WSE 316: Wood and Fiber Chemistry

• Joe Karchesy
• Contact Info:
  
  Instructor's Website

Be sure you can locate the the OSU Libraries Home Page and from there find these three links

• OSU Libraries Catalog
• Databases
• E-Journals

On the navigation bar to the left, look for the link to "Get help with a class" (where this guide resides) and "Browse by Subject."   In particular these guides may be useful:

• Wood Science and Engineering Guide
• Chemistry Guide
• Forestry Guide

You will need to be familiar with where things are on the first and second floors -- to do this, use the floor maps (http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/locations/valley.html).

A word to the wise:, the first floor, which houses most forestry material, seems complicated at first. On this floor we house older volumes of journals in "compact shelving" on the North side. Journals volumes from 1990 through last year are shelved with the books on the South side. The current year of print journals are unbound in display shelving in the Southeast corner.  

It is *always* okay to ask questions - here are some options to try before you get frustrated:

• Look for the in-library phone on each floor -- use it to call the Reference Desk (7-7295).
• Come to the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.
• Try the "ask a librarian" chat service on the right of most library pages.

Focus your search by characterizing the kind of information you are seeking. Examples include:

1. Information needs: background information, synthetic procedures, specific data
2. Type of information or data: reviews, research results, data, maps,
3. Subject area: analytical, inorganic, organic, or physical chemistry

Decide what resources might help you find the information you need. Examples include:

1. Handbooks
2. Journal articles
3. Textbooks

Come up with terms to use when searching such as:

1. Authors' names
2. Chemical names
3. Subjects (e.g., substances, uses,)

Search until you are certain that you have found the information you need.  If you rely on a web resource like Wikipedia, try to verify the information with a second source (your text for instance). 

Experiment with the OSU Libraries Catalog; here are some hints:

• Search by keyword. Use quotation marks around phrases. Ex: "wood chemistry"
• Simple keyword search results are in relevancy order (not by date or alphabetical order) but if you use "" the order will be by date.
• If the book you want is checked out or you don't find it in your catalog search, use the "Repeat in Summit" button (located to the right on the screen) and see if it's available at one of our partner libraries in Oregon and Washington.
• When you are using the Summit catalog, click on the line that tells you how many libraries have the book. If OSU doesn't have it, or our copy is checked out, click on "Request this Item" and complete the information asked for.
• It will take 3 workdays for the book to arrive at the Valley Library. A notice will be sent to your ONID email when it's in and it will be held for 5 days for you to pick-up.

While you can use the catalog to look for journals, you cannot use it to look for specific articles in those journals.  For this you need to use the databases discussed below.

The Valley Library subscribes to several databases which index peer-reviewed scientific journal articles relevant to wood and materials science topics.   The process of "peer-review" (sometimes called "refereeing") is discipline and journal specific.   It is intended to assure that the articles in that journal represent good scientific methodology and are regarded as a contribution to the literature of that field of study.  If in doubt about whether a journal contains peer reviewed articles, ask.

Most databases noted in ths guide will index a high percentage of "refereed" journals and therefore contain very high percentage of peer reviewed articles. They may also include first hand reporting of research findings or state-of-the-art reviews from other reporting sources such as federal agency reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, professional journals, etc.   All of these may prove useful resources for framing and addressing your research question.

When considering a database, it is important to be aware of its content including:

• Subject coverage
• Types of publications indexed in the database e.g., research journals, scientific magazines, conference proceedings
• Dates of coverage

• Read More...

1. Get This Item: Many of the databases listed above contain a button called "Get This Item" or "Webbridge."   Using this link will open a window with links to the library catalog and to the e-journal list so you can investigate the availability of the source journal.  In the ideal case, it will result in a direct link to the full-text of the article.
2. E-Journal list: If you have a reference and want to see if OSU Libraries subscribes to the electronic version of that journal (or some service that provides the full-text from that journal), click the E-Journals link on the Library's home page and type in the name of the journal that you need. If the article you need is not available from the E-Journals list, then try the catalog.
3. Online Catalog: Search the online catalog (limit to "journals") to see if the library has a paper copy of the journal. You can then photocopy the article. Most bound journals circulate for three days. Unbound journals do not circulate outside the library.
4. ** If you choose, you can try a Google Advanced Search.   It is best to search the title of the article as an exact phrase). This is a long shot so if it doesn't work immediately, a better use of you time is checking to see if the library has the journal in some format and if not, filling out the interlibrary loan request form. If you decide to post your own articles to the web, be sure that you know what copyright restrictions apply by contacting the publisher. When this is allowed, it is more often the case that you are allowed post the pre-formated version (of your own articles only) but not the final journal formated version.
5. The indexing databases are independent of the holdings of any one library so you should expect that OSU Libraries will not subscribe to or own every journals you need. You will need to use Interlibrary loan to obtain the articles.

You can get a copy of any journal article not available at OSU Libraries by using Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  This service is free to you.

You must have an ONID account to register for ILL.  From the OSU Libraries catalog, look for the link to Interlibrary Loan  and select "Log on for ILL Service."  Consider registering now, before you actually need to request an article.

We are able to obtain the majority of requested articles within 5-7 days depending on the number of libraries owning the journal.   Some requests take more time some take less.  On the rare occasion that the Library is unable to identify a lending library, we will try to get the information you will need to contact the author directly. 

Articles usually come as PDF files that are sent you a secure website for your use.  You can also use ILL to request books (or chapters of books) if you are unable to locate then in the Summit catalog.

Consistency is the rule of thumb in creating a bibliography. To this end, there are several style guides available and you can learn more about these from the library's page on Style and Citation Guides.  One approach is to select a journal of note in your field and follow the instructions given for authors writing for that journal.   To locate these, look for a link to information or instructions for authors on the journal's website or on the cover pages of the most recent issue.   Since you will be citing some articles from the web, be sure to note their instructions about how to do this.  The American Chemical Society provides suggestions for citing references on their website.

You might want to learn to use EndNote to organize your references, particularly if you plan to pursue graduate studies.

Top five reasons for incorporating use of the library's resources into your homework routine for this class:

1. You have three homework assignments that will call on you to use library resources, and in particular the database, SciFinder Scholar (a.k.a. "Chemical Abstracts").
2. You will be asked to research and write a report on a topic of your choice related to this course.
3. You will be need to locate information for the report you write in your professional development class, WSE 407.
4. You will need to conduct a literature review for your senior project.
5. You will likely achieve a higher grade in these if you review and utilize "library" resources.

Items are added to the library selectively so when you discover something via a Google search, be selective.  When evaluating a web site look for these attributes:

1. Purpose : Is it there to inform? Persuade? Sell? Entertain?
2. Authorship & Authority : What are the person's (group's) credentials? Can you tell? Is the person/group credible? An authority?
3. Objectivity : Does the site have a bias? Can you articulate what it is?
4. Accuracy : Are sources cited or acknowledged?
5. Currency : How current is the information? Is this important?
6. Completeness : Is the information complete or just a summary of information found elsewhere?

Where possible look for additional sources of information to verify information you find on the web, particularly if your are unsure about its authority, accuracy, and currency.  Consider limiting your google searches to .edu and .gov sites.