Resources for Optometry Undergraduates
Getting Started
- To access the ejournals, ebooks and databases from outside the DIT network see the Off Campus Access link.
- Exam papers : access point and information for online documents
- Borrowing and Renewals: entitlements for undergraduates
- Program documents: access point and information re. edocs
- How to use the Library: full help guides listing
eJournals
- So why use ejournals? Journals contain academic research which is not found in textbooks. Information is published on a monthly or weekly basis and consists of breakthroughs and reports on current research.
- The DIT Library physics ejournals can be searched by journal title or subject. Or search the entire journal collection including hardcopy titles on the Library Catalogue using Journal Title Search. Click on a title to open the fulltext or use the Kevin St Library guide Finding fulltext journal articles
eBooks 
- Browse via the ebook link: most of the optometry and physics titles are located in MyiLibrary. Or search for a specific etextbook on the Library Catalogue - ebooks can be accessed via any DIT desktop or your own laptop - you will need your Library PIN.
Kevin St Guides to Project Resources
Download and use these guides to help you get started with an assignment or project
Assignment & Information Skills Resources
First Year
- Finding information for a first year assignment
- Evaluating Web Resources
- Information types and sources
- Finding fulltext journal articles
- Journal article critical reviews : how to get started
- Referencing and citing
Final year
- Finding information for a final year project
- Finding fulltext journal articles
- Databases and effective search strategies
- How to use Google Scholar
- Referencing and citing
Subject Databases for Optometry
Why use these as opposed to google or other search engines? Subject databases index current scholarly research on various topics published in thousands of academic journals and are the ideal way to find out what’s new in your subject. You may need to use several to locate the information you need as no single database indexes every journal publication. Try the following Kevin St Library Guides to get started:
| Academic Search Complete | IEEE Xplore Digital Library | Oxford Reference |
| MathSci Net | Science Direct | |
| Europe PubMedCentral | IOP Science | PMC |
- See also the full list of DIT Library databases and passwords
- To access to the databases from outside the DIT network see the Off Campus Access Link link
Search Engines
- ScienceResearch
- WorldWideScience
- Google Scholar
- Zanran (stats & numerical data)
Citing Your Sources
Citing and referencing the information sources used in research is essential to avoid plagiarism. See the Kevin St Library Referencing and citing guide for introduction purposes. Another useful link is How to Avoid Plagiarism. Each subject has it's own citation style so check with a Dept of Optometry course co-ordinator if in doubt. Or see the Harvard Referencing Guide (DIT Library Kevin St))
Journal Abbreviations
Abbreviated journal titles may be required depending on the citation style used. Some useful tools which 'translate' the full journal title into the abbreviated version are:
Bibliographic citation software
Back Up Resources
If you need additional resources see Using Other Libraries and Inter Library Loans for further options.
