Library Research News

Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service - News from research support services

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Network visualisation tools

Librarians often receive requests for information on the use of network visualisation tools, specifically for the visualisation of co-citation or co-authorship networks or journal co-citation networks. VOSViewer is a well-known tool that is used to create bibliometric network visualisations. There are other tools such Gephi and NodeXL, which could be very useful too. See more information about these three tools below:

VOSViewer

VOSViewer is a network visualisation tool specifically developed to aid in examining bibliometric networks, such as collaborations between researchers and relationships between publications. You can create numerous types of network visualisations with VOSViewer using data from different databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Crossref, OpenAlex, etc. The networks you create could include journals, researchers, or individual publications, and they can be constructed based on citation, bibliographic coupling, co-citation, or co-authorship relationships. VOSviewer also offers text mining functionality that can be used to construct and visualise co-occurrence networks of important terms extracted from a body of scientific literature.

Examples:

Collaboration between universities

Term co-occurrence network

Journal co-citation network

For the analysis of an individual author, please remember that you can view VOSViewer visualisations for co-citations and co-author networks in the free version of the Dimensions database. See more information on this topic in a previous blog post.

Gephi

Gephi is a free, open-source desktop visualisation tool that specialises in visualising and analysing large network graphs. The following applications are available in Gephi.

Exploratory data analysis: Intuition-oriented analysis by network manipulations in real-time.

Link analysis: Revealing the underlying structures of associations between objects.

Social network analysis: Easy creation of social data connectors to map community organisations and small-world networks.

Biological network analysis: Representing patterns of biological data.

Poster creation: Scientific work promotion with high-quality printable maps.

Various layouts in Gephi

NodeXL

NodeXL is an add-on to Microsoft Excel with a free plan. It allows you to create various node-link diagrammes using Excel spreadsheets. Unfortunately, it is only compatible with Microsoft Windows versions of Excel.

With the free and open NodeXL Basic , you can easily:

  • Customize the network graph’s appearance
  • Zoom, scale and pan the graph
  • Calculate basic graph metrics
  • Dynamically filter vertices and edges
  • Alter the graph’s layout
  • Find clusters of related vertices

The NodeXL Pro application adds additional features:

  • Calculate advanced graph metrics
  • Import and export graphs to a variety of file formats
  • Get social networks using built-in connections to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Wikis, Blogs, Instagram, Network Surveys, and email
  • Automate network graph collection and creation

Example of a Twitter network analysis: The graph represents a network of 1 654 Twitter users whose recent tweets contained “valavuori OR valavuoren”, or who were replied to or mentioned in those tweets, taken from a data set limited to a maximum of 18 000 tweets.

Please contact Marié Roux for further assistance.

New navigation page for Research Services

As part of the Library’s ongoing efforts to create a more client-centric website and improve its navigation, we are in the process of replacing the drop-down menus on the home page with navigation pages of which the Research Services web page at http://library.sun.ac.za/en-za/Research/ is the first. This page regroups the Library’s research services for clients in order to better address and speak to the needs of the postgraduates and researchers at the University in every step of the research cycle. It provides guides, tools and services at your fingertips for starting your research journey, on where to get publishing support and learn about open access publishing, how to manage your research data and references, how to measure the impact of your research and how to analyse and visualise your data.

Have a look at this new navigation and we hope it will assist you in finding the information you need for all your research-related library needs!

#Smart Webinars for March

This month we continue with our #SmartResearcher and #SmartStudent series of webinars. Kindly note that you will receive a link to the webinar once you have registered. We hope to see you all there!

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.
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: 01 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book 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: 02 March 2023 @ 14h00 – 16h00

Please book 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: 07 March 2023 @ 10h00 – 13h00

Please book here

Introduction to Special Collections: Dealing with
primary collections
This 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: 08 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 13h00

Please book 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: 09 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book 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: 14 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book here

An Overview of Research Data Repositories

Many funders mandate that data collected in the process of conducting research funded by them is deposited in reputable repositories, this workshop will provide an overview of research data repositories and demonstrate the manner in which the SU’s Institutional Research Data Repository functions.

