Comet SWAN

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Comet SWAN

Many thanks to Gerald Rehmann for picture of SWAN.

Comet-hunters and stargazers alike have had plenty to talk about this month. The brightest newcomer Comet SWAN has a tail of at least 18 million km long and was discovered by amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo from Australia. But he was not looking up at the time – Comet SWAN was spotted online, by studying images from the Solar Wind ANisotropies (SWAN) instrument aboard SOHO, ESA/NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

Comet SWAN is expected to reach perihelion (its closest point to the Sun) on 27 May. Look for it near the constellation Perseus as it may still be visible through binoculars.

You can still read about the comet’s performance and visibility in the UK. If you missed out on Comet SWAN, there are two more coming our way: Comet LEMMON and Comet NEOWISE will be visible by the naked eye in July. To learn more about these comets, http://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comets is a good place to start.

If you’re frequently looking for the position of a group of Solar System objects, you can create a quick access page that updates just the data you need. Bookmark it or add it to your phone’s home screen and get fresh data with one click.

We also have access to some e-books that can help you with your observations:

  • ‘Comets and their origin: the tools to decipher a comet’ by Uwe Meierhenrich (2015)
  • ‘Make Time for the Stars: Fitting Astronomy into Your Busy Life’ by Antony Cooke (2009)

Access to these resources is via Primo; remember to sign in using your University of Aberdeen username and password.

For more information visit the following pages:

https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/comet-c-2020-f8-swan-visible-how-to-see-it/
https://theskylive.com/quickaccess-create

Jenna Storey,  jennifer.storey@abdn.ac.uk

Did you Know…? – help with referencing

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Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to, as this allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism. 

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as others focused on specific referencing systems or subject areas: 

Please be sure, though, to also refer to any specific referencing guidance which you may have been provided by your department. You can also see advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website.  

If you are looking for a tool to help you organise your references and also produce your bibliography, then why not create a free account with RefWorks, an online reference management tool that the University of Aberdeen subscribes to. For more information and instructions on how to create an account please check our quick library guide to RefWorks. 

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please do contact Library staff. 

Taught Postgraduates – further help with your dissertations and projects: library & writing skills

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student typing

In our previous post we told you about the upcoming online courses organised by our colleagues in IT in support of PGT students formatting and writing their dissertations using Word. There are still places available – please book a place by visiting abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and selecting category ‘IT Services Training and Documentation Team’.

In this post we would like to draw your attention to the support provided by the Library and Student Learning Service.

We have prepared a series of short recordings presenting techniques, tips and resources to help you find academic scholarly books and journal articles and reliable support materials. The issues of plagiarism and correct referencing are also covered as well as instruction on reference management software RefWorks.

Our colleagues in the Student Learning Service have also prepared the following recordings:

– ‘Planning and writing a dissertation’
– ‘Writing a Literature Review’

These useful materials can be found on our wiki at:
http://finditfastlibraryworkshops.pbworks.com/ – click on the ‘Taught Postgraduates’ tab on the pink line across the top.

Please get in touch if you need help with anything! Information Consultant details can be found at: http://bit.ly/InfoConsultants

 

 

Taught Postgraduates – online courses to help with your dissertations and projects: 25 & 26 May

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Specially arranged for Taught Postgraduate students, IT services will deliver the following online sessions to support anyone writing and formatting their dissertation using Microsoft Word. The sessions will be delivered via MS Teams.

Adding Style to your Dissertation

  • 11:00 – 12:00 – Monday 25 May
  • 11:00 – 12:00 – Tuesday 26 May

Content:
Stress-free steps to Navigation, Table of Contents, Auto numbering and Styles.

  • What are Styles
  • Styles Launcher
  • Using Built-in Styles
  • Modifying Styles
  • Navigation Pane
  • Auto Numbering
  • Table of Content

The power of section breaks 

  • 14:00 – 15:00 – Monday 25 May
  • 14:00 – 15:00 – Tuesday 26 May
Content: 

How to stop unwanted page orientation continuing through the rest of your document, different page numbering for contents pages and the rest of a document. How to change and control page orientation throughout your document, set and change the page numbering options on different parts of your document and much more.

