PowerPoint presentation for BIO 150 pilot lab (BIO 427) during Fall 2016.

1. Information Sources in
Biology at JMU
Created by M. Mandernach
Revised by Yasmeen Shorish
Revised by Emma Oxford
JMU Libraries, 2016
Tips for BIO 150

2. Research tips you need to
know…
 Research is a process, it will take time.
 Using library resources will make a good use of
your time.
 Reading the abstract will save you time.
 A librarian is available to help. Take time to contact
her:
 Emma Oxford Science Librarian
 E-mail: oxforder@jmu.edu
 Schedule an appointment:
http://events.lib.jmu.edu/appointments/

3. You may be familiar with the above phenomenon, but when it
comes to research, you need to use your time EFFICIENTLY.
Learning to use specialized scholarly databases will save you
TIME!

4. JMU Library Facts
 4 library locations at JMU – Carrier, Rose, Music, and
Memorial Hall-ETMC
 Materials can be requested from any library and
delivered to any library for you to pick up
 Rose Library has most of the print Biology materials
 Most science journals are online
 Interlibrary Loan (ILL) gets you materials JMU does
not own – it’s free and you can use it as often as you
want!

5. Accessing the library off campus
 See library webpage for instructions on how to
connect from off-campus: http://www.lib.jmu.edu/connect/
 Everything electronic that you have access to
ON campus, you will have access to from OFF campus.
 NEVER pay for articles - use Interlibrary Loan

6. Evaluating Information Sources
You should examine each source you encounter in
order to determine its credibility – use the C.R.A.A.P.
Test:
 Currency – date of information, is date important?
 Relevance – appropriate information, suitable level?
 Authority – author given, credentials?
 Accuracy – sources cited, fact or opinion?
 Purpose – bias, trying to sell you something?

7. Why use scholarly journals?
Scholarly, peer-reviewed, refereed: these are all
terms that refer to journals in which ANOTHER
RESEARCHER who is AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD
has already evaluated the quality of the research and
the information presented.
These resources are much more reputable than
popular magazines or websites.

8. Magazines vs. Journals
Magazines
 Author may be unknown,
may be a generalist
 No additional information
about author
 No references
 Written for general public
 Often contains
advertisements
Journals
 Known author who is an
expert in the field
 Author’s position and
institution given
 References
 Specialized language
 Published by scholarly
press or scientific assoc.

9. Types of articles
 Within scholarly journals a variety of types of
articles exist
 Research Articles
 Review Articles
 Editorials
 Corrections
 Current News Briefs

10. Research vs. Review articles
Research articles
 Primary articles
 Original Research
 Study conducted
 Typical sections of a
research article
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 Conclusions
Review articles
 Secondary articles
 Summary of previously
conducted research
 Overview of particular
field/time period
 Provides a good
background on a topic
 Lots of references

11. How do you find scholarly
articles?
 Google Scholar
OR
 Databases created by professional scholarly
organizations (Examples: Scopus for biology,
SciFinder Scholar for chemistry, MathSciNet for math, NASA
ADS for physics, GeoRef for geology, PubMed for medicine,
etc.)
 Which do YOU think is more efficient?

12. Searching a Database
 Break search phrase into searchable
concepts
 DNA barcode variation in wild type and mutant fruit
flies
 Is this a good search phrase?
 What kind of results would you expect?
 Too broad?
 Too narrow?
 Brainstorm synonyms (technical names, common
names)

13. More Database Search Tips
 Using AND between two terms will find
citations possessing BOTH of those terms.
Use AND to help narrow down your search.
 Using OR between two terms will find
citations possessing EITHER of those terms.
Use OR to help broaden your search.
 Using quotes “” will bring results with the
words together as a phrase, “plant species”.

14. Even More Search Tips:
Truncation
 Searching for “barcoding” – won't get
barcode, barcodes, or barcoded.
 Some of these terms might be useful. In order to
retrieve them, truncate the search term.
 In most databases, * is the truncation symbol.
barcod* will gather all of the above.
 Be careful when using truncation… if interested in articles about
cats and you search cat*, you will retrieve articles about cats but
also articles about catapults, catalysts, or cathedrals (among
others).

