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Food and nutritional sciences: Help & training

A guide to finding information in food and nutritional sciences. Includes links to key resources and sources of help.

On this page you will find training materials and sources of support for your studies. In addition to using these resources you may wish to contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for one-to-one help. They are here to help you find and use information. They can...

  • show you how to use information resources effectively
  • show you how to save time by making the most of all Library services
  • give you individual help with research - your librarian can offer in depth help in finding information

Your librarian

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Jackie Skinner
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Contact:
Please contact me if you have a query or need advice on literature searching, accessing resources, referencing or using EndNote/Mendeley.

Email me, or make an appointment using the buttons above. Appointments can be in person or online via MS Teams.

In term-time I also hold a weekly drop-in for quick queries on Tuesdays 13:00-14:00. See the drop-in box on this page for more detail.
Website

Library and ASK drop-in

Question marks

Got a question about the Library, finding information, referencing, literature searching or using EndNote/Mendeley? Or about study skills such as writing assignments/lab reports, time management, using references in your work or preparing for exams?

Then come along to the Library and ASK drop-in for Food and Nutritional Sciences. Your librarian and ASK Adviser will be on hand to discuss your question.

When? Tuesdays 13:00-14:00 term-time only

Where? Harry Nursten Building Room 2-64 (the PC Lab at the back of the 2nd Floor)

If you would like to meet with your Librarian online please make an appointment at another time using the link on my contact page:

Your ASK Adviser - for academic skills advice

Muge Yilmaz

Need help with adjusting to university, starting and structuring essays, using references, writing lab reports, preparing for exams and vivas? Talk to our ASK Adviser at the drop-in (see the box also on this page for details).

Muge Yilmaz is a current PhD student who has experience with helping students as a laboratory demonstrator and with their final year projects. Email m.yilmaz@pgr.reading.ac.uk

Welcome!

Watch this short video for an introduction to the Library and our services and support for food and nutritional sciences. 

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the Library intro video on YuJa (University username and password required)

Referencing guidance

This video covers the basics of referencing and how to avoid plagiarism. You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the video.

This video gives specific guidance on using the Harvard for Reading style. You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the video.

Using EndNote for referencing

Take a look at the guide and videos on the EndNote page in this guide to learn how to use EndNote:

Other support for your studies

We have a range of videos designed to introduce you to the Library and show you how to use our resources.

Study advice

The Study Advice Team offer study guides, workshops, individual advice sessions, and much more to make your studying more effective and successful. See the Study Advice webpages for more information, or pop in to make an appointment at the Study Advice and Maths Support Desk on the Ground Floor of the Library.

Maths Support

Our Maths Support resources can help if you're finding any mathematical or statistical topic difficult during the transition to University study.

Our Maths Support guide provides links to an extensive range of worksheets, e-resources and video tutorials which you can access at any time to practise and develop your mathematical and statistical skills.

Digital Technology Services

DTS provide advice with using computer software and hardware. For individual support pop in and ask at the IT Service Desk on the 1st Floor of the Library. For more information see their website.

If you need guidance on using Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Access or PowerPoint try these online tutorials:

International Study and Language Institute (ISLI) - Academic English Programme

If you are an international student, the Academic English Programme offers courses and 1-1 support. 

Literature searching guidance

This series of three videos (available via the tabs in this box) cover:

  • What is a literature search, including tips on getting started
  • Analysing your topic and search techniques for creating a comprehensive search
  • Evaluating and summarising the literature

You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the videos.

This video covers:

  • analysing your topic
  • search techniques for creating a comprehensive search (using AND/OR, truncation and wildcards)
  • an example search on Web of Science

This video covers:

  • evaluating journals (peer review)
  • evaluating articles (citation counts and altmetrics)
  • critical reading
  • using tables to help summarise literature
  • referencing and reference management using EndNote (brief summary)

Doing a systematic review

An introduction to planning your systematic review.

You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the videos.

See also our detailed guide to doing a systematic review:

This video covers the first four steps in doing a systematic review, including creating a protocol and searching for literature.

This video covers the fifth and sixth steps in doing a systematic review. It focuses on using Desktop EndNote to manage references and screening the literature.

The final in a series of four videos on systematic reviews which covers writing it up.

Further guidance on doing a systematic review in food

The International Food Information Service have put together a detailed guide on doing a systematic review in the fields of food and health. Use this for additional guidance if doing a systematic review:

Creating a comprehensive search on PubMed (using field tags)

Most health-related systematic reviews will involve a search on PubMed. But do you know how to create the most effective search strategy to take advantage of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)? This video created by John Hopkins University explains all the steps involved in ensuring your search is as comprehensive as possible.

Using SciFinder-n to find chemical information

For support and videos covering specific aspects of using SciFinder-n, see the following website: