It’s safe to say that Google has monopolised the online search engine industry, so much so that these days if we want to look something up on the internet, we say we are going to “Google” it. Along with Google Scholar, this dominance makes it easy to forget that there are alternatives to Google that might offer alternative and useful results. In this post, we will give you a brief overview of some of these engines to give a try.

Wolfram|Alpha

Wolfram|Alpha is a computational knowledge engine developed by Wolfram Research. It’s designed to answer factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data rather than providing a list of web pages or documents that might contain the answer, which is how traditional search engines like Google operate. Wolfram Alpha can handle a wide range of queries across various domains, including mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, astronomy, and many others. It’s particularly useful for computations, generating graphs, analyzing data, solving equations, and providing answers to complex factual questions.

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that emphasises protecting users’ privacy and avoiding the filter bubble of personalised search results. Unlike many other search engines, DuckDuckGo does not track users’ search histories or personalise search results based on past behaviours. It offers a clean interface and aims to provide neutral, unbiased search results.

In addition to standard web search, DuckDuckGo also includes features like “Instant Answers,” which are derived from various sources such as Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, and other structured data repositories. These instant answers aim to provide quick, factual information directly on the search results page.

Overall, DuckDuckGo has gained popularity among users who prioritise privacy and transparency in their online searches. For research purposes, this can be especially useful as the results you received are objective and unfiltered.

BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)

The Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) is an open-access search engine that primarily indexes academic resources and provides free access to millions of scholarly documents, such as articles, theses, books, and conference papers. It’s operated by Bielefeld University Library in Germany.

BASE gathers content from various academic repositories, digital libraries, and publishers worldwide. It aims to facilitate access to scientific information by offering a centralized search platform that retrieves results from multiple sources. Users can search for academic content across disciplines, making it a valuable tool for researchers, students, and anyone interested in scholarly literature.

Key features of BASE include:

1. Open Access Focus: It primarily indexes open-access content, ensuring that much of the scholarly material it searches is freely available to the public.
2. Comprehensive Coverage: It includes a wide range of academic sources, covering various disciplines and types of scholarly output.
3. Search and Discovery: BASE provides advanced search capabilities to help users find relevant academic resources efficiently.
4. Integration with Libraries: It offers integration with library systems and other academic platforms, allowing users to access full-text documents where available.

Overall, BASE plays a significant role in the open-access movement by providing a powerful tool for discovering and accessing scholarly literature globally.

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

CORE (COnnecting REpositories) provides a comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature, collecting and indexing research from repositories and journals. It is considered the world’s largest collection of full text open access research papers. CORE is a not-for-profit service dedicated to the open access mission and one of the signatories of the Principles of Open Scholarly Infrastructures POSI.

So, in conclusion, remember that there are alternatives to Google and Google Scholar that can enrich the information you retrieve from the World Wide Web!

Note: ChatGPT was used to generate some, but not all, of this article’s content.

As a postgraduate student or researcher, you are probably following some pre-defined process in conducting your research. At the library, we have a library guide that focuses specifically on the research process and its various steps.

Our guide is built on the above research life cycle, starting at the plan and design phase, moving to collecting and capturing data, then analysis, collaboration and creating visual accompaniments to your research , managing, storing and preserving your research, how to share and publish it and finally how to monitor and evaluate the impact and spread of your research. Each of these phases is comprehensively covered in the Research Process library guide. Some of the sections will redirect you to other helpful library guides that we have set up to assist you in your research journey and there are dedicated librarians who can assist you in all the different steps in the process.

For the planning and designing of your research, you can always reach out to your faculty librarian who is there to help you get started and to assist you along the way. You can find out who your faculty librarian is by consulting your discipline’s library guide here.

We also have dedicated librarians who can assist you in the following aspects. You will find their contact details and other useful information on the below guides:

• Research data management
• Research impact
• Open access publishing

Also, if you need any guidance on the research process, who to reach out to, technical formatting of your thesis/dissertation and/or referencing and reference management, you can reach out to the Research Commons staff, Kirchner van Deventer or Letlao Seloma.