15. You have several good results…
now what?
 Read the abstract!!
 Can you understand the article?
 Is the article on your topic?
 Taking time to read the abstract NOW can
save you a lot of frustration later.
 You don't want to save it or print it out, take it home,
and read it a week later to find out that it's not on
your topic.
 Check out the “How to Read a Scientific Paper”
tutorial on the Biology Home Tab of the library
website. http://guides.lib.jmu.edu/bio/home

16. Reading the abstract
 If you were looking for an article on DNA
barcoding, would this article be useful?
 Abstract:
DNA barcoding and metabarcoding methods have been invaluable in the study of interactions between host
organisms and their symbiotic communities. Barcodes can help identify individual symbionts that are difficult
to distinguish using morphological characters, and provide a way to classify undescribed species. Entire
symbiont communities can be characterized rapidly using barcoding and especially metabarcoding methods,
which is often crucial for isolating ecological signal from the substantial variation among individual hosts.
Furthermore, barcodes allow the evolutionary histories of symbionts and their hosts to be assessed
simultaneously and in reference to one another. Here, we describe three projects illustrating the utility of
barcodes for studying symbiotic interactions: first, we consider communities of arthropods found in the ant-
occupied domatia of the East African ant-plant Vachellia (Acacia) drepanolobium; second, we examine
communities of arthropod and protozoan inquilines in three species of Nepenthes pitcher plant in South East
Asia; third, we investigate communities of gut bacteria of South American ants in the genus Cephalotes.
Advances in sequencing and computation, and greater database connectivity, will continue to expand the
utility of barcoding methods for the study of species interactions, especially if barcoding can be approached
flexibly by making use of alternative genetic loci, metagenomes and whole-genome data.

17. You read the abstract and it seems useful.
How do you find the whole article?
 Look for the button
It will open a new window and show you the options for retrieving the article
 Check it out:
 Online!
 If it isn’t available,
use ILL.

18. You found your articles.
How do you cite them in your paper?
 Citations provide the basic information needed for
someone else to find the same thing you did.
 Citation styles vary (APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian,
specific journals), but there is basic information that they
almost all contain.
 A basic citation format: Author(s). Year. Title of article.
Title of Journal. Volume # (Issue #): pages. doi (if available)
Hyman, O.J., and J. P. Collins. 2012. Evaluation of a filtration
based method for detecting Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in
natural bodies of water. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 97: 185-
195. doi:10.3354/dao02423
DOI = Digital Object Identifier

19. URLs in Citations
 Notice that there IS NOT a URL or web
address in the citation anywhere!
 Web information is given ONLY if the
information referenced is ONLY available
online, like websites, blogs, etc. When URLs
are given, you usually also give the DATE
you accessed the information. WHY?
Because web information can change!

20. Example:
The URL is NOT needed for this citation.
Web addresses are often NOT permanent links and may not work in
an email or another search.
This is NOT a good way to
share information about
finding this article!
Here is the
citation information
you need to use:
Journal Name
Volume, Issue, Pages
Article Title
Authors
Citing online journal articles

21. Citation help = RefWorks
 Every JMU student and faculty member has
access to RefWorks and Write N Cite. Use
these tools to organize your research and
drop citations into your paper!
 Attend a RefWorks walk-in workshop at the
library, or set up a time with the Science
Librarian for help using RefWorks.
 Or, check out our video tutorial or handout.
 Check out Mendeley if you aren’t a fan of
RefWorks

22. What about books?
 Good point! Often while searching for the
most recent research reported in journals or
online, you can forget that there are great
sources of background information and
collections of information to be found in
BOOKS!
 How do you find books at JMU?

23. Finding books
Search the
Catalog
Look for
print and
online
books.
Good
option if
you know
a specific
title.

24. Finding books
Click here to
link with
webpages
with biology
books –
includes
ebooks,
books in the
general
collection,
and reference
books.
Tabs on the Biology guide can help with this too: guides.lib.jmu.edu/bio
Two ways to navigate
http://guides.lib.jmu.edu/bio/libraryresources

25. Still need help?
 Stop by the Rose or Carrier Desks
 Chat with the library!
http://www.lib.jmu.edu/help/ask.aspx
 Contact your librarian!
 Emma Oxford
 E-mail: oxforder@jmu.edu
 Schedule an appointment via the course guide
or the library’s website!
http://events.lib.jmu.edu/appointments/