Date: 15 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book 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: 16 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book 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: 22 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 12h00

Please book here

Mendeley for reference management

Managing your references can be a daunting task. This workshop will introduce you to Mendeley, a free tool focusing mainly on reference management. Mendeley offers various services, including reference management, organising and annotation of PDF documents and collaboration.

Date: 23 March 2023 @ 14h00 – 16h00

Please book 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: 28 March 2023 @ 12h30 – 13h30

Please book 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: 29 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 12h00

 

Please book here

Overview of software for effective data analysis and data visualisation

An overview of tools and free software for data analysis and data visualisation will be presented. These tools are useful for statistical analysis, visualisation, mapping, data cleaning and the digital humanities.

Date: 30 March 2023 @ 11h00 – 13h00

Please book here

This programme has been developed to provide students and staff with introductory sessions to library related topics. To this end, these sessions are only 30 minutes long and you are welcome to bring along any questions. In addition, we have developed some video tutorials for quick help.
Referencing 101

This workshop will be an introductory session on Stellenbosch University’s key referencing styles and how to reference correctly. An overview of why referencing is important and some best practices will also be incorporated.

Date: 01 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

E-books workshop

Get to know the Library’s e-book collection and learn how to use e-books optimally.

Date: 07 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Off-campus access to Library E-resources

Participants will learn how to access Library resources while off campus and via the Library website.

Date: 08 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Improving your literature search strategy

Learn to improve your literature search strategy to get the best possible results when searching for information in databases.

Date: 13 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Introduction to the Library

This is a basic orientation for clients new to Stellenbosch University who have not had the opportunity to attend any other orientation session.

Date: 13 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Find books or articles using the Library search engine or subject specific databases

Learn to find appropriate academic information sources by using the Library’s discovery tool and Databases optimally.

Date: 15 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Find trustworthy information on Google and Google Scholar

Participants will learn how to find appropriate academic information sources by using Google and Google Scholar optimally.

Date: 15 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

Referencing 101

This workshop will be an introductory session on Stellenbosch University’s key referencing styles and how to reference correctly. An overview of why referencing is important and some best practices will also be incorporated.

Date: 23 March 2023 @ 12h00 – 12h30

Please book here

New resource: PsycINFO

The Library managed to add some critical new resources to our list of databases available, such as PsycINFO. Herewith is more information on PsycINFO which is already available from our A-Z list of databases.

PsycINFO is an abstracting and indexing database which delivers content across the full spectrum of behavioral and social sciences.

The database gives access to nearly 2 300 journals, 500 000 books records, 600 videos, and 3 million+ DOIs. It has twice-weekly updates, journals in nearly 30 languages, and publications from over 50 countries.

Amongst others, the following topics are covered:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Business
  • Education
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Medicine
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Political science
  • Social work
  • Sociology
  • Sports

The Library has been subscribed to the full-text database, PsycARTICLES, for a few years.

What does PsycARTICLES offer?

  • More than 225,000 full-text, peer-reviewed articles from APA, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Hogrefe Publishing Group, the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice, and others
  • Twice weekly updates and Online First indexing to ensure rapid access to cutting-edge research
  • Journal Snapshots, which include data on authors, most-cited articles, and other key journal information
  • Journal Browse functionality with journal Impact Factors, cover images, years of coverage, and editor information
  • Coverage dating back to 1894

PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES complement each other and are searchable from the APA PsycNet platform.

 

Author: Caretha Nel

Reminder of Open Access publishing options at SU

This is a reminder of the various discounted and free-of-charge options for open access publishing available to SU researchers.

In the past two years, the Library and Information Service has signed agreements with some publishers which offer discounts for publishing with open access (OA), and in some cases to publish OA without paying article processing charges (APCs). However, it has come to our attention that there are researchers that remain unaware of these benefits. We would like to encourage researchers to use these options and encourage their colleagues on campus to use them.

