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1
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- Biology 101, Prof. Quintec McCrary
- Rebecca Hedreen, librarian
- Fall 2002
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2
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- Newspaper articles
- Brief summaries written in basic language. The average newspaper article is
written at a 3rd grade reading level.
- Sometimes simplified to the point of being inaccurate or misleading.
- Popular magazine articles
- More detailed, more explanatory.
May give repercussions or controversies. Don’t usually give details of
research methods.
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3
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- Research articles
- Full details, not only what was done, but how and why.
- Use technical language.
- Often “refereed” or “peer-reviewed”, meaning that at least one expert
in the subject has reviewed the article for accuracy and the importance
of the research.
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4
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5
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- Anyone can publish on the Internet.
There is not “internet editor” to make sure that information is
accurate.
- Double check information in more traditional sources.
- Even if the internet site gives journal articles to “support” their
information, check up on them.
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6
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7
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- Di-Hydrogen Mon-Oxide = H2O (water)
- All links are either internal (go to part of the same website) or lead
to generic pages, like the EPA homepage, not to specific information.
- This page is a deliberate hoax, meant to show how gullible people can
be.
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8
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- Know what you are looking for.
- Know where to look.
- Know how to find it once you’ve identified it.
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9
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- Decide what type of article you are looking for:
- Opinion
- Review
- Research report
- News
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10
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- Think up keywords that describe what you are looking for.
- A thesis statement stating what you are trying to prove may help.
- “Predators are important to the biodiversity of forest ecosystems.” =
predators, biodiversity, forest, ecosystems
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11
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- Think of synonyms, words with related meanings, more general and more
specific topics, and alternate spellings.
- Predators: predation, prey, carnivores, wolves.
- Biodiversity: diversity, populations.
- Forest: woodland.
- Ecosystems: ecology.
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12
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- “The sex of human babies can be manipulated during in-vitro
fertilization”
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13
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- Indexes and abstracts.
- An index is a list, either in print or online, of articles organized so
that you can find them by title, author, and/or subject.
- An abstract is a summary of the article. Abstracts also refer to indexes that
contain abstracts of the articles.
- Indexes may be on a particular subject or more general, and may cover
different types of articles.
- We generally refer to an online index as a database.
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14
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- Academic Search Premier is a good example of a general database. It covers many subjects, but doesn’t
cover anything in great depth.
It’s a good place to start your research on a topic.
- Environmental Science and Pollution Management is a good example of a
subject specific database. You
can do very specific searches, and you get very good scientific
information.
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15
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16
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17
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18
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- Full text online—there will be some indicator in the database, usually a
link or button.
- In the UMES Library.
- Check the Serials Title lists at the desks (by title or by subject.)
- Check the online catalog, (Library Catalog from the Library Home Page).
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19
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- Many of our databases have Interlibrary Loan links right from the
article record.
- Paper forms are available at the ILL desk.
- An online form is available from the Library Home Page.
- Allow at least 2 weeks to get your articles, and always order more than
you need.
- We won’t order articles that are in the Library or on the databases in
full text.
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20
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- Access the databases from home.
(Register with the Library first!)
- Search most databases in a simplified search screen.
- Search more than one database at a time.
- Email, save, and interlibrary loan links within the databases.
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21
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- And remember…the only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask.
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Notes
