Quick Search
1. Go to : http://search.informit.com.au
2. Scroll to find the database APAFT - Australian Public Affairs – Full Text
3. Click on database name
4. Type the query global warming in the search box. (note that terms are treated as a phrase).

Note the number of results.
5. Limit to Full text and date limit to 2007 and 2008

How many results?
Exercise 1: Finding out about databases
1. List databases that relate to your area of interest.
2. Find a database of interest using the brief description on the database selection screen. Then select
More Information.

What kinds of source documents are indexed?

What are the first 3 listed journals that are indexed?
3. If you haven’t already selected a database with Full Content, do so.

How many comprehensively indexed journals have full text access?

How many selectively indexed journals have full text access?
4. Use the Find Relevant Databases function to find databases that are most relevant to the topic of water
resources.

What are the 2 most relevant databases?

What is the most relevant database will full content?

Select these databases and continue through to the search results.
Exercise 2: Browsing for Titles
1. Navigate to the database selection screen and select all Plus Text and e-Library databases, then
continue to search screen.
2. Select the Title tab to view titles
3. Display only Journals

Note the availability and coverage information.
4. Browse for the journal “Proctor “

Is it a Peer Reviewed Journal?
5. Note that some journal titles have more than one source available.

What are the differences between the database sources for “Proctor“?
www.informit.com.au
18/11/2010
6. Select the AGIS Plus Text Source and browse the latest issue. View a PDF document.
Exercise 3: Search Strategies
1. Use AGISPT to find articles related to censorship, in the jurisdiction of New Zealand. (Hint there is a
field called jurisdiction).How many records returned?
Or
Use A+ Education to find articles related to self esteem and sport in primary school students”. (Use
multiple terms with the Boolean operator AND). How many records returned?
Or
Use APAFT Articles by an author named Green on conservation. How many records returned?
Or
Use TVNews to find programs broadcasted in May 2008 on the topic of censorship. How many records
returned? (Hint the Data of Broadcast format is YYYYMMDD. YYYYMM* will return all records for the
year/month)
2. View some of the results and open a few of the full citations.
3. Modify your search to limit results to full text records only. How many records returned?
4. Modify your search to limit results to articles published in 2007. How many records returned?
Exercise 4: Display Options
1. If you do not have the results of the previous search perform another search to return multiple results.
2. Sort your results by most recent and by source.
3. Change the format of your results to include Citation and Abstract, and Complete record.
4. Change back to Brief and select a few of records.
5. View your selected records, and save the record metadata to the desktop in plain text format.
7. Go back to results.
Exercise 5: Search History
1. Note the Recent Searches box on the bottom right.
2. Use the listed queries, to display the record set of the last two searches you performed.
3. Click on Search history and combine two previous searches with an AND.
4. Search this query.
5. Save your search history, and then reload it.
Exercise 6: Thesauri
1. Return to the Database screen Select a Plus Text database of interest.
2. View its associated Thesaurus.
3. Browse or search for a subject term of interest and drill down into the narrower terms or qualifiers.
4. Choose one of the subject terms that interests you. Do a search for this subject.
Exercise 7: Browse Indexes
1. Change databases and load the AGIS PT database. Select the Indexes tab in the search box.
2. Browse Legislation – Phrase for Accident Compensation Act 1985 (VIC) and search.
3. Refine your search to include the topic negligence.
www.informit.com.au
18/11/2010