BIOL 1951: Biology Orientation

What we will cover:Plagiarism

Different kinds of scientific literature

Where to find the different kinds of

scientific literature

From the ONU Student Handbook:

“Plagiarism – submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work.”

From the Oxford Dictionaries:

Plagiarism - “The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.”

What is plagiarism?

•To show where your research comes from.•To give proper credit to your sources. •To allow others reading your paper or research project to find other useful resources on your topic.

Why cite?

Adapted from: “Citing Your Sources.” Academic Integrity at MIT: A Handbook for Students.MIT, Web. 26 Aug 2014.

What should you cite?

• Print Sources• Electronic Sources• Data• Images• Recorded and Spoken

MaterialsAdapted from: “Citing Your Sources.” Academic Integrity at MIT: A Handbook for Students.MIT, Web. 26 Aug 2014.

Paraphrasing

See Purdue OWL guidelines on paraphrasing:https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/

Paraphrasing and summarizing can be difficult writing skills to master.

Visit the Writing Center on the second floor of Heterick Memorial Library for assistance in paraphrasing and summarizing.

Common knowledge is something known by most people.

Examples: The sky is blue.George Washington was

the first president.

If you are unsure if something is common knowledge:

CITE IT!

Common Knowledge

Resources for CitationPrint Style Manuals in

libraryOnline

Resources in Research GuideLibrarians and

Professors

Types of Scientific Literature

•Tertiary•Secondary•Primary

Tertiary Literature

•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

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

Primary Research•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

Tertiary Literature: Where to FindLibrary Catalog

Tertiary Literature: Library Catalog

Search by keyword, title, author, etc.

Tertiary Literature: Library Catalog

Results page.

Tertiary Literature: OhioLINK

OhioLINK our library consortium also has a large variety of materials.•Deliveries books and media

materials every day.•Allow 3-5 days for delivery.•Can be renewed 3 times.

Scholarly versus Popular Periodicals

Magazines or Popular Periodicals• Glossy pages and lots of pictures• Edited by magazine editors• Articles usually written by staff

journalists• Short articles• Targeted to general audiences

Scholarly Journals/Periodicals• Peer-reviewed• Longer • Citations/Bibliography• Written by scholars, experts in the field

of study• Targeted to scholars, students in a

particular field of study

Peer Review ProcessThe researcher writes up his or her research and submits it to a journal.

The journal editor receives the article and sends it on to peer reviewers.

Peer reviewers read the article and send comments back to editor.

After peer review, editor may send the article back to the researcher for revisions.

After reviews and revisions, Publication!

Biology DatabasesGeneral Databases:• BIOSIS Previews• Web of Science

Subject Specific Databases:• Agricola• Environment Complete• GreenFile• Medline with Full Text

Secondary Literature: 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

Secondary Literature: 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

Secondary Literature: Where to Find

Use library databases to find literature reviews which present summaries, analyses and explanations of research on a particular topic.

Secondary Literature: Biosis

Biosis allows one to search by literature type and literature review. A Topic search is a keyword search.

Secondary Literature: BiosisResults Page

BiosisClick on View Abstract to read a summary of the article.

Click on Full Text and the LS link to access the full-text of the article.

Primary LiteratureTo determine if an article is primary research, look for clues in the citation, look for data tables and scan the abstract for a description of the methods or materials used, hypotheses, evidence of data collection, etc.

Primary Literature

When looking at the full–text article for primary research look for components such as:• Methods or Materials and Methods• Results• Discussion• Conclusions• References

Primary Literature: Biosis

Refine Results by:• Major Concepts• Document Types• Research Areas• Publication Years• Languages

Citing SourcesRefworks

Use RefWorks to keep track of citations, store full-text articles and create bibliographies.

Questions about Research?

Always librarians to help:

Reference Desk : Mon-Thurs 8AM – 4:30PM, 6PM – 9PM, Fri 8AM -4:30PM

Or contact a librarian for a personal appointment.

Summary

• Plagiarism• Tertiary, Secondary, and Primary Literature• Places to find different kinds of literature, library catalogs and databases