Welcome to the Biology 218 Course Page!

The information below will help you complete your two Lab Report assignments this semester. Those assignments are both posted in Blackboard and available here:

Assignment #1 

Assignment #2

You can access the PowerPoint I showed in class by clicking here:  

Search Strategies PowerPoint

Primary Research Articles vs. Review Articles 

Primary Research Articles are articles in which the author presents a new set of findings from original research after conducting an experiment, observation, or case study. This contrasts with secondary research that draws from existing publications or expert opinion.  A primary research article typically contains the following sections: Methods, Results, Discussion, and References Cited. 

Review Articles analyze existing writings and research. Types of review articles are: opinions, editorials, synopses, and commentaries.

Examples 

Primary Research Article: "Effects of Salinity Stress on Survival, Metabolism, Limb Regeneration, and Ecdysis in UCA PUGNAX"

Review Article: "Review of Molecular, Cell Biology, and Clinical Use"

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles 

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:  "Isolation and characterization of multipotential mesenchymal stem cells from feline bone marrow"

Popular article: "Help for Hounds"

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: "An Estimate of Premature Cancer Mortality in the U.S. Due to Inadequate Doses of Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation"

Non Peer-Reviewed article: "Faith in Stem Cells"

Using the databases

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

For your Lab Report assignments I recommend using:

• Biological Abstracts (scholarly articles)
• Science Direct (scholarly articles)
• GoogleScholar (scholarly articles)
• Academic Search Elite (popular articles)
• Proquest Research Library (popular articles)

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 single cell reproduction.  Words that might help you retrieve a good number of articles without being overwhelmed are "single cell," "microorganism," "reproduction," and "propogation." Therefore, your search phrase could be "(Single Cell or microorganism) AND (reproduction or propogation)" 

Another option: Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/

Google Scholar is essentially a discovery tool that you can use to get started on your research. Google Scholar can be especially helpful if you have little to no background knowledge of your research topic. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros

• With one search you are able to search all scholarly journal resources available on the Web
• Advanced Search allows you to search using Boolean phrase by simply filling in different search boxes
• Advanced Search lets you limit your search to Biology, Life Sciences, and Environmental Science
• Often will retrieve a lot of good results because it gathers from many different databases
• Can find useful citations or abstracts and then the library can usually get most articles in full text format

Cons

• Doesn't retrieve as many Full Text articles as the library's databases
• Not linked up to our library's databases: If you want a full text version of an abstract you have to find it via a second round of searching the library's databases. 
• Can't search specific journals or databases for articles 
• Library databases hold journal articles that cannot be found on Google Scholar 

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