Data collection is an instrumental part of scientific research. Data collection is a systematic method of obtaining, observing, measuring, and analysing accurate information to support research findings. Collecting data is not limited to a single research field, and all researchers may from time to time collect data personally (primary data) and or use data that was collected by fellow researchers (secondary data) for a different research purpose. While research techniques and goals may vary, the general data collection methods used in the process are essentially the same. In other words, there are specific standards that need to be strictly followed and implemented to make sure that data is collected accurately. However, collecting accurate data is not enough if it will not be stored and secured safely. As way of ensuring good research data management (RDM) practice within Stellenbosch University (SU) researcher community, the university provides several SU pre-approved data collection tools (and support) to researchers. See a discussion below about some of the tools:

Stellenbosch University Microsoft Teams

All SU researchers are eligible to receive Microsoft Office365 software at no extra charge. This means that SU researchers can collect and share data using the pre-approved platforms to ensure that their research data is collected and stored safely and remains accessible any time. This helps minimise chances of data loss as the institutional Information Technology service desk controls this infrastructure.

SUNSurveys

SUNSurveys is an SU pre-approved web-based e-Survey service that is available to support SU researchers and may be used to conduct online surveys for their academic research. SUNSurveys is also regularly used for staff opinion polls, voting and service delivery surveys.

REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture)

REDCap is a secure web platform for building and managing online databases and surveys. This platform is available to all SU researchers at no extra charge. REDCap’s streamlined process for rapidly creating and designing projects offers a vast array of tools that can be tailored to virtually any data collection strategy. Moreover, REDCap provides automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to Excel and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata, R), as well as a built-in project calendar, a scheduling module, ad hoc reporting tools, and advanced features, such as branching logic, file uploading, and calculated fields.

There are various other pre-approved data collection tools that are available to SU researchers. It is also worth noting that all SU pre-approved tools exist to ensure that researchers adhere to good data management practices throughout the research process. Please see the image below for a more detailed outlook on SU pre-approved research data collection tools.

Author: Sizwe Ngcobo

Rayyan is a powerful, intelligent systematic review platform that allows you to do large scale analyses of thousands of records. It allows researchers to organise, manage and accelerate their collaborative systematic literature reviews. Rayyan understands language, learns from decisions, and helps research teams work quickly through even their largest sets of references reducing around 80% of your screening efforts. Rayyan is user-friendly and 93% of our members report learning to use Rayyan took them less than an hour or a day to master (Tryphosa, 2023). In the video below, we go over the Rayyan’s key features and introduce you to its potential benefits when using it for systematic (or other) reviews.

With January nearing faster than some of us might hope, we are working hard to have everything in place so our users can download, install, and access EndNote in the first week of January 2024. The SU Harvard Style is ready for use and once we have the full license, our clients are welcome to make recommendations or request changes to the style. We have also identified six “super users” who will be responsible for providing EndNote support and training in their respective areas. They are:

Kirchner van Deventer, Manager: Carnegie Research Commons

Letlao Seloma, Librarian: Carnegie Research Commons

Sanda Nyoka, Law Librarian

Lucinda Raath, Arts and Social Sciences Librarian

Yusuf Ras, Head: Medicine and Health Sciences Library

Heila Mare, Theology Librarian

These six librarians have received advanced training in EndNote. The next phase in EndNote training will be in-house training for other library staff. This training will be more basic in nature, but will allow most of our staff members to assist in basic queries and troubleshooting. If advanced support is needed, you will be referred to one of the librarians listed above.

In addition to our in-house training, we will also provide monthly training to all SU staff and students who need it. This training will form part of our popular #SmartResearcher training sessions, so keep an eye out for the 2024 schedule! There will be two types of training. The first will be a session on how to migrate your existing Mendeley or Zotero Library to EndNote. During this training we will also take you through the process of downloading and installing EndNote on your device(s). The second type will be a practical training session where we will take you through all of EndNote’s features and capabilities. We will show you how to import references from databases, how to search some databases from within EndNote, how to navigate your library and how the MS Word plugin, Cite-while-you-write, works. Our EndNote Library Guide will also be up and running by January 2024 and it should prove a useful resource for FAQs, troubleshooting and other guides on how to use the tool.

We hope that you are as excited as us about this new reference management tool and may it contribute to the success of your research journey!

Did you know that the Library offers the following bibliometric reports to evaluate your research impact:

1. Basic metrics information

This report will include the H-Index from the different databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, etc.
The information will be shared via e-mail or in Excel format.

 2. Full Researcher Impact Report

This full report will be in the format of a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow which will include the following:

• A summary page that includes all the important metrics, such as the H-Index from different databases, the M-Index, the G-Index and other indices. The total publications and citations per year, and per database. Your top article in Altmetrics. The top 2 highly cited articles in Scopus or Web of Science and a few other important metrics.
• VosViewer visualisation  – Co-authorship analysis.
• VosViewer visualisation  – Citations analysis.
• PowerBi report which includes visualisations of all the important metrics related to your research output, from a specific database such as Scopus or Web of Science, depending on where most of your articles are indexed.
• Guidance on the responsible use of metrics.
• Methodology: Explanation of the tools used as well as links to your author profiles in the different databases.
• Glossary: Explanation of all the important terms used in the report.

