2. What we will cover:
Overview of scientific research.
Planning your research.
Finding primary research articles
using Science Citation Index and
SciFinder Scholar.
How to cite sources
3. Science Research : Types
Three main types:
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
Tertiary
Very broad topics.
Useful place for finding background information
on a topic.
Usually contains well-established facts in science.
Examples: encyclopedias, textbooks, handbooks.
Adapted from Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources
Library: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html
4. Science Research
Secondary Literature
Summaries of primary literature/research.
Broader and less current.
Helpful because of long bibliographies on a
subject.
Examples include: books, literature review
articles.
Adapted from Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources
Library: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html
5. Science Research
Primary Literature
Write-ups of results of research.
Current and specialized.
Often analyzes data collected in the field
or laboratory.
Examples: articles in peer-reviewed journals,
dissertations, technical reports, etc
Adapted from Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources
Library: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html
6. Research Process
Gather background information or tertiary
resources by reading your textbook, reference
books or general books on your topic.
7. Where to find tertiary sources?
Use the library catalog POLAR to find books
and e-books for background information.
8. Tertiary Sources
Use the
bibliographies in
tertiary sources to
find primary and
secondary sources.
Identify keywords
and phrases when
reviewing
background
information.
9. What about the Internet?
Try Google Scholar! Google Scholar searches the scholarly
literature of many disciplines and sources, including theses,
books, abstracts and articles. When on-campus, it will link to
the library’s resources and to the full-text of articles.
10. Finding Secondary and Primary
Literature: Databases
Use library databases to find articles from
the secondary and primary literature.
11. Boolean Searching
Library databases utilize Boolean searching:
AND – use to narrow your search
Ozone layer and greenhouse gases
OR – use to expand your search
Ocean or sea
NOT – use to exclude a search term
Cloning not sheep
12. Science Citation Index
Expanded
The Topic
search
works like a
keyword
search,
searches
title, author
and
abstract.
13. Science Citation Index
Expanded
Many ways to
refine your search
including:
Web of Science
Categories
Document Types
Research Areas
14. Secondary Research:
Literature Reviews
What is a literature review?
Literature reviews (also called review articles)
survey and synthesize primary research on a
particular topic.
They are articles authored by researchers and
published in scholarly journals
They summarize multiple primary research articles
They are secondary literature
from Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources Library:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html
15. Secondary Research:
Literature Reviews
Why are literature reviews a good starting
point for researching a topic?
They provide an overview of a particular
area of study
Their extensive reference lists may be used
to locate further relevant articles
They may provide ideas for narrowing a
too-broad topic
from Marian Koshland Bioscience and Natural Resources Library:
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html
20. SciFinder Scholar
Results - - in the
analysis box (to
the right of the
results), choose
Index terms to
select different
terms to refine
your results.
25. Need further assistance?
Contact Kathleen Baril at 419-772-2188 or
k-baril@onu.edu
Ask for help at the Reference Desk, Mon-
Thurs 8am-12pm, 1pm-4:30pm, 6pm-9pm,
Fri 8am-12pm, 1pm-4:30pm, Sun 10am-
3:30pm
Good luck!
