Searching for Journal Articles on a Topic
To search for a topic you will need to use an article database (not the e-journals list - more about using e-journals below).
Find a good database. Each database focuses on a particular subject.
- If you know the name of a good database for your project already, use the alphabet key on the databases page to navigate to your database.
- If you don't know the database name, use the subject pull down menu at the top of the databases page to choose your subject area. Click on the red "I" to get more information about each database.
Break your topic down. Article databases often work best when you put a single idea in each search box. For example, the research topic "what is the best plant spacing for soybeans in Oregon" could be broken down into three main ideas - Soybean, plant density, and Oregon. Each of these ideas would go in their own search box or be separated by "and."
Use Synonyms. Scientists often refer to words in a variety of different terms than you may be used to. Try different search words to come up with the best results. For example, plant spacing could also be called plant density, crop density, or intraplant competition.
Find the article. Not all databases have full-text articles, and sometimes we have the article available electronically, but it is not immediately available from the database with one click. If you do not see a PDF icon for the article within the database, you have 3 options -
- you can click on the "360 Link to Full Text" button which will help you discover whether or not our library has the article,
- copy the name of the journal title, open another tab or window to the library's homepage, click on the e-journals link and paste the name of the journal in the search box, once you have opened the journal, find the right volume, issue and page number for your article,
- if the journal title is not in the ejournals list, paste the title into the OSU Libraries Catalog (use the title search) to see if we have it (either electronically or in print).
Finding E-journals
Step 1: Identify specific articles of interest using the article database directions above.
Step 2:
- Click on the E-Journals list to see if the journal you need is available online (use the link above or go to e-journals in the center of the library's homepage under "quicklinks."
- Enter the journal title (not the article title) in the search box at the top of the page.
- If you get multiple results, choose the journal listing that has the date range that includes the time frame when your article was published.
- Click on the blue publisher's link to get to the e-journal.
- Navigate to the correct volume, issue and page number for your article by using either the date links, the previous issues link, or the volume links (each e-journal interface looks a little different).
Step 3: If the journal is not online, find the call number for the journal(s) in which the article is found. (Use the OSU Libraries Catalog for this step.) Find the article in the library and make a photocopy.
What is this page?
Three Suggested Databases for BI 212
Agricola - topics covered include agricultural research (including plant research)
Biological Abstracts/BIOSIS - topics focus on biology (including plant research), including biochemistry, endocrinology, genetics, microbiology, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology.
Plant Management Network - topics include plant research from journal articles, fact sheets, newsletters and web resources
Search Across Selected Databases
Searches Academic Search Premier, Agricola, Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts, Biosis Previews (1990-2003),CINAHL, Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management MEDLINE, Newspaper Source, and Zoological Records
Successful Citations
There are two parts to creating successful citations - 1) deciding what information to reference, and 2) recording the citation in an acceptable format.
1)To avoid plagiarizing and successfully include the best information from what you read, check out these tips:
2)To successfully cite the articles, books or lectures that you refer to in your lab report in the correct format, use the following resources:
CBE Citing within the text of your lab report
CBE Citations in the References section of your lab report
How to Read a Journal Article
The following websites give some tips on how to read scientific journal articles:
My brief advice for reading journal articles is to keep a pen handy to write notes to yourself in the margins, and always write a summary of what you learned from the paper at the top of the paper or on a post-it note immediately after you finish reading the paper.
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Worksheet for Evaluating a Journal Article
You can use this worksheet to guide you through the process of reading a scientific article.
How to Tell if a Journal is Peer-Reviewed
If you are not sure that an article you would like to use as a reference for your project is from a peer-reviewed journal, you can
- Ask an expert in the field (e.g. your instructor).
- Look inside an issue of the journal to see if it describes the kind of material published in the journal.
- Look at the journal's web site for the above information. Try a search in Google for the journal title and then look in their "about" section or their homepage for this information.
- Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk or email Hannah Rempel .
Evaluate Your Sources
- Does the source have a bibliography? This can lead you to other sources.
- Is there an author listed as part of the citation? Judging authority can be difficult without an author.
- Is the journal refereed (peer reviewed)?
- How old is the source? Will this matter for your topic? Currency of information can be important. Some aspects of a topic may need currency more than others.
- What other terminology is being used either by the author or by the database? Keep an eye out for other words you can use in your search statements.
- Does The Valley Library own the journal (either in print or electronically)? If we don't own it, it will take more time to get your hands on the source.
Last Update: September 25, 2009 13:03 | Tagged with: BI212 biology 212