These are the publishers with whom we have signed free-of-charge OA agreements:

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish an unlimited number of articles OA in ACM journals free of charge.

Cambridge University Press

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish research articles in CUP journals free of charge.

Emerald

The agreement permits corresponding authors from SU to publish a capped number of articles as OA free of charge in the Emerald gold and hybrid journals to which we subscribe.

IMechE

The agreement permits corresponding authors from SU to publish an uncapped number of articles as OA in IMechE journals free of charge.

SAGE

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish an uncapped number of articles as OA in  SAGE hybrid titles (SAGE Choice) free of charge. Corresponding SU authors will also receive a discount of 20% when publishing in  SAGE’s gold OA portfolio of titles.

Sponsoring Consortium for OA Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP³)

The partnership allows corresponding authors from SU to publish OA in journals in the SCOAP³ repository free of charge. The focus is on particle physics.

Wiley

The agreement allows corresponding authors from SU to publish free of charge in Wiley’s hybrid OA journals.

These are the publishers with whom we have signed discounted OA agreements:

MDPI

Corresponding SU authors will receive a 10% discount on the APC for any paper accepted for publication by MDPI.

Royal Society of Chemistry

Corresponding authors from SU will receive a 15% discount on APCs when publishing OA with RSC. The first four articles submitted to RSC by SU authors per year will be published free of charge.

Springer Nature

Submissions under the University’s affiliation will afford researchers 15% discount on the APCs for BMC, Springer Open and Palgrave Macmillan Open titles.

For more information about the publishers and to view titles eligible for OA publishing, please visit https://libguides.sun.ac.za/OApublishing. Please also feel free to contact your faculty librarian or Caretha Nel at caretha@sun.ac.za or 021 808 4433.

 

Author: Caretha Nel

Ready to hand in? Find out where to submit your thesis or dissertation!

Graduating March 2023 and needing to submit your thesis or dissertation?  Then join us for one of our online training sessions on “How to submit your thesis/dissertation to SUNScholar”.  Please join us on 16 February and you can make a booking here.

With our training sessions we will give you guidance, tips and tricks, on how to take those final steps before graduating.   This is an interactive session so you can ask those final last minute questions?

For more information, see our guidelines here.

Enquiries: Paulette Talliard

#SmartResearcher and #SmartStudent training for the 1st Semester

The Library’s #Smart training series continues this semester in online format for both #SmartStudent and #SmartResearcher training. The #SmartResearcher series will again focus on the research process and is aimed at both new and experienced researchers who want to refresh their memory.

Please note that you will be emailed a link to the webinar upon registration.

In the below link, click on the date(s) of the trainings you are interested in to find out more and to register.

Smart Training Schedule

Reviewing of Mendeley as primary supported reference management tool

In 2023, the Library will engage in a process to review Mendeley as the primary supported reference management tool for Stellenbosch University students and staff. The Library has noticed a number of challenges with Mendeley, including problems with its MS Word add-on and Mendeley Cite which most times does not work very well.  A benchmarking exercise has been conducted and the results indicated that other libraries in research-intensive universities no longer support Mendeley as a primary reference management tool due to numerous technical problems they have encountered. Academics, researchers and students will be invited to participate in a survey that seeks to gauge the wider university community’s opinion. You will be given an opportunity to state whether you want the Library to continue considering Mendeley as a primary supported reference management tool or if you would prefer to be migrated to another reference management tool in the future. Until such time that a decision is taken, the Library will continue to provide support to both the Mendeley Desktop and the newer version of Mendeley Reference Manager.

 Mendeley Desktop, the original desktop application for Mendeley Reference Management, was discontinued on 1 September 2022. However, support for the tool still remains available and those who have already installed it will still be able to use it. This forms part of Mendeley’s effort to migrate users to the newer Mendeley Reference Manager. This application is also downloadable and is essentially a newer version of Mendeley Desktop. The newer version of Mendeley offers more seamless integration between the desktop application, Microsoft Word (or other compatible word processors) and Mendeley’s cloud services. The associated plug-in, Mendeley Cite, allows you to browse your Mendeley library within MS Word, which lessens the need to switch from one program to the other. However, users may still experience issues with the plug-in as it sometimes crashes. We have however noticed an improvement in its performance over the past year.

