Biology 180: General Biology I
Research Resources, Milne Library, SUNY College at Oneonta, Fall 2009
Steps in library research: Overview
- Background information on a topic can often be found in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference sources. There are encyclopedias in the reference area on the first floor of Milne Library that cover most topics.
- Find books. Books often treat a topic more comprehensively than journal articles. Books can be a good place to find an overview of a topic. References to additional articles and books can often be found in a bibliography at the end of a chapter.
- Find articles. Since journal articles are often more focused than books, they may provide more specific information than books. References to additional articles and books can often be found in a bibliography at the end of an article. Information in journal articles is usually more current than information in books. Journal articles are often peer-reviewed (Peer-review is the process by which journal articles are reviewed by experts in the field before publication. An example of a peer-reviewed journal is Journal of Ecology; an example of a popular magazine is Time.) Scholarly Journal Articles vs. Popular Magazine Articles
- Consider supplementary materials such as internet sites. Since articles found on the internet have rarely gone through the peer-review process, they must be carefully evaluated. Government internet sites generally are reliable, but sometimes the information is out of date or influenced by political views.
- Organize the findings.
- Use the information to address the research topic.
- The Publication process: primary, secondary, and tertiary sources
Primary sources are original works by an author. Examples in biology include firsthand reports of research such as lab reports as well as many journal articles. Most new research in biology is published in the form of journal articles.
Secondary sources can be used to find references to primary sources. Books that are not the original work of the researcher are also considered secondary sources.
Tertiary sources include guides to the literature and textbooks.
- Flow of scientific information
- From the University of Waterloo.
Reference Sources
Reference books can be a good way to get background information on a topic.
Environmental Encyclopedia Milne Library Reference GE10 E38
Oxford companion to global change Milne Library Reference GE149 .C84 2009
Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change Milne Library Reference QC981.8.G56 E47 2008
Oxford Dictionary of Biology Milne Library Reference QH302.5 .D54 2008
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Milne Library Reference QP512 .094 2006
Dictionary of Environmental Microbiology Milne Library Reference QR100 .S74
- Although Wikipedia can be a good starting point for basic information, it is not necessarily 100% reliable as most articles can be edited by anyone (see YouTube video of a Wikipedia timelapse). (Some Wikipedia articles on controversial topics are "locked down" to prevent vandalism.) Make sure you verify the information in Wikipedia with several other sources.
Finding books and other library materials
- Library Catalog (link on the Milne Library home page)
- Milne Library online catalog gives the location and availability of books, videos, compact discs, reserves, and other materials. It does NOT have information about individual journal articles.
- To view detailed information about an item, click on the number link on the left of the entry.
- To find if the item is available, look on the right side for Copies Owned/Out (e. g. 1/0). The first number is the number owned by the library; the last number is how many are checked out.
- Subjects are listed at the bottom of the detailed entry. These subjects will link to other materials on the same exact subject.
- The BASIC SEARCH allows you to search by fields such as (Words Anywhere, Words in Title, Words in Author, Subject begins with)
- "Words Anywhere" searches are useful if you do not know the precise subject, title or author. If you are unsure of the ending of a word or wish to search the stem of a word, use the wildcard symbol * .
- The ADVANCED SEARCH allows limiting by language, collection, document type, year.
- Write down the call number for the item and check Library Floor Plans (a link on the Milne Library home page) for the specific location.
Springer ebooks: Free trial through October 30.
Finding articles
Like the index in the back of a book that helps you locate specific content within the book, journal and newspaper indexes make it possible to find an article on a specific topic without leafing through numerous issues.
- Academic Search Complete (a link on the Milne Library home page)
- Provides full text for about 6,100 periodicals including over 5,100 peer-reviewed journals across most areas of academic study as well as indexing and abstracts for more than 10,000 magazines and journals.
- ScienceDirect (a link on the Milne Library home page)
- Provides full text access to over 2000 peer-reviewed scholarly journals in the fields of science and technology. Includes a listing of the 25 "hottest" articles in various subjects.
- JSTOR (a link on the Milne Library home page)
- A source for scholarly articles. Can be limited by Biological Sciences, Botany and Plant Sciences, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the Advanced Search form. Due to copyright restrictions, the most recent 3 to 5 years are usually unavailable. Includes Science, the world's largest general circulation science journal.
- Environment Complete (a link on the Milne Library home page under Databases by name A-Z)
- Includes over 1660 journals in agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, natural resources, geography, pollution and environmental law.
- GREENR (Global Reference on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources) (a link on the Free Trials page)
- Combines hundreds of international newspapers, magazines and peer-reviewed journals with news, case studies, primary source documents, videos, and podcasts. Also provides portals to over 160 nations. Updated daily. Free trial through December 2009.
- MasterFile Premier (a link on the Milne Library home page under Databases by name A-Z)
- An excellent source for general interest publications. Provides full text for about 2000 magazines and journals from many disciplines.
- American Chemical Society Web Edition (a link off the Milne Library home page under Databases by Name A-Z)
- Access to about 30 peer-reviewed research journals published by the American Chemical Society. (The ACS Journal of Chemical Education is available on a separate web site)
- AGRICOLA (a link on the Milne Library home page under Databases by Name A-Z)
- A place to search when you are having difficulty finding an article. From the National Agricultural Library. Indexes about 5000 journals. Subjects covered environmental science, soils, biology, and agriculture. You can limit a search to one journal. (Five simultaneous users) Most articles not available through Milne Library can by obtained through Interlibrary Loan/ILLIAD.
- GEOBASE (a link on the Milne Library home page under Databases by name A-Z)
- Another place to search when you are having difficulty finding an article. Contains citations with abstracts of periodicals on geography, geology, ecology, and related disciplines. Most articles not available through Milne Library can by obtained through Interlibrary Loan/ILLIAD
- Central Search (a link on the Milne Library home page under Databases by name A-Z)
- Another good place to search when you are having difficulty finding an article. Search multiple databases for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles as well as the Milne Library catalog for books. Use the results list to find the citation for an article. Most articles not available through Milne Library can by obtained through Interlibrary Loan/ILLIAD
Finding the full-text of online articles
- When the full text does not appear on the computer screen, click on the 360 Link to Full Text icon. This links to a menu that indicates other databases where an online full text copy of the article might be found. Often there is a direct link to the full text of the article. If not, search the indicated database by the title of the article. If you see a link to SUNY-Oneonta print holdings, the issue of the periodical may be in the Milne Library print periodicals collection: enter the periodical title in the search box on the library home page under the red Find Journals tab on top of the search box.
- If the library does not subscribe to the periodical, the article can usually be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan/ILLIAD. Articles are usually delivered to you electronically in your College at Oneonta mailbox. If you order a book, you will be notified when it has arrived so that you can pick it up at the library. Interlibrary loan usually takes a few days but may take up to three weeks in unusual circumstances, so be sure to allow plenty of time to receive your materials before you need to write your paper.
Government sites
Google (Uncle Sam) limits the search to U. S. Government web sites, e. g.
Congress of the United States: Congressional Budget Office: Potential Impacts of Climate Change in the U. S. 2009: (PDF format)
Environmental Protection Agency: Climate Change
Evaluating Internet Sites
*Anyone* can publish on the Internet. Therefore, it is important to learn to evaluate any information found on the net.
Five points to consider in the evaluation of a web site:
- 1. AUTHORITY: Who is responsible for creating the page? Does the URL contain .edu (education), .gov (US government), .org (organization) .int (international organization)? Or does the URL contain .com (commercial) or .biz (business)? Is it a personal site (.name)? (Country codes also may be part of a URL: see Domain name registries around the world. It is possible to limit a search to a certain country by adding the country domain in Google: Advanced Search.) See also: Below ground respiration: Duke University
- 2. CURRENCY: Is there a date indicating when the page was created or updated? Is the information up to date?
- 3. COVERAGE: What is the purpose of the site? Does it address your research topic? Is it detailed or broad?
- 4. OBJECTIVITY: Is the site expressing a slanted point of view or trying to sway your opinion?
- 5. ACCURACY: Can you verify that the information is correct? Are the facts consistent within the page?
Citations
- Although Microsoft Office Word 2007 has a tab for managing references including endnotes, footnotes, and bibliographic citations, not all citation styles are included. A handout on the citation style to be used for your assignment will be provided by your professor.
- Guidelines for Lab Reports
Plagiarism
When you use information from a book, article, or web site, don't forget to cite it in proper fashion! Remember to paraphrase and use your own language. For further tips see:
Plagiarism- What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
College at Oneonta: Academic Honesty policy
Turnitin.com is often used at the College at Oneonta to detect plagiarism.
Need more help?
Research/Information specialists are available to help you with your research most hours the library is open. Research librarians can be reached by email ( libref@oneonta.edu or http://www.oneonta.edu/library/help/contactus.asp) or telephone (607-436-2722). In addition, Research Consultations (a link on the Milne Library home page) are available for in-depth research assistance. It is also possible to chat with a librarian (usually not from Milne Library) through the Ask Us 24/7 Reference Service (a link on the Milne Library home page).
Nancy Cannon (cannonns@oneonta.edu)
OFFICE HOURS by appointment