Prefocus exploration
Start an orientating search to find the information you need. Select your initial literature, which will depend on your knowledge and requirements.
Set the subject in context and find relevant sources
- Find Norwegian newspaper articles in a news database such as ATEKST, find the database via the page information resources .
- Find public information such as reports, reports to parliament or statistics on a subject at, for example, www.norway.no
- Search the Internet using different search engines such as Google
- Try BIBSYS subject portal (About BIBSYS subject portal) (Norwegian only)
- Use the homepage of your library to find sources of relevance:
HiB
NHH
UiB
What research has been published by researchers or students?
- Find Norwegian student thesis, master, 'hovedfag' and doctoral thesis via BIBSYS library catalog
- Search in publication archives such as NORA, ForskDok, Frida
- Search in journal databases via the page information resources
- Select review articles
- Select NORART for Norwegian articles.
Exercise
Write down:
- What type of information do you need for your assignment?
- Which sources are relevant and why? Use for example an annotated bibliography as an aid.
Tip
When you search in the databases and carry out orientating searches:
- Search for general terms
- Check which search language you have selected: Norwegian, English?
- Use a try and fail approach
When you are in the library:
Look on the shelves. The books are sorted on the shelves by subject. The books are normally stacked using a classification system. The system, depending on the subject area, can be:
The result of the orientating search will not give you a complete overview. However, it should help you to get started and place the subject into the wider context.
You have now found information which can provide you with an overview of your subject. It can be difficult to maintain an overview of the sources you have collected and why they are relevant. An aid that can be used to help maintain an overview is an annotated bibliography.
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