During July the new semester begins and we are kicking off our second round of #SmartResearcher workshops. So if you missed any during the first semester, here they are again!

These workshops are aimed at postgraduate students, emerging researchers and academic staff and the focus will be on the research process. The sessions vary in length depending on the subject matter, but cover a wide range of subjects related to the postgraduate research journey.

EndNote for reference management EndNote 21 offers various services, including reference management, organising and annotation of PDF documents and collaboration. In this session, we will show you how to download and install EndNote and how to set up your account. Kindly note that a separate workshop is available for users who need assistance in migrating from Mendeley/Zotero to EndNote. Date: 25 July Time: 11:00 – 13:00 Register Here

How to conduct a literature review In this webinar, participants will learn what a literature review is and the different types of literature reviews. They will learn best practices for conducting a literature review by working with their topic, structuring the literature review and how to critically analyse literature. Date: 30 July Time: 11:00 – 13:00 Register Here

Tips on how to format your thesis (MS Word) This workshop will help you work around some of the common formatting glitches most postgraduate students experience, whilst getting their document ready for submission. Date: 1 August Time: 11:00 – 13:00 Register Here

Library induction for postgraduate students and academic staff In this introductory session, participants will be provided with an overview of the core services on offer by Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service. Topics include navigating the Library Website, how to find their way around the Stellenbosch University Library, how to find information through the Library’s numerous databases, what advanced research support services are available and many others. Date: 6 August Time: 10:00 – 13:00 Register Here

Systematic Reviews Thinking about doing a systematic review? Having its origins in health sciences, a systematic review can be a daunting challenge. Let us help you demystify it and get started with a high-level introduction to the systematic review process. Date: 7 August Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Register Here

Introduction to Special Collections: Dealing with primary collectionsThis workshop focuses on Special Collection material in the library. The session will guide the participant to understand and explore the secondary and primary resources accessible to researchers. The aim is to encourage staff, students, and researchers to optimise the use of primary collections and data for research projects. Date: 13 August Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Register Here

Data Management Planning This session introduces researchers to Data Management Planning. It is comprised of a presentation and practical demonstration. The presentation covers the following areas: the fundamental aspects of Data Management Planning, the structure of Data Management Plans, the regulation of Data Management Plans at Stellenbosch University as well as the resources that researchers can use in relation Data Management Planning. The presentation is followed by a practical demonstration on how researchers use Data Management Planning software to create Data Management Plans. Date: 14 August Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Register Here

Makerspace for Research and Innovation – 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping and More In-Person / Online Join us for an engaging workshop that delves into innovative research possibilities, essential project support resources, and highlights successful projects previously undertaken in the Makerspace. In this session, we will empower postgraduate students with insights into valuable tools and resources that can elevate their research endeavours. Our primary objective is to inspire postgraduate students to fully leverage these resources and the workspace to enhance the quality of their research outputs. Date: 15 August Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Register Here

Tools and applications for research This workshop will offer a look at some of the top tools and applications for students, academic staff, and researchers. It will cover a variety of mobile apps for research, productivity, reading, writing, presenting, note-taking, file sharing and other essential tools for studying and publishing on the go. Date: 20 August Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Register Here

Finding Government Statistics This workshop focuses on the database Statistics SA which is available by means of the Library website. The session includes a demonstration on how to access publications on the database, do cross-tabulation and access time series data with variables over time. Date: 21 August Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Register Here

EndNote for reference management EndNote 21 offers various services, including reference management, organising and annotation of PDF documents and collaboration. In this session, we will show you how to download and install EndNote and how to set up your account. Date: 27 August Time: 14:00 – 16:00 Register Here

RDM tools, resources and training The workshop will introduce participants to various available RDM tools, resources, and training. This will include introducing them to Information resources and technological solutions relating to data collection, sensitive data management, data storage, data sharing, data publication, game-based learning as well as researcher support. Date: 28 August Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Register Here

