Chapter 1 McMillan

Web of Science

- most advanced database of all - allows you to identify articles that cite a particular author and document

Currency

- when was the site established? - how recently was it updated? - how new is the information? - is the coverage complete?

Authority

- who is the author - what is their purpose? - have other's cited his/her work

Sponsorship

- who is the sponsor of the website - is it commercial or non-profit? Does it matter to your research? - are the sources reputable? - any advertisements?

Avoiding Plagiarism

1. *take notes in your own words* - learn to paraphrase and summarize material. 2. *use an orderly system* - use index cards, putting one idea or group of related ideas on each card; highlight your ideas or put your ideas initials the word "me" 3. *be selective* - take notes only when you find the reference may be useful. Reserve your photocopying budget for those few papers that seem central to your work and that you may need to reread later. 4. record full and accurate information about your sources

Research papers are broken down into which sections?

1. Abstract/Summary 2. Introduction 3. Materials and Methods 4. Results 5.Discussions 6. References (Lit. Cited)

Reading Scientific papers

1. acquire some background knowledge 2. read the abstract first (brief summary of the paper to see if useful to you) 3. understand the aims of the study 4. don't get bogged down in the materials and methods (analyze how experiment works, controls..etc) 5. read the results carefully, focusing on main points 6. understand the author's arguments - pay attention to the discussion section. Does data support conclusions. What questions remain for further research? ... 7. Plan on reading important papers, several times

What must all review papers contain or do? What are authors able of?

1. all must contain a lengthy references section 2. must conform to journal specifications 3. authors must receive feedback from editors and reviewers before final publication

Library catalogs provide which of the same basic functions

1. author 2. title 3. keyword 4. subject 5. combination searching 6. links to other sources

Conference Presentation (Abstracts) a) why do biologists use them? b) in what formats are they provided c) where are proceeding of symposia listed and where can they be obtained?

1. biologists use them to learn current activities of their colleagues 2. distributed in printed forms to all people registered for a conference 3. proceeding of a major symposia are listed in major indexes and abstracts and can be obtained through research libraries.

Why is science a collective enterprise and how does it grow?

1. depends on the work and insights of many individuals 2. depends on the free exchange of ideas and data

Evaluate Webs Sources Carefully

1. focus on primary rather than secondary sources 2. many websites are considered secondary sources, but you need to still evaluate their relavance

Research Proposals (Composition/Premise)

1. have lengthy intros that review existing literature on the topic 2. provide a rationale for new work being planned 3. include the methodology and projected costs for equipmen, research assistants, travel, or other expenses 4. Lacks results sections, although intro may showcase the author's previous findings, particularly if those findings were obtained with funds from some agency.

Plan your search vocabulary carefully

1. keywords and author's names are the chief means of accessing information in databases 2. consult an online thesaurus for words and variations of spellings 3. Search taxonomically (genus + epithet) for plants and animals 4. Note truncation and wildcards

In order to be successful biology student with time you will need to develop skills such as:

1. know how to locate the scholarly work of others 2. how to critically evaluate sources 3. know how to incorporate information effectively into your own writing

Learning to use scientific databases Each database has different methods of organization. You will need to...

1. learn how to use different protocols for electronic databases by accessing their detailed Help screens. 2. consult your reference librarian

Consulting general references

1. make sure you have a solid background and some sense of your aims and scope 2. search fro other books and sources on your topic to give you some grounding in the topic and may contain extensive specialized bibliographies

Investigate information sources on the internet

1. not all publicly available databases are bibliographic 2. you need enough background knowledge to make a list of the important concepts related to your topic 3. *Search engines* - employ tools for searching that are already fmiliar if you have used an online library

To which groups do scientists aim to write to?

1. other scientists with some background in the particular subject area

Misconception about writing in science

1. scientists don't actually do much writing; consequently, biology student, unlike students in the humanities, need not worry about writing abilities. 2. scientific writing is dry and cumbersome at best, but tedious, pedantic, and impenetrable at worst. 3. scientists are rarely credited with the ability to write with creativity and flair, and the diversity of flair writing tasks faced by most biologists is often misunderstood.

What is the basic premise of research papers

1. structured argument founded on supporting evidence 2. serves as a vehicle for presenting one's findings and conclusions and arguing hypotheses 3. serve as a principal means by which a particular scientists contributions are evaluated by his or her peers.

What is a good review capable of?

1. summarizes info 2. provides interpretive analysis and sometimes a historical perspective

Before submitting a paper for publication what does the author usually do?

1. the author solicits comments from his/her colleagues before submitting 2. they send it to several reviewers who will read and recommend that it be accepted or rejected 3. even if accepted the paper usually needs major changes before printing

T/F: it is still considered plagiarism if you use an author's key phrases or sentence structure in a way that implies thy are your own, even if you cite the source.

T

T/F: just b/c images are readily available on the Web, they are not necessarily available for legal use. Copyright is strictly governed,

T

T/F: use the references section of relevant papers to find additional primary sources

T

T/F: research papers may later reappear in book form, as part of an edited collection of noteworthy articles on a particular subject. They may be included with an Abstract in other languages.