  • Page Setup
  • Cover Page
  • Section Breaks
  • Page Numbering
  • Orientation to landscape
  • Captions
You can book a place through the course booking system as normal. Please go to: www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and select category ‘IT Services Training and Documentation Team’.
Details of how to join the session will be provided in advance of each training slot. If you cannot attend the timed virtual slots please do not book a place, but don’t worry we’ll make recordings available after the event.
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Dissertation2
Details of other Refresher sessions to follow.

Did you know…? – Open Access agreements

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The University has agreements with Wiley and Springer where you can publish original research and review articles open access in participating journals at no extra cost to you.

Please note that the corresponding author must be currently affiliated to the University of Aberdeen. We also have a number of agreements with other publishers which offer a discounted article processing charge where funding is available for open access.

If you would like to find out more please visit:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/how-to-make-your-research-open-access-631.php

Or contact Joanna Adams, openaccess@abdn.ac.uk

Did you know…? – temporary access to additional e-resources: Kortext & VitalSource Helps

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We would like to remind our users that even though our libraries are physically closed, access to e-resources is unaffected and Library staff are here to help you make the most of our service.

SDRL clouds

Previously we told you about our list of additional e-resources made available temporarily by publishers, in support of online teaching, learning and research during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In today’s post we would like to highlight Kortext, an approved third party e-book provider, through whom we have temporary free access to a small selection of online textbooks. The e-books available are listed on our page:
bit.ly/COVID-19LibraryUpdates
(Scroll to section ‘Temporary access to Additional E-Resources’ – Kortext)

Some of the items we have temporary access to via Kortext:

Bryman, Alan. Social Research Methods. 5th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Available via Kortext at https://app.kortext.com/borrow/242728

Clifford, Nicholas. Key Methods in Geography. 3rd edn. London: Sage, 2016. Available via Kortext at https://app.kortext.com/borrow/169805

O’Keefe, Daniel. Persuasion: Theory and Research. 3rd edn. London: Sage, 2016. Available via Kortext at https://app.kortext.com/borrow/253185

Please note that the first time you log into Kortext, it is necessary to create a Kortext account. Click here for further instructions on how to access and use Kortext.

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We would also like to remind you of VitalSource Helps, another scheme that provides temporary online access to selected textbooks for users who are currently unable to borrow print materials.

Publishers taking part in the scheme include the American Psychological Association, Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis and others.

Students can create a bookshelf within VitalSource and select up to 7 textbooks from the range of participating publishers.

Please note that some of the textbooks accessible via VitalSource Helps may also be available through existing Library subscriptions or via alternative temporary access providers. Check Primo and other temporary resource providers before selecting and saving your 7 titles to your VitalSource Bookshelf.

For further information on accessing and using VitalSource Helps, please see the relevant entry on our page: bit.ly/COVID-19LibraryUpdates

Please email us with any questions you may have.
library@abdn.ac.uk

 

Did You Know…? – Information for Education Distance Learners

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We may be unable to post books out to our Education Distance Learners at the moment, but we are still here to help. As always, the Distance Learner team are available Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm, responding to your queries. Please get in touch with distancelib@abdn.ac.uk if you need help with anything, as we would be happy to help!  

Since the library building closed, we have been working hard to gain access to more e-books which are available via our online catalogue Primo.  

We also have temporary access to some additional electronic resources; you can find a full list of what we have access to here. VitalSource and EBSCO eBooks are two that you may find particularly useful as they have access to some useful education resources and e-books. First time users of VitalSource: click on ‘Create a VitalSource account’. After setting up an account, VitalSource lets you borrow up to maximum 7 textbooks, you can read more information about VitalSource in one of our blog posts here. 

See our guide to referencing for education students for assistance on how to reference your work.  

Don’t forget to check the library website for up to date information on the library service.  

We hope you are all well and don’t forget to email us if you need any help with anything!