Important to note:

  • If you are currently using Mendeley Desktop for a research project, rather continue using it than converting to Mendeley Reference Manager. This is because there are sometimes issues with converting Word documents from the original citation format to the new Mendeley Cite format.
  • New users of Mendeley should download and install Mendeley Reference Manager rather than the original, as the original has not been updated since the beginning of 2020, and it is becoming less and less compatible with newer computers and associated applications.
  • Remember that we offer training on Mendeley and other research-related topics which you can view here.

For more information on Mendeley, have a look at our Library Guide or contact Kirchner van Deventer for any questions you may have.

Summary of Open Access Week 2022

Stellenbosch University Library celebrated this year’s International Open Access Week 2022 by presenting a three-day programme that took place from 26-28 October. The celebrated theme “Open for Climate Justice” showcased a number of SU speakers who addressed the sub-themes of Climate Diversity, Climate Studies & Global Leadership and Climate Sustainability & Open Access at Stellenbosch University.

26 October – Climate Diversity

Prof Ruppel from the department of Mercantile Law, addressed the issues of climate justice versus climate responsibility, a South-North perspective.  He noted that the more affluent countries, such as those in the Global North, are responsible for around half of all the greenhouse gas emissions.  Whereas the Global South with the least greenhouse gas emissions, are the ones who are suffering as a result.  Yet the accountability of these adverse effects of climate change, hence climate justice, is complex and shrouded in legal, political, economic and philosophical issues.  He believes the North-South inequality can bridge the gap by recognising and acknowledging each others’ different realities and thereby objectively tackle global climate change.

Dr Okoliko from the School of Public Leadership, talked about a social media research study of public views on the COP26 coal phase-out deal for South Africa.  Their analysis showed Facebook to be the primary source of news and the ‘go to’ platform for several South African news media.  By analysing the comments and views of the people, they discovered an overwhelmingly negative sentiment towards the deal.  However, the negativity is based on legitimate issues, such as the proper allocation of funding, the pros and cons of this deal for South Africa, the environmental impact and potential job losses within the industry.

Prof Helen de Klerk and Mr Bailey from the department of Geography & Environmental Studies presented a dual paper.  They looked at various open access resources that provided geospatial data in geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data.  These data repositories can be used for creating climate forecasting, climate change modules and climate simulations.  They also discussed the basic and advanced uses of these open data resources.

Recording: Open Access Week 2022 Climate Diversity 26 October 2022

27 October –  Climate Studies & Global Leadership

Prof Guy Midgley from the department of Botany & Zoology and School for Climate Studies gave a brief overview of climate inequality in so far that less than 3% of the world’s investment into climate science is allocated to the whole of the African content.  He also discussed regional solutions, for example the green hydrogen deal will work for Namibia, but it cannot work for South Africa.  By way of demonstration, he used a MIT database, En-Roads, demonstrating the various vectors that are involved in decision-making when it comes to finding solutions to climate challenge.

Miss Mbuyisa and Miss Murray from the department of Botany & Zoology, represented the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) Youth Ambassadors for 2022.  They not only represented Stellenbosch University but were also the only representatives from an African University.  They, along with several other SU students, were the African voices for a global youth programme that involved discussions around climate change.  They gained insight from multiple disciplines and learned about West-centric ideas verses Africanacity. Having gained considerable knowledge and experience, they were able to host the African Regional Forum at the School for Climate Studies.

Recording: Open Access Week 2022 Climate Studies & Global Leadership 27 October 2022 

28 October – Climate Sustainability & Open Access at SU

Prof Chris Reddy from Curriculum Studies, started off by explaining the natural ecological structure of cycles and the human or man-made environmental structure.  Although humankind is part of the natural cycle, we are not within the ecological cycle and our actions and interventions are causing disruptions in the ecological cycle.  For this, environmental education is an essential dimension, since in it lies the sphere of a relationship with our environment.  This sphere allows for critical thinking based on local and community-driven issues.  It advocates for localised change, developing emancipatory life practices, and a place for sustainable living practices.

