Process for finding and using peer-reviewed content in the completion of Florida Institute of Technology course(s) OCN/ENS 3911.

1. Rob Sippel
Geospatial & Numeric Data Librarian
Liaison to the Department of Ocean Engineering and Sciences

2. Please copy down this link
http://libguides.lib.fit.edu/OCN-ENS3911
(It contains all the information you need to complete this assignment)

3. You have the following tasks:
Find a peer-reviewed
article (your “primary
article”) from a journal
in your field.
In the bibliography of the
primary article, determine if
each source (the journal in
which the cited article was
published) is peer-reviewed.
Locate copies of 4 of
the articles listed in the
bibliography of the
primary article.

4. Task No. 1
Find a peer-reviewed article (your “primary article”) from a journal in your field.
Find a peer-reviewed
article (your “primary
article”) from a journal
in your field.
In the bibliography of the
primary article, determine if
each source (the journal in
which the cited article was
published) is peer-reviewed.
Locate copies of 4 of
the articles listed in the
bibliography of the
primary article.

5. Some preliminary questions
1. What is a peer-reviewed article?
2. How do I know if an article is peer
reviewed?

6. What is a peer-reviewed
article?
Scholarly/peer-reviewed/refereed papers
are reviewed by experts (peers) in very
specific fields to ensure that:
 The paper is based on original research
 Research is performed using proper and rigorous scientific
methodology
 The paper adds to the body of knowledge.
Peer-reviewed publications are considered
to be of the highest quality for academic
research.

7. How do I know an article is peer-
reviewed?
(continued)
Therefore:
1. Check to see if the journal in which the
article was published uses peer-review.
2. If the journal uses peer-review, see if the
article has the characteristics of a peer-
reviewed article.
○ Even if a journal uses peer review, it may publish
content that is not peer-reviewed.
○ For example, Letters to the Editor are (typically)
not peer-reviewed; neither are book reviews.

8. Does the journal use peer-
review?
Check Ulrichsweb
Search for the
journal name
(e.g. Nature or
Science)
Look for a referee
jersey next to the
journal’s name
(remember, peer-
reviewed articles
are also called
“refereed” articles)

9. What if you’re not sure about the
name of the journal?
 The names of journals are often abbreviated, but
UlrichsWeb requires the full title.
 Use CAS Source Index (a.k.a. “CASSI”) to get the full
name of the journal.
 For example, what’s the full name of a journal with the abbreviation
“ar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.”?
1. Enter
abbreviated
journal name
2. Search

10. CASSI to the rescue
 CASSI will try to return the likely full title(s) of the
journal.
Now that you have the full
name of the journal, you can
confirm (using Ulrichsweb) that
the journal uses peer review.

11. What are the characteristics of
a peer-reviewed article?
 If your article was published in a journal that uses peer-review,
you now need to establish whether the article has
characteristics typical of a peer-reviewed article.
 Characteristics may relate to:
 The article title
 The publication in which the article was published.
 Author information
 Submission versus publication dates
 Article sections
○ For example, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Search, Arguments,
Methodology, Results, Conclusions, References
 Charts, Graphs, and Equations
 The text (e.g. types of nomenclature).
 Not every peer-reviewed paper will share every one of these
characteristics.
 However, they should have many of them.

12. Peer-reviewed article: The Title
Title:
may summarize the
articles contents, and
will usually contain
technical terms that
are specific to the
subject of the
research.

13. Peer-reviewed article: The Title
Example of an article title from a
publication that does not use
peer-review
Article title from
an issue of
Popular Science

14. Peer-reviewed article: The
Authors
Authors:
List of authors will also
include their
credentials (helps
establish their
authority) and may
also have associated
contact information

15. Peer-reviewed article:
Submission and Publication
Dates
Submission & Publication
Dates:
Provide a history of when the paper
was first received, accepted and
published.
Reflects the time required for the peer-
review process to take place.

16. Peer-reviewed article: The
Publication
Publication: Provides the title of the journal in which the article was
published, as well as the volume/issue numbers, page numbers, etc