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Information Sources in Biology at JMU

Created by M. MandernachRevised by Yasmeen ShorishJMU Libraries, 2012

Tips for BIO 124

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Research tips you need to know…

Research is a process, it will take time. Using library resources will make a good

use of your time. Reading the abstract will save you time. A librarian is available to help. Take time

to contact her: Yasmeen Shorish Science Librarian E-mail: shorisyl@jmu.edu

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http://despair.com/

Since YOU don’t have “an endless supply of expendable labor,” you need to use your time EFFICIENTLY.Learning to use specialized scholarly databases will save you TIME!

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JMU Library Facts

4 library locations at JMU – Carrier, Rose, Music, and Memorial Hall-ETMC

Materials can be requested from any library and delivered to any library for you to pick up

RoseLibrary has most of the print Biology materials Most science journals are online Interlibrary Loan (ILL) – gets materials JMU does

not own

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Accessing the library off campus

See library webpage for instructions on how to“Connect from Off Campus” -

http://www.lib.jmu.edu/proxy/default.aspx

Everything electronic that you have access to ON campus, you will have access to from OFF campus.

NEVER pay for articles - use Interlibrary Loan

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Evaluating Information Sources

You should examine each source you encounter in order to determine its credibility.

Authority – author given, credentials? Timeliness – date of information, is date important? Documentation – sources cited, bibliography? Purpose – intended audience, point of view,

scholarly or popular? Suitability – appropriate information, suitable level?

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Why use scholarly journals?Scholarly, Peer-reviewed, Refereed

These are all terms that refer to journals in which ANOTHER RESEARCHER or AN EDITOR has already evaluated the quality of the research.

You do not have to be personally responsible for deciding if it is “good” methodology or not.

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Magazines vs. Journals

Magazines

May be unsigned May be written by a

generalist No references Written for general public Often contains

advertisements

Journals

Signed Written by an expert Author’s position and

institution given References Specialized language May be published by

association or scholarly press

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Types of articles Within scholarly journals a variety of types of

articles exist Research Articles

Review Articles

Editorials

Corrections

Current News Briefs

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Research vs. Review articlesResearch articles Original Research Experiment conducted Typical sections of a

research article Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusions

Review articles Summary of previously

conducted research Overview of particular

field/time period Provides a good

background on a topic Lots of references

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How do you find scholarly articles?

Google ScholarOR Databases created by professional scholarly

organizations (Examples: Scopus for biology, SciFinder Scholar for chemistry, MathSciNet for math, NASA ADS for physics, GeoRef for geology, PubMed for medicine, etc.)

Which do YOU think is more efficient?

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Searching a Database Break search phrase into searchable

concepts Competition among plants in a field, particularly

marigolds and other species Is this a good search phrase? What kind of results would you expect? Too broad? Too narrow? Brainstorm synonyms (technical names, common

names)

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More Database Search Tips

Using AND between two terms will find citations possessing BOTH of those terms. Use AND to help narrow down your search.

Using OR between two terms will find citations possessing EITHER of those terms. Use OR to help broaden your search.

Using quotes “” will bring results with the words together as a phrase, “plant species”.

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Even More Search Tips:Truncation: throwing a wide net

************** Searching for “competition” – won't get

compete, competing, or competitive. Some of these terms might be useful. In order to

retrieve them, truncate the search term.

In most databases, * is the truncation symbol. compet* will gather all of the above. Be careful when using truncation… if interested in articles about

cats and you search cat*, you will retrieve articles about cats but also articles about catapults, catalysts, or cathedrals (among others).

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You have several good results… now what?

Read the abstract!! Can you understand the article? Is the article on your topic?

Taking time to read the abstract NOW can save you a lot of frustration later. You don't want to save it or print it out, take it home,

and read it a week later to find out that it's not on your topic.

Check out the “How to read a scientific paper?” movie on the Home Tab of the course guide.

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Reading the abstract If you were looking for an article on plant

competition, would this article be useful?

Abstract:This work studied the effect of a noncommercial enzyme

preparation on xanthophyll extraction from marigold flower (Tagetes erecta). The results show that the extraction yield depends directly on the extent of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cell walls in the flower petals and that it is possible to reach yields in excess of those previously reported for treatments with commercially available enzymes (29.3 g/kg of dry weight). The enhanced extraction system appears to be very competitive when compared to the traditional process and current alternatives.

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You read the abstract and it seems useful. How do you find the whole article?

Look for the buttonIt will open a new window and show you the options for retrieving the article

Check it out: Online!

If it wasn't availableILL would be listed here

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You found your articles.How do you cite them in your paper?

Citations provide the basic information needed for someone else to find the same thing you did.

Citation styles vary (APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, specific journals), but there is basic information that they almost all contain.

A basic citation format: Author(s) name(s). Year. Title of article. Title of Journal. Volume # (Issue #): pages. doi (if available)

Flint, W. D., and R. N. Harris. 2005. The efficacy of visual encounter surveys for population monitoring of Plethodonpunctatus (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology.39 (4): 578-584. doi:10.1371/journal.example

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Citation Tips, continued… Notice that there IS NOT a URL or web

address in the citation anywhere!

Web information is given ONLY if the information referenced is ONLY available online, like websites, blogs, etc. When URLs are given, you usually also give the DATE you accessed the information. WHY?

Because web information can change!

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Here is thecitation informationyou need to use:Journal NameVolume, Issue, PagesArticle TitleAuthors

Example:The URL is NOT needed for this citation. Web addresses are often NOT permanent links and may not work in an email or another search.This is NOT a good way to share information about finding this article!

Citing online journal articles

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Citation help = RefWorks Every JMU student and faculty member has

access to RefWorks and Write N Cite. Use these tools to organize your research and drop citations into your paper!

Attend a RefWorks walk-in workshop at the library, or set up a time with the Science Librarian for help using RefWorks.

Or, check out our video tutorial or handout.

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What about books?

Good point! Often while searching for the most recent research reported in journals or online, you can forget that there are great sources of background information and collections of information to be found in

BOOKS!

How do you find books at JMU?

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Finding books

Search the CatalogLook for Reference Books

Tips for finding books

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Still need help? Stop by the Rose Library or

Carrier Library Information Desks.

Contact your librarian! Yasmeen Shorish E-mail: shorisyl@jmu.edu Chat via the Biology

Subject and Course Guides !