Copyright issues in theses and dissertation writing This presentation provides an overview of the copyright issues which students typically encounter while working on their theses or dissertations. Date: 29 August Time: 12:00 – 13:00 Register Here

One of the most frequent questions that academic librarians get is “Is this a predatory journal?” With the advent of the Information Age and the internet, the number of journals in which you can publish in has skyrocketed, with some estimates putting it well past 30 000. Many of these journals are driven purely by profit and does not have the researcher’s interest in mind at all. Known as predatory journals, or predatory publishing, their drive for profit means they focus on quantity over quality, are quick to accept articles without any peer review process, are deliberately evasive about the publishing fees, list fake editorial boards using academics without their permission and more. A more devious tactic that these publishers employ is to directly contact researchers and invite them to publish with them, often using boastful language about the quality and reach of their journal. Researchers who may have been rejected by other journals, or who are unsure where to publish, might be swayed by this flattering invitation. However, they may live to regret publishing in these journals, and their academic reputation and career may be ruined.

Therefore, it is critical that researchers choose the most suitable journals to publish their research. But, as mentioned above, with so many out there and many of them predatory, how do you choose? The best option, of course, is to ask your faculty librarian, but if they are unreachable or you would prefer to double-check yourself, then you should make use of Think, Check, Submit. “Think. Check. Submit.” is a collaborative initiative that provides a simple checklist researchers can use to assess the credentials of a journal or publisher.

The campaign’s checklist is structured around three key steps:

Think: Before submitting your manuscript, consider if the journal you’re looking at is the best fit for your research. Reflect on the journal’s scope, audience, and reputation within your field.

Check: Investigate the journal’s integrity and quality. This involves:

• Verifying the journal’s peer-review process.
• Checking if the journal is indexed in reputable databases.
• Reviewing the editorial board for recognised experts.
• Ensuring transparency about the publishing fees.
• Confirming the journal’s publisher is a member of recognised industry organisations like COPE or DOAJ.

Submit: If the journal meets the necessary quality checks, you can confidently submit your manuscript.

If you would like to access a PDF copy of the full checklist, you can do so here.

For more information, also have a look a their video below:

The Library and Information Service would like to invite you to join us for one of the upcoming Wiley Author workshops that will be held on 15 and 22 April. The first workshop, on 15 April, is aimed at early-career researchers who are looking to publish their first research paper. The April 22 workshop will be a more hands-on, practical workshop that is aimed at senior researchers and current authors who would like specific issues or concerns addressed. Click on the flier below to book your place now!

As we are entering March, we at the Library and Information Service are thrilled to see how popular EndNote is among our clients and how excited some were when they heard that we finally got a license for the product. However, no transition to new software ever goes smoothly and as we assisted you in setting up the software, we noticed that some common issues are frequently encountered. These will be added to our EndNote Library Guide and will also be addressed in future EndNote workshops. Nevertheless, we believe it will be worthwhile to address some of these issues in this month’s newsletter. Below you will find a description of some common issues and how they can be solved:

• Where to find the installation file
  • When you plan on installing EndNote, do not go to their website. You need to download the install file (Mac or PC) from the University’s Software HUB and also remember to copy the Product Key that is saved in the .TXT file.

• Microsoft Word and Outlook needs to be closed for the installation to continue
  • It may sometimes look like you have closed MS Word, but it could still be running in the background.
    • Windows:
      • Click on the Windows icon (bottom left of the screen) and type: Task Manager
      • Once Task Manager has opened, search for Word in the Search Bar:

• • • • If there is any Word process running, select it and then click on End Task. After that you should be able to install EndNote.
    • Mac:
      • Sometimes on Mac devices, it may look like you closed Word, but you actually only closed the documents, but did not exit the application. To exit Word, you need to click on Word in the toolbar in the top left of the screen and then on Quit Word:

• EndNote not opening in Mac, even though it says it has installed:
  • When EndNote opens for the first time on Mac devices, it looks as if nothing is happening because no new window pops up. However, EndNote does open, but it does not prompt you to create a new library. So, you need to create one:
    • At the EndNote toolbar on the top left of the screen, click on File>New:

• • • EndNote gives a new library the default name ‘My EndNote Library’, but you can name it whatever you wish.
    • Very, very important: Make sure that you save the library on your Mac’s HardDrive and not on iCloud or any other cloud drive. This is essential to avoid the potential corruption of your library.
    • Once your library is created, it will open automatically and you can continue to use EndNote from there.

