1. Descriptions of Literature
Sources in Science
Una adaptación de la información publicada en:
Timken Science Library. 2008. Guide to library
research in Science [Internet]. Wooster (OH): Timken
Science Library. [citado 2009 Ago 21]. Disponible en:
http://www3.wooster.edu/library/sciref/Tutor/EvSciInfo/p
rimary.php

2. This diagram has been adapted from Evolution of Scientific Information. [From Allan Kent and Harold Lancour, eds.,
Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science (New York, 1979), s.v. ”Scientific Literature,” by K. Subramanyam, 394].
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3. Primary Literature Sources in Science
Primary sources present information that has not been previously
published in any form in any other source. These sources may evolve
through either formal or informal channels of communication. Journals,
patents, and technical reports are examples of primary literature that have
been evaluated through a peer-review process and are disseminated through
published sources. Other primary sources, such as laboratory notebooks,
memoranda, e-mail or listservs, are not usually published, but are
nevertheless an important resource.
Informal communication involves person-to-person interactions between
scientists, often between members of a cohesive group of researchers
sometimes referred to as an “invisible college.” This informal communication
has the advantages of timeliness, selectivity, completeness, and
development of personal rapport. Disadvantages include the possibility that
researchers become too exclusive and miss important advances made by
others outside their network, or that young researchers may have difficulty
gaining access to the network.
Laboratory Notebooks
Laboratory notebooks are bound volumes in which scientists record the
progress of their research. Besides their obvious value as internal
references for procedures and results, they are important in obtaining
patents because they can be used to prove when and where events
took place or discoveries were made.
Letters Journals
Letters journals provide rapid publication of preliminary
communications of fundamental research. Some journals include
letters and short articles of this kind in the same issue as full-length
research articles.
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4. Conference Papers and Proceedings
Conference papers are reports of research that are read at a
conference or meeting. Proceedings are collections of conference
papers that are published as a single volume. Papers presented at
conferences tend to be very current and deal with a specific, narrow
topic. They may or may not be published after the meeting.
Dissertations and Theses
Theses are research papers required for some Master's degrees and
dissertations are presentations of original research written by a
candidate for a doctoral degree. Both serve as a source of data that
has been carefully researched by the candidate, and reviewed by a
faculty committee.
Technical Reports
Technical reports are prepared to describe the progress of research
and development projects. This research is usually conducted by
government agencies or supported by government grants or contracts.
If the research continues over a period of years, the reports may be
published in a series. Technical reports may appear in different
reference formats, including proceedings, transactions, annual reports,
or bibliographies.
Patents
A patent is an agreement with a government that grants a person or
organization ownership of a design or process for a designated period
of time within that country. Most industrialized countries award
patents, but they don't recognize patents from other countries. Patents
usually include drawings and descriptive text.
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5. Biosequence Data
Nucleotide sequences derived from the experimental sequencing of
biological molecules are deposited by direct submission to primary,
archival databases such as GenBank, European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL), and DNA Databank of Japan (DDNB). SWISS-PROT
is a protein sequence database containing data derived from
translations of DNA sequences or by direct submission.
Access: Biosequence data can be accessed at many sites, including
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and
SWISS-Prot.
Journal Articles
Journals are publications that are issued on a regular schedule and that
present detailed reports of current research in a particular field. Some
journals cover research in all areas of science and technology, while others
concentrate on a narrow subject area. The importance of science
journals lies in their social, archival and dissemination roles in scientific
communication. All articles submitted to scholarly scientific journals are
subjected to a peer review process, which helps to maintain the quality of
the scientific literature.
Secondary Literature Sources in Science
Secondary literature sources, including indexes and abstracts,
encyclopedias, handbooks, reviews, and other reference sources, facilitate
the assimilation of information originally disseminated through the primary
literature. They integrate and improve access to the ever-increasing body of
primary literature by organizing, repackaging, compiling and editing primary
sources.
Indexes and Abstracts
Indexes provide the most efficient means of subject or author access
to science information published in widely-dispersed primary literature.
Relevant citations to works on a subject include such information as
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6. the title and author of the article, the title, volume, issue, and
publication date of the periodical, and the pages on which the article
appears. Abstracts are extensions of indexes which include a
summary, or abstract, of the article. Abstracts often provide enough
information to determine whether or not the entire article is needed.
Indexes and Abstracts may be multidisciplinary in their coverage,
provide comprehensive coverage of a major discipline, or focus on a
narrow subdiscipline. Some indexes are intended for use by a lay
audience, covering a very limited number of popular periodicals. Other
indexes and abstracts are intended for professionals in a field of
science, and cover an extensive list of peer-reviewed journals as well
as review literature, conference proceedings, patents, and other
primary sources.
The classified subject heading arrangement of abstracts tends to be
more complex than the simple alphabetical arrangement of indexes.
Abstracts often provide multiple access points, including biosystematic
names, molecular formulas, geographic locations, chemical names,
and a variety of classification codes. Searching the controlled
vocabulary of some abstracting tools is facilitated by the use of a
thesaurus.
