Information Sources for Food Studies Research

Duran, Nancy; MacDonald, Karen

doi:10.2752/155280106778606080

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A study of information sources by Nancy Duran and Kevin MacDonald was preoccupied with identifying useful secondary sources, a complex enough topic given the need to read across disciplines. 42 They mentioned archival material and primary sources generically and newspapers specifically, without going into much detail about what to look for, how, and where, at least beyond a catalog search. 43 This suggests a desire among these scholars to use primary sources, but little attention to how to find them or else an unclear conceptualization of the types of resources this includes, cookbooks among them.…”

Section: Cookbooks and Research Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Mere Culinary Curiosities: Using Historical Cookbooks in the Library Classroom

Matheny

2020

RBM

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Cookbooks are neglected as information sources and teaching tools in academic libraries, especially for undergraduate learners. Approachable but complex primary sources, they can be examined as a records of people’s food habits, as a window on the authors or their societies and cultures, or as texts with rhetorical aims involving more than just cooking and eating. This study surveys the literature on the use of cookbooks in scholarship and pedagogy, especially in the context of interdisciplinary food studies. It also explains their relevance for the library or archives classroom, both as potential research sources and as tools for teaching primary source literacy skills, and the common barriers to their collection and discovery. Finally, it outlines uses for and approaches to teaching with cookbooks and offers examples of the author’s experience doing so in a special collections setting.

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Section: Cookbooks and Research Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Mere Culinary Curiosities: Using Historical Cookbooks in the Library Classroom

Matheny

2020

RBM

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“…Several databases are routinely advised for those working in the food sciences (Urhan, Rempel, Meunier-Goddik, & Penner, 2018). It is prudent to assume that no single database will index all articles pertaining to any given research topic (Duran & MacDonald, 2006;Page, 2008;Stanbury & Selman, 2008). Comparisons of database performance with respect to information retrieval within the subdisciplines of the food sciences are lacking, and yet this is an increasingly important issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information Retrieval in Food Science Research II: Accounting for Relevance When Evaluating Database Performance

Urhan

Rempel

Meunier-Goddik

et al. 2019

Journal of Food Science

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The impetus for this study is the limited amount of information on performance characteristics of food science–encompassing online bibliographic databases. Database usage is an important element in modern research because a comprehensive understanding of current knowledge is essential for effective, unbiased hypothesis formulation and testing. Six databases commonly recommended by academic libraries for information retrieval in the food sciences (Academic Search Premier [ASP], Agricultural Online Access [AGRICOLA], CAB Direct, Food Science and Technology Abstracts [FSTA], PubMed, and Web of Science [WoS]) were compared in a case study based on the research topic “in vitro bile acid binding properties of dietary lignin.” A complex string of search terms was used for citation retrieval, and predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria were used to determine the relevancy of retrieved articles. Searching WoS and CAB Direct returned the greatest number of relevant articles, followed closely by FSTA, PubMed, and AGRICOLA. FSTA and AGRICOLA returned the highest ratios of relevant‐to‐irrelevant articles, followed closely by CAB Direct. None of the databases, when used alone, recovered all of the relevant articles identified in the study; WoS indexed the highest percentage of relevant articles identified (WoS = 10; total = 19). WoS also had the highest number of relevant articles that were unique to any one database. The thoroughness of searching the complete group of databases was tested by comparison of retrieved citations with those found in relevant review articles, revealing the need for testing overall inclusivity. Practical Application Comprehensive online information retrieval is the most efficient means of accessing current knowledge. Awareness of current knowledge is essential for effective, unbiased decision making in private sector and academic/government‐based research endeavors. Thus, online database usage is an essential element of modern food science research. This paper provides tangible examples of the performance characteristics of online bibliographic databases commonly recommended for information retrieval in the food sciences. The paper is written so as to aid the reader in making decisions with respect to database usage for the recovery of topic‐relevant peer‐reviewed articles germane to their area of research.

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“…For example, the Oregon State Univ. Libraries returns 14 “Best Bet” databases for those seeking information in the area of “Food Science and Technology.” That Food Science and Technology‐relevant databases include a number of choices is not surprising, since this subject area is defined broadly, including food production, storage, processing, distribution, preparation, consumption patterns, nutrition, chemistry, engineering, microbiology, and so on (Duran & McDonald, ). Common library‐suggested databases for information retrieval in the “food sciences” subject field are listed in Table (based on our survey of 10 representative academic libraries; these libraries were chosen based on their campuses having widely recognized academic programs in the food sciences).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information Retrieval in Food Science Research: A Bibliographic Database Analysis

Urhan

Rempel

Meunier-Goddik

et al. 2018

Journal of Food Science

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The aim of the present research was to ascertain the importance of electronic bibliographic database selection and multiple database usage during the information retrieval phase of research in the food sciences. Six commonly recommended databases were compared with respect to overall journal coverage and journal overlap. Databases were also evaluated with respect to coverage of food science-based journals and the extent of article coverage therein. A case study approach, focused on bile acid/dietary fiber interactions, was used to illustrate the ramifications of database selection/usage when dealing with specific research topics. Databases differed with respect to the breadth of disciplines covered, the total number of journals indexed, the number of food science discipline-specific journals indexed, and the number of articles included per indexed journal. All of the databases contained citations that were unique to the given database. The data resulting from the case study provide an example of the extent to which relevant information may be missed if pertinent databases are not mined. In the present case, over half of the articles retrieved on the focus research topic were unique to a single database. The combined data from this study point to the importance of thoughtful database selection and multiple database usage when comprehensively assessing knowledge in the food sciences.Practical Application: This paper provides insights into article database usage for food science-relevant information retrieval. Online information retrieval is an efficient way to assess current knowledge in any of the food science disciplines. Acquired knowledge in turn is the underpinning of effective problem solving; whether it be private sectoror academic/government-based research.

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Information Sources for Food Studies Research

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

No Mere Culinary Curiosities: Using Historical Cookbooks in the Library Classroom

No Mere Culinary Curiosities: Using Historical Cookbooks in the Library Classroom

Information Retrieval in Food Science Research II: Accounting for Relevance When Evaluating Database Performance

Information Retrieval in Food Science Research: A Bibliographic Database Analysis

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