The information will be shared in a PowerPoint template, including the PowerBi report embedded in PowerPoint. A link to the PowerBi report will also be shared as well as an Excel document with underlying data, including your top 50 articles in Altmetrics.

3. SciVal Reports

A range of different reports could be created by means of SciVal which is based on Scopus data. A specific date range will be chosen, of which the longest period is 10 years. A wide range of metrics are available.

Request your report from your Faculty Librarian or contact Marié Roux to coordinate the request.

Visit our Research Impact library guide for more information.

Do you need to submit your thesis or dissertation? The Library’s help page on the thesis/dissertation submission procedure will help you to find all the relevant information you need.

SUNScholar repository

You will find valuable information on who does what, and when. There are specific processes to follow, and this page gives step-by-step guidance on how to complete these processes, for both supervisor and student.

There are various title page templates and declaration templates to download.  For the student using LaTeX, there is a link via TexLive or MikTeX, to download the software.

Please send your enquiries to scholar@sun.ac.za. There will also be a training session on how to submit your thesis on 20 February. Please book your space here.

SUNScholarData repository

For students who need to submit their research data along with their thesis or dissertation, the following will give guidance on the process.

1. How to Upload a Single File
2. How to Upload Multiple Files
3. How to Publish a File

Further guidance relating to the use of SUNScholarData can be found in the SUNScholarData Library Guide.

Enquiries: rdm@sun.ac.za.

The theme for this year’s OA Week “Community over Commercialisation” encourages a candid conversation about approaches to open scholarship that prioritise the best interests of the public and academic community.  According to UNESCO, by prioritising the community we can prevent the “inequitable extraction of profit from publicly funded scientific activities”.  The theme can be applied to various case scenarios you might find within the research cycle.

Stellenbosch University Library will engage in an active panel discussion that will address the aspects of transformational agreements and their impact on the publisher, author, and research-intensive institution.  The research community is hereby invited to join and actively participate in this discussion and find out how these agreements work within the SU research community.

Venue: Stellenbosch University Library, Auditorium
Date: Monday, 23 October 2023
Time: 11h00 – 12h00

Bookings: In-person or online

Should you have any questions for the panel, please send it to scholar@sun.ac.za.
Please take note that the discussion will be streamed, and the recording will be available on YouTube after the event.

Enquiries: Songezo Mpikashe

Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service is very pleased to announce that, starting January 2024, staff and students will have access to EndNote 21. The decision to acquire EndNote follows a survey we conducted earlier this year on our clients’ satisfaction with Mendeley as the supported reference management tool at Stellenbosch University. The survey indicated a large level of dissatisfaction with the reliability of Mendeley. At the same time, we conducted a benchmarking exercise to see what reference management software other institutions were using. It was notable that most of the research-intensive institutions were subscribed to EndNote. Given the overall dissatisfaction with Mendeley and what appears to be the software of choice at other institutions, the decision was made to subscribe to EndNote.

EndNote is one of the best reference management software packages available. With EndNote you can manage and format your citations with ease and its integration with cloud services and word processors are some of the best. Here is a short list of some of EndNote’s features:

EndNote’s style customisation feature is especially promising as we will be able to create custom styles according to our clients’ specific needs. In addition, EndNote offers a level of software stability that open-source reference managers unfortunately do not provide as yet. Naturally, we will offer support and training in how to migrate from Mendeley or Zotero to EndNote, if you wish to do so.

We will share further announcements regarding training and other resources as we get closer to January, so keep your eye on Library Research News for further updates. In the meantime, have a look at this video to see what some of the new features of EndNote 21 are.

Enquiries: Kirchner van Deventer

In what will hopefully be the first of many, we have made a video that gives a short overview of a tool that can be very valuable for academic research. In this video, we discuss Keenious and, specifically, how it works as a MS Word plugin. Keenious analyses pieces of text and then automatically recommends academic articles that may be relevant. The tool is free to use for individuals and it really works like a dream! Have a look at the video below:

If you have any questions or you want assistance in setting Keenious up on your computer, feel free email us!

Did you know that our faculty librarians offer assistance in choosing the best avenues for publishing your research? They can assist you with the following:

A library guide on where to publish your research

It gives you an overview of all the important aspects of publishing and finding a suitable journal to publish your research. Visit the library guide here.

Journal metrics in databases such as Scopus and Web of Science

With the use of journal metrics (see this page on library guide) you will be able to decide which journal to publish. These metrics include the Impact Factor, CiteScore, SNIP, and many more. It is also helpful to see in which percentile the journal falls, and then also analyse the subject fields and get suggestions for other journal titles in which you may publish.

Publish in accredited journals

Consult the Division for Research Development’s webpage for information on which journals are accredited by the DHET to qualify for subsidy. Librarians will also be able to assist you with whether a specific journal is accredited or not.

Guidance on how to avoid predatory publishers

Librarians are also able to assist you with determining whether a journal/publisher is predatory. This tab in the Library guide will give you some guidance on the topic, but you are also most welcome to contact your faculty librarian for assistance.

Getting to know all the Open Access avenues and discounts that exist

Your research will be widely visible and accessible if you publish with Open Access avenues. See more information here and see the library guide which describes all the discounts available by means of transformative agreements for Open Access publishing here.

A workshop on where to publish will be presented early October

The workshop, Making important decisions about publishing your research, will be presented again early October. Please make sure to book your space here!

Enquiries: Your faculty librarian or Marié Roux