Indexes and abstracts are available in both print and electronic
formats, although electronic databases are more convenient and
provide more flexibility in searching.
Citation Indexes
Citation indexing is based upon the premise that there is usually a
direct subject relationship between previously published articles that
are cited in a new article, and the subject of the new article. A record
in a citation index includes the references cited in the bibliography of
the article. These cited references are searchable and provide access
to newer articles that are related to the subject of the original article.
Bibliographies
A bibliography is a collection of citations to information sources on a
particular topic. A bibliography may cover a broad subject area or
focus on a very narrow topic. It may be limited by date, language,
country of publication, format, or other characteristics. Bibliographies
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7. are important because they save the researcher time in locating at
least some of the valuable resources needed for his or her project.
Bibliographies appear at the ends of books, book chapters, journal
articles, or encyclopedia articles. Long bibliographies are often
published as separate books. The arrangement of a bibliography
depends on its length and purpose. It may be a simple list arranged
alphabetically by author, or it may be arranged by subject headings
and subheadings, date, format, or a combination of characteristics.
Access to bibliographies depends on the format in which they appear.
Bibliographies appearing in journal articles can be accessed using
periodical indexes. Those published as a book can be located using a
library catalog.
Atlases
Atlases are collections of maps, charts, or plates illustrating a
particular subject. In addition to geographical atlases, which illustrate
geographical information of the earth and space, biomedical atlases
consist of charts and plates that locate body parts in three dimensions.
Biographical Sources
Biographical information appears in a number of different kinds of
sources, including books, periodicals, encyclopedias and newspapers.
Single- or multi-volume collections of biographical information may
provide very basic data (name, date of birth, address, employment,
education) or may devote several pages to an individual, providing an
account of his or her career, education, accomplishments, and
significance in their field.
Techniques for locating biographical information depend upon the
format in which such information is published. Consult periodical
indexes, newspaper indexes, and indexes specific to biographical
sources. Also consult library catalogs, encyclopedias and biographical
dictionaries.
Dictionaries
The primary purpose of science and technology dictionaries is to
provide definitions of scientific and technical terms. They may cover all
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8. fields of science and technology, or they may be more narrowly
focused.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias often provide a good starting point for research. They
are usually arranged alphabetically by topic, but some are arranged by
a classified system. Most encyclopedia articles also include a brief
bibliography of sources for additional reading. Always consult the index
for access to different aspects of a topic that may be treated in
different articles.
Handbooks
Handbooks are single- or multi-volume collections of data and
descriptive text that are designed to provide a quick reference source
of useful data for experts in a particular field. Information may be
presented in charts, tables, graphs, glossaries, and detailed
discussions. They may also include bibliographic references to the
primary literature and detailed indexes.
Reviews of the Literature
Reviews of the literature survey the important primary literature
sources and other works on a particular topic, usually over a given
time span. They provide the bibliographic information needed to find
the original works, and summarize the most important points about
advances during that period. Reviews are important for researchers
because they save them the time it would take to search a large body
of literature for the most significant items. They also provide students
with an excellent starting point for their research.
Reviews may appear in book form in such series as Annual Review
of..., Progress in... or Advances in... . Some journals are devoted
entirely to reviews of the literature, while others may include a review
article in an issue along with research articles.
Thesauri
A thesaurus is a list of controlled vocabulary terms that indicates the
relationships of terms to each other within a database. Most list
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9. broader, narrower, and related terms. Definitions and scope notes may
be included. Using a thesaurus assists a searcher in selecting the most
effective terms for retrieving the desired information in a print or
electronic index. Thesauri exist in both print and electronic formats.
Treatises
A treatise is a complete, authoritative summary covering an entire subject
or field. It contains a detailed bibliography of primary sources from which
the information was gathered.
Tertiary Literature Sources in Science
As a result of the proliferation of the primary literature and the quantity
and diversity of secondary publications, a secondary indexing is required to
facilitate access to primary and secondary sources. The tertiary sources that
provide this indexing include guides to the literature and library catalogs.
Guides to the Literature
Guides to the literature describe the types of sources, in all formats,
available for one or more disciplines, and list outstanding examples of
each type. Some guides cover all aspects of science and technology,
while others focus on a specific discipline.
Library Catalogs
Library catalogs index all items in any format held in a particular
library. Books, journals, newspaper, government publications,
reference materials, and non-textual materials such as films, videos,
computer software, maps, photographs are some of the items that
may be included. A catalog record includes both a bibliographic and
physical description of the item, subject indexing, the physical location
and call number of the item within the library. Library catalogs are
now beginning to include records for items that are not physically held
in the library, but which can be accessed by authorized users, such as
electronic journals or databases.
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10. Individual library catalogs from all over the world can now be accessed
via the Internet.
WorldCat
Is the union catalog of all items cataloged by OCLC member libraries.
It includes more than 62 million records for books, computer data files,
computer programs, films, journals, manuscripts, musical scores,
newspapers, slides, sound recordings, and videos. WorldCat does NOT
index journal or newspaper articles or book chapters.
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