Resources

Where to look for information on your topic?

SSoE has a library and an online library which you can use – both
are free
There are also open source resources which are available for the
use of students in every country and every co-ordinate on the
globe as long as there is an internet connection.
 The online collection at SSoE contains journals, reviews,
conference papers and e-books
Conducting a search using a web search
engine

Use keywords to retrieve information about Internet sites

containing those keywords
Boolean logic- Use the correct logic if you have a multi-tern or
advanced search : Use ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘not’ correctly
Using an asterisk after a word indicates truncation
Using quotation marks captures phrases
Include synonyms or alternate spelling of words such as
‘behaviour’ or organization
 What is Boolean logic?

Boolean logic is a helpful tool which assists in defining

you r search terms / keywords.
The tool uses key words combined in different ways to
narrow or expand your search by indicating to the
search engine / online database what it is that you are
looking for.
Boolean Phrases

Below is a table which indicates the search terms that help to

locate specific sources using Boolean phrases.

Boolean Example Outcome

Phrase
+ teacher + male Find documents containing all the terms
* teach* Find articles with the variations of the
word like teach, teaching, teacher
? colo?r Find articles with American and British
spelling like color and colour
AND teach AND educate AND Find documents that contain all three
primary school terms
ADJ teacher ADJ education Find articles where the terms “teacher”
and “education” are adjacent to each
other
BEFORE learning BEFORE barriers Find articles where the both terms
appear in the order provided
FAR teacher FAR attrition Find articles where the two terms are at
least 25 words apart
Boolean Phrases Continued

Other phrases include:

INURL teacher learning Find articles with the terms in,

INURL:*.pdf but only with a .PDF file
extension and other formats
will be ignored. Specific file
format may be specified.
NEAR teacher NEAR satisfaction Find articles where the terms are
a few words apart from each other
NOT lecturer NOT professor The term after the Boolean Link
NOT will be excluded from the
search
OR teacher OR educator Find articles that contain at least
one of these terms
 Open source resources and online databases
The table that follows provides a list of some open sources,
resources and online databases
Some of the material on these sites is freely available to
researchers either through the organisation’s library subscriptions
or as internationally free material. e.g. EBSCOHost is a free
resource for Embury students provided that correct portal,
username and password are used to access the information
List of Open Sources, Resources and Online Data-bases

Databases include:

Database URL

EBSCOHost http://search.ebscohost.com
EMERALD http://www.emeraldinsight.com
Google Scholar https://scholar.google.co.za
JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/action/showBasicSearch
Oxford English Dictionary http://www.oed.com

ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net
SABINET https://www.sabinet.co.za
SAGE Journals http://journals.sagepub.com
ScienceDirect http://www.sciencedirect.com
Springer https://link.springer.com
WileyOnline Library http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
 More About the Use of EBSCOHost

You will be guided in the use of EBSCOHost by means of a series

of videos and a guide designed using WORD. (See separate
WORD doc and separate videos)
View the videos that indicate how to use EBSCOHost to search for
articles and ebooks.
You will find this database and the Boolean phrase searches very
powerful in locating sources for research. If you find very little on
your topic after using these tools you will know that the in all
likelihood, there is little available on your topic.
Video: https://youtu.be/MH5WjGDwKu8 - EBSCOhost Basic
Search
Video: https://youtu.be/sLUv03eHNkE - EBSCOhost Searching for
eBooks
The importance of search words

Use a thesaurus to find alternative search terms that can assist in

finding the information you seek.
When applying search terms it is useful to add the Boolean
phrases to assist your investigation.
What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the use of the words, ideas, quotes, tables,

drawings, musical compositions, artwork and a host of other
materials without acknowledging the source of the work as being
that of its creator rather than your own
 Not acceptable in academia
 Criminal offence
 Plagiarism policy at Stadio
The accepted protocol for acknowledging the work of creators of
ideas, quotes, tables, drawings, musical compositions, artwork
and other materials other than your own is to reference work
accurately using the Referencing Technique Guide which can be
found on ECI.
Types of Plagiarism
Direct Plagiarism- A researcher uses direct quotes, sections of
quotes, phrases, photographs, graphs, music pieces, tables etc.
without acknowledging the source at all, that is, there are no
references or quotation marks
Self Plagiarism- A researcher submits their own work a second
time or numerous times after it was used previously or when the
researcher fails to submit without proper referencing
Types of Plagiarism(contd.)

Mosaic Plagiarism
 The researcher uses the work of another author without using
correct quotation marks
 The researcher uses another author’s work, but changes only
some words in the sentence/s, but where the overall structure of
the sentence/s remain the same
 This includes, for example, the use of paraphrasing software to
alter the wording of passages to disguise the original
Accidental Plagiarism
 The unintentional use of the work of another without referencing it
properly
The Use of Software

The use of software to alter original works is not acceptable as the

permission from the creator is necessary to effect changes.
The only way to be sure that plagiarism is avoided is to be very
thorough in the approach to using the correct referencing
techniques. It is the responsibility of each individual to become
skilled at referencing and academic writing to avoid plagiarism.
Plagiarism Software
Turnitin tool for determining the originality of academic
submissions for both staff and students.
Embedded in the ECI/Moodle Platform
Turnitin compares the uploaded documents to the international
database of all universities, websites, libraries, online publications
et.
 Turnitin generates a similarity report and itemises the sources that
are found to be the same as some of the material in the uploaded
assignment.
Plagiarism Software Continued

If the assignment has a high similarity then a report can be

generated by the student to determine the areas and extent of the
similarity
If the similarity can be reduced then it is the student’s duty to
reduce the similarity before the final submission date
Writing without plagiarism is a matter of reading and
understanding what the creator of the material has produced and
in rephrasing and redesigning their ideas, with permission if it is an
artwork or model or table, and by referencing accurately
General hints when writing in academia

Reduce the number of direct quotes used in the text – use direct
quotes only when they are perfect for expressing a point and
make sure that the quotes are short.
Try to view Turnitin as a tool rather than a weapon and be
proactive in avoiding high plagiarism percentages by addressing
assignments with enough time to effect alterations and revisions.
References

•  Struwig, F.W. and Stead, G.B. 2013.

Research: Planning, Designing and Reporting.
2nd Edition. Cape Town: Pearson.