What this book covers

This book is a survival guide for frontline staff. It will help you find appropriate information quickly when you are under pressure to answer questions at a physical help desk or remotely by telephone, e-mail or instant messaging service. The sources it offers are basic academic websites, some free, some subscription-based. It is not possible to list every app or social media resource available as more and more are being developed all the time. But it is hoped that with the basic tools, you will be able to explore further and keep up to date. Additional content is updated on my website socialsciencecurrentawareness.wordpress.com and Twitter account.

The entries cover a range of common queries from students, researchers and academic staff. They are designed to help at a range of levels. The label [Basic] next to a resource indicates it is most suitable for A level or novice students. The label [Specialist] indicates that it is more suitable for graduates or academic staff. Resources which are not free are labelled (Subscription).

The entries cover:

• • Study skills – citing and referencing; literature searching; research methods and writing; and support for disabled students and international students.

• • PhD and early career researcher questions – basic guidance on common queries including how to trace theses and dissertations; keep up to date; manage research data; conduct systematic reviews; get started with text and data mining; make freedom of information requests; find grey literature; and sources of research funding.

• • Academic staff questions – starting points for tackling questions relating to publishing; copyright; and increasing impact.

• • Locating different types of resources – starting points for finding commonly requested types of material including archives; dictionaries; book reviews; biographical information; grey literature; audiovisual materials; statistical data; maps; market research reports; opinion polls; newspapers; government publications; standards; quotations; and speeches.

• • Literature searching – some basic starting points for researching academic subject areas. The topics covered are: Accountancy; Anthropology; Art and Design; Banking and Finance; Biology; Business Studies; Chemistry; Classical Studies; Computer Science; Criminology; Development Studies; Economics; Economic History; Education; Engineering; English Literature; Environment; Food Science and Agriculture; Geography; History; Human Rights; International Relations; International Security; Law; LGBT+ Studies; Management; Marketing; Mathematics; Media and Film Studies; Medicine and Nursing; Music; Modern Languages; Performing Arts and Drama; Physics; Philosophy; Population and Demography; Religious Studies; Social Policy; Sociology; Sport and Leisure Studies; Tourism and Hospitality; and Women's Studies.