True

Scopus

a search engine to a large database of scientific and technical journals produced by Elsavier

Research proposals a) define b) why do biologists submit their proposals

a) a grant proposal, is a carefully organized plan for future research b) obtaining funding for their work; in anticipation of independent coursework or PhD research

Review Papers a) define b) what is the premise of it? c) what does it not represent, what does it represent?

a) a journal article that synthesizes work by many independent researchers on a particular subject or scientific problem b) serves as a valuable summary of research c) doesn't represent writer's new discoveries; review his/her painstaking review of the literature in a defined field.

ProQuest/CSA a) Biological Sciences database includes info on b) Pollution Abstracts/Oceanic Abstracts includes info on

a) biology, genetics, ecology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, bioengineering b) genetics, microbiology, aquatic sciences , agriculture, and subfields

Learning to use scientific databases a) indexes and abstracts provide ... b) many are provided in which formats c) good place to start

a) both provide access to a wide variety of leading science journals and magazines, includin those covering biology, environmental issues, and health. b) PDF, HTML c) General Science Abstracts; Academic Search Premier

secondary sources a) define b) who are they written for c) what types of writings do these include? d) may appear in what formats?

a) more general works based on primary sources b) people with little science knowledge c) books on natural history; the environment; and other scientific subjects as well as articles in magazines ; monographs and review papers that summarize and interpret lit. on particular subject area. d) may appear in both print and digital formats

primary sources a) define b) which forms do they take? c) research papers in journals deal with?

a) reports of original ideas and research in the laboratory or the field b) peer-reviewed research papers in scholarly journals c) deal with relatively specialized topics

Research Papers a) define b) how has formatting been dictated? c) the format of a research paper reflects a scientists?

a) reports original findings from a field or laboratory investigation that may have extended over weeks, months, or years. b) the format has been dictated by a long history of printing and publishing traditions that reflect the logic and elegance of the scientific method. c) reflects a scientists obligations to make his or her assumptions clear, methods repeatable, and interpretations clearly seperate from data or results.

Conference presentations a) define b) what type of works do they detail in?

a) work presented either orally or in poster format at formal meeting of scientists interested in a particular field of study. b) unpublished research, often works in progress

Keyword searches

allow broad inquiries concerning accessible materials about a given subject

Web of Science

allow links to full text documents available through databases provide info on abstracts and references

truncation and wildcards

allow you to search for the singular and plural forms of a term simultaneously

EndNote Online

allows you to save citations from your searches and create bibliography or references list

Accuracy

are there typos or jargons?

interlibrary loan system

at your request, your library can usually borrow a book you need to obtain a copy of an article from a journal carried by another institution. be selective in your research as it takes a lot of time and money

Subject searching

based on controlled vocabulary, more precise

Gray literature

consists of unpublished research in the form of technical reports, working papers, and some conference proceedings. before the Web it was considered elusive

Health Reference Center academic

database provides: 1. full-text access to reference materials, books, journals, pamphlets, and publications from organizations

Content

did you find it reliable? - are the author's conclusions supported by references or backed by organizations? - is there a print equivalent of this work?

GPO Monthly catalog

extraordinary resource accessing the vast array of items general by the federal agencies

T/F: only keyword searches are most successful

false: a combination of keyword and subject vocabularies constitutes a successful search strategy.

JSTOR

full-text scholarly collections of articles in fields of ecology , botany, and general science - Puts an embargo on new titles, so more recent issues of journals are not available

NSDL

index of science images

Embase

indexes international literature on the medicine and related subjects such as: paramedical professions, drugs, optometry, public health, gene technology, hospital management, and other medical specialties

PubMed

indispensable tool for locating medical, vet, dental, and other health-related literature. includes MEDLINE and OLDMEDLINE (1950-1965) article

BIOSIS

largest life sciences journal literature database use: indexes reports, reviews and meetings

CAB abstracts

leading database in agricultural topics include: biotechnology; agricultural concerns; agricultural genetics

Google scholar

limited in breadth and scope often provides PDFs of scientific articles that may be unattainable at certain institutions.

CINAHL

major tool for processing sources on nursing and allied health professions range: respiratory therapy ad cardiopulmonary tech; health education; medical records

BioOne

offers an aggregate of bioresearch titles published by small professional societies and noncommercial publishers

Biological and Agricultural Index Plus

provide info on environmental and conservation sciences, agriculture, forestry, vet. medicine, and applied and field biology.

Domain

tells you the Web site's sponsor

AGRICOLA

the National Agricultural Library's database, covers a greater range of similar subjects and also provides access to more specialized books, journal articles, and documents. include: animal science, entomology, forestry, food and nutrition

What is the primary aim of scientific writing?

to communicate - as clearly, accurately, and succinctly as possible.

T/F: It is common that papers appear with jargon or are stilted in the science field

true

T/F: most formal writings are preceded by a informal writings in the form of notes, outlines, journal entries, lab or field data, and communication with colleagues through letters, e-mail..etc.

true

T/f: biologists must be effective writers because no experiment, however brilliant, can contribute to the existing fund of scientific knowledge unless it has been described to others working in the same field

true

t/F: you should not overlook the usefulness of scholarly monographs/books, which provide a more extensive overview of the literature than is possible in a review paper and serve as excellent introductions to more specialized scientific topics.

true

PsycINFO/APA

used for info in animal and human behavior

Plagiarism

using someone else's works, words, or ideas 1. turning in a friend's paper saying its yours 2. using another person's data or ideas without consent 3. copying an author's exact words and putting them into your paper without quotations 4. using wording that is very similar to that of the original source but passing it off as entirely your own, even when acknowledging the source