Prof Booysen from the department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering discussed the use and consumption of water, energy, and electricity.  The department developed three devices, namely What’on, Geasy and count Dropula.  These devices collected data from geysers in various households, various schools and from the driving patterns of minibus taxis.  The collected data is openly accessible and countries such as Switzerland, France, the United States, Oxford and even Eskom, are now using the data to run simulation models.  Next on the agenda for the department is water quality meters, smart green tunnels and air quality sensors.

Dr Tshuma from the department of Agronomy discussed how agricultural activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, following a 10-year trial study involving eight countries. Their analysis showed that using nitrogen or synthetic fertiliser increases crop production. Their study also showed that synthetic fertilisers can be replaced by using more natural techniques to produce the same yield.  These techniques include animal manure, legumes, crop rotation and tillage methods, to name but a few.

Prof Esler from the department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology discussed her personal experiences about her connectedness and reciprocity with nature.  Experiencing home invasion, grief and stress she discovered the synergy and beauty of growing your own vegetable garden.  This timeless activity re-connected her with nature.  From her own garden, she started a hobby and created mandalas, which became her meditation tool.  Nature nurtures, and for her, nature is not just about a physical connection or producing food, but also a mental and spiritual connection that can heal both body and mind, and by healing the planet you heal yourself.  She also believes urban gardening can go a long way in combating climate change.

Mrs Seyffert-Wirth from Stellenbosch University Library gave an overview of why we are celebrating open access, and the benefits of providing free and unhindered access to research output.  She discussed the various open access initiatives that have been initiated, hosted and maintained by the Library & Information Service for the past 14 years.  This includes SUNScholar an institutional repository; an Open Access Publishing fund, now halted; 20 active journals; and a digital heritage repository.  She introduced the Library’s plans for the future, which include transitioning digital repositories to connect with the semantic web; finding a connection between different library collections using various data science techniques and flagship projects to host Digital Humanities connections in collaboration with some of the SU departments.

Recording: Open Access Week 2022 Climate Sustainability & Open Access at SU 28 October 2022  

Author: Paulette Talliard

The digital heritage repository: SUNDigital Collections

In almost ten years of existence, SUNDigital Collections, a digital heritage repository of the Library and Information Service, has showcased special collections and unique items from the Library to the public. It offers a single connection point to various collections of primary resources as well as digital research output. In support of digital scholarship, sharing our valuable resources and promoting intellectual collaboration the Library and Information Service offers free online access to these digital collections. The repository currently contains almost 16 000 items in 43 collections.

In recent years, Digital Humanities (DH), an area of scholarly activity at the intersection of computing or digital technologies and the disciplines of the Humanities has become a recognized discipline. In exploring how the Library can support Digital Humanities, it was found that SUNDigital Collections is an ideal home for DH projects.

One of the flagship projects is the hosting of the “Hardekraaltjie” collection in collaboration with the SU Transformation office’s Visual Redress project. Stellenbosch University engaged with members of the Tiervlei community and other stakeholders to initiate a “deep human-centered community participation process” to commemorate members of this community that were laid to rest at the site previously known as Hardekraaltjie cemetery. This cemetery is located on the grounds of the university’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Science. The University is committed to, in consultation with other members of the affected communities, to erect a memorial installation at the site of the cemetery to remind us of a past when the dignity of the people in this area was tragically violated. The cemetery was in use from 1909 to 1946 and had a central place in the then Tiervlei community, which was subjected to forced removals under the Group Areas Act of the apartheid regime.

SUNDigital Collections now gives a voice to the displaced by hosting inter alia recordings of interviews with members of the Hardekraaltjie community. The project is still in its infancy but will showcase deeds, images, maps, articles, poems and other material related to Hardekraaltjie once completed.

Please visit the repository for a peek into our digital heritage.

Author: Mimi Seyffert-Wirth

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