• I am using the SU Harvard file, but I am noticing several errors
  • As EndNote is new to us at the library, so too is its style customisation feature and, admittedly, some errors have popped up in the style. However, each time an error is identified, it is corrected and a new version of the style is uploaded to our Library Guide. At this stage, we recommend that you download and replace the SU Harvard style every few weeks to ensure that you have the most up-to-date version of the style. Once we are satisfied that all the errors have been ironed out, we will share a general announcement to that effect.
  • You can download the latest version of the style here.

• I have chosen the style I want to use in EndNote, but it isn’t the right one in Word:
  • You need to make sure that your preferred style is also selected in Word and not just in EndNote:

These are the most common issues we have encountered so far, but they are by no means the only ones. If you encounter a problem, you are more than welcome to contact your faculty librarian, or Kirchner van Deventer / Letlao Seloma in the Research Commons, so they can assist you with your issue.

Remember, EndNote is meant to make the research process simpler for you and if it does the opposite, then let us help you master the programme!

Enquiries: Kirchner van Deventer

It has been two years now since we first opened our doors to researchers and other clients to use our Makerspace. However, we realise that Makerspace is a new concept to most researchers and clients and it is necessary to constantly provide training and workshops on what the space has to offer as well as how to safely operate the tools and software in this space.

Therefore, to showcase what the Makerspace offers, we now have a dedicated #SmartResearcher workshop where staff from the facility will introduce you to all the available services and equipment. This workshop is scheduled for 13 March 2024 from 12:00 – 13:00 and will consist of an introductory presentation that gives an overview of all the services available to clients who are both on- and off-campus. Those who will attend in person will then be taken on a brief tour of the facility where you will get to see all the equipment in action. It is hoped that the training will lead to maximum utilisation of the space as well as result in researchers and clients being aware of how to operate some of our tools and software to achieve maximum results safely.

The goal of the Makerspace has always been to enable researchers, students and staff to create new digital artifacts and materials, adopt new digital tools, processes, and methods and participate in innovative projects, communities, and discussions. The space and associated services are meant to showcase new and innovative digital technologies that can further enhance our students and researchers’ academic endeavours. The Makerspace has three 3D printers, as well as a 3D scanner that lets you scan an object that can then be replicated. There is also a variety of electronic equipment available for our clients to tinker with.

Space for in-person attendance is limited, so book your spot here!

Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service’s Library Research Week will take place during the week of 13 to 17 May 2024. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on the programme and the range of exciting topics that we will cover this year. In line with one of Stellenbosch University’s core values, the theme for Library Research Week 2024 is Let’s achieve excellence in research. So, save the date and be ready for what will be an innovative and relevant learning experience that we believe will help you excel in your research!

If you are new to Stellenbosch University, but you are a postgraduate student or a new staff member, it can be daunting to have to discover all the services and facilities available to you and, especially, how to access them. As part of the Library and Information Service’s #SmartResearcher training series, we offer a Library induction that specifically caters to postgraduate students and academic staff. This three-hour session will introduce you to all of the services and facilities that the Stellenbosch University Library has to offer. You will learn how to find your faculty librarian, how to navigate the library’s website, how to access library guides that are important to your research area and how to contact the library for assistance.

You will also be introduced to Research Impact services, Research Data Services, Open Access publication, the Carnegie Research Commons, the Makerspace and our institutional repositories.

Below are the dates available in the first semester:

• 22 February: 10:00 – 13:00
• 20 March: 10:00 – 13:00

Both sessions will be presented in hybrid format, so you can choose to attend in person or online.

Remember, we are here to help you excel in whatever you aim to achieve!