Author: Marié Roux (Page 3 of 10)

The Library can assist researchers in analysing their research and publications towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The easiest way will be with the assistance of the “Analyse results” option in Web of Science. You can find the results with a click of a button:

• Do an author search in the database Web of Science
• Click on the list of publications indexed by Web of Science
• Click on Analyse results
• A long list of analyses is available from the drop-down button
• Choose Sustainable Development Goals at the bottom of the list
• You can view the results in a TreeMap chart, Bar chart or table and you can download the visualisations.
• There is also an option to download the results and visualise it in any other way.

SDG TreeMap chart in Web of Science

The Library can also assist you with the following methods:

•  A Researcher Impact Report where a wide range of metrics is provided, including your contribution towards the different SDGs. This information will be sourced either from Web of Science or SciVal, depending on which database indexes your publications the best.

SDG section of a PowerBi report (Researcher Impact Report)

• You are welcome to request only the SDG information if you are not interested in the other metrics.
• A SciVal report per SDG is also available for the whole institution which could be analysed by author. The limitation is that the analyses will only be for a maximum of 10 years and will therefore not give a complete picture of a researcher’s research output if it exceeds the 10-year period.

Enquiries: Marié Roux

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

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

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

Are you someone who has been mulling over any of the following questions:

1. How can I go about uploading my research data to an Openly Access repository so that I can satisfy my academic publisher’s requirements?
2. How can I provide reviewers with access to my research data as part of the peer-review process?
3. How can I obtain a Digital Object Identifier for my research data so that I can satisfy my academic publisher’s demands?
4. How can I ensure that my research data are openly accessible after I graduate from Stellenbosch University?
5. How can I make previously published research data more findable?

Well, if that is the case you need to look no further than SUNScholarData, Stellenbosch University’s very own institutional research data repository. SUNScholarData is used for the long-term archival storage and publication of research data produced or collected in relation to research conducted under the auspices of Stellenbosch University. The research data published on the repository are openly accessible. The Library and Information Service library guide on SUNScholardata provides a wealth of information relating to the use of the repository.

If you are interested in finding a solution to your problem click here in order to make use of SUNScholarData. Should you require more information about SUNScholarData click here to access the SUNScholarData Library Guide or contact the Research Data Services Division at the following e-mail address: rdm@sun.ac.za.

Author: Samuel Simango

Portrait of Maggie Laubser

An art collection of 150 artworks by the renowned South African artist Maggie Laubser (1886 – 1973) was digitised by the Stellenbosch University  Museum in 2021. These works can be seen on the SU Library’s SUNDigital Collections platform.  Click here to visit the Maggie Laubser digital artworks.

But wait, there is more information on Maggie Laubser on SUNDigital that you might not know about.  The finding aid to the Maggie Laubser document collection and other related manuscript collections are also available to support research. Use the Finding aids on SUNDigital to discover what is available. A record of the Maggie Laubser collection is also available in the library catalogue.

This collection dates from 1907 -1975 and consists of 42 pamphlet boxes containing books, magazines, correspondence, sketchbooks and loose sketches, personalia, articles, radio talks, finances, films, newspaper clippings, photos and more.

Your research on Maggie Laubser would not be complete without a visit to the Manuscript section (Special Collections ) of the Library and Information Service. You can visit or make an appointment to gain access to this wonderful wealth of information.

View a few of her artworks below:

Seemeeu (Seagull)

Die Tamatieplukkers (The tomato pickers)

Landskap met vier figure (Landscape with four figures)

Author: Marieta Buys

The generous free version of Flourish, is very helpful to gain data visualisation techniques and easily create visualisations.

What it does: Flourish is part of the Canva family and was created to enable anyone to tell stories with data. Launched in 2018, the tool is used by a large community. It has flexible templates, custom themes and a very user-friendly interface. It is also not just for visualisations, but you can create anything, from quizzes to carousels. The fact that it is integrated with Canva is also an advantage in the sense that it can import your visualisations into any new creation in Canva, such as powerpoint templates or infographics.

The #SmartResearcher webinar about Tableau Public and RawGraphs on 26 September will also touch on how to create visualisations with Flourish. Please book here!

Learn more: Help and resources / Blog