Welcome to the Biology 191 Course Page!

Below you will find information to help you complete your "Information Literacy Assignment," which you can find here.

You can access the PowerPoint I showed in class by clicking on Search Strategies 09.ppt

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles 

For this assignment you must use journal articles that are scholarly and peer-reviewed (also known as "referred.") Scholarly articles are typically based on original research and written by scholars or experts in a field of study. On the other hand, popular articles usually appear in magazines or non-scholarly journals and are not necessarily written by experts. 

Examples

Scholarly article: "Factors explaining alien plant invasion success in a tropical ecosystem" 

Popular article: "Gecko Tail Has a Mind of It's Own"

Peer-Reviewed vs. Non Peer-Reviewed

"Peer-Reviewed" means that the articles have been evaluated by an editorial board of specialists in the field of research covered by the journal. "Non Peer-Reviewed" resources can be articles like conference proceedings, meeting notes, and editorials. Peer-Reviewed articles are more trustworthy for academic research and the appropriate type of resource to use for your assignment. In order to find scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles, it is best to use the library's databases. 

Examples

Peer-Reviewed article: "Approaches in the risk assessment of genetically modified foods by the Hellenic Food Safety Authority"

Non Peer-Reviewed article: "Genetically Modified Confusion"

Using the databases

In order to begin your research assignment, start on the Biology Subject Page. Here you will find descriptions of each database to help you choose which one will suit your research needs best.

For your first assignment I recommend using:

• Biological Abstracts
• Science Direct
• BioOne. 

Steps for a Successful Search (and in turn, an excellent research paper!)

1. Choose a topic
2. Brainstorm 2-3 concepts within that topic
3. Think of any and all words that could describe each of those key concepts
4. Connect those words with AND / OR / NOT

AND / OR / NOT - Boolean Phrase Searching

Using the words And, Or, Not while you search will retrieve preferred results. Each of those three words serve a different purpose.

• AND - Narrows your search (Use between your concepts)
• OR - Broadens your search (Use between synonyms) 
• NOT - Tells the search engine to only return results without this word

For example, lets say you want to find an article about dragonfly migration.  Words that might help you retrieve a good number of articles without being overwhelmed are "odonata" and "movement." Therefore, your search phrase could be "Dragonfly OR Odonata AND Migration OR Movement." 

Citing Your Sources

When you use an idea or an excerpt from any resource, you must cite it correctly. LeMoyne subscribes to a citation management service called RefWorks which makes it easier for you to keep track of the articles you use and automatically formats your citations for you. You have to be on campus to create an account, but after you have your own account you can access RefWorks from anywhere. 

Citation Resources

Citation resources and style manuals can be found at the reference desk. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, Seventh Edition will be especially helpful. Visit: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/documentation/cbe_citation/index.cfm