You've got a new database to play with

It's called Scopus and it's definitely worth exploring.

I like it because you can do quite in depth analysis on how references are used, which references have been written by researchers/lecturers at University of Bedfordshire and lots more besides.

As a quick introduction I'd suggest you watch the video above. If you're in your final year then you may not be inclined to learn yet another new thing at this stage, but for those of you who haven't yet started dissertations it will be worth your while.

It isn't all full-text (when is it ever?), but that issue can often be overcome by combining Scopus searches with DISCOVER and other document supply options such as SCONUL. Also, it can put results into slightly prettier formats than DISCOVER, so for those of you who are visual learners it may suit your style.

If you'd like a Scopus training session then ask your lecturer to contact me and we'll work something out.

Or if you'd like to get on with it just go here and get started.

As a final point I should probably apologize for not showing this to my newest subscribers earlier today but after a 6 hour session I thought you'd had enough!

Journal Articles vs Books: the verdict

Students ask me sometimes if journals are better than books which is rather like asking if rivers are better than mountains; my answer is both have their place, they complement each other and if you're lucky you can experience both simultaneously.

How far you're currently into your course will partly dictate how familiar you are with reading and using journal articles. If you're relatively new to study then you'll probably be using mostly books and if you're currently writing a dissertation then journals should be your main source of reading.

But that somewhat oversimplifies the situation. The reason for this is straightforward-books and journals are both useful throughout your course and need to be used as and when they're required.

Here's an example; if you're a third year currently reading journal articles about a sociological issue related to feminism you need to understand feminist theory. A journal article won't explain that to you in any depth because it'll probably assume you already know enough. So sometimes going back to the books for the underlying theories is absolutely the right thing to do. Similarly, if you're a first year who's looking at journal articles which keep referring to theorists who you've never heard of, then you can't possibly understand what you're reading. In which case find a book chapter on that theorist to help with the background.

So ultimately it comes down to 'do I understand what I'm reading and is it useful for the task in hand?'
I'm currently writing a new Prezi on the benefits of reading so hopefully I'll get the chance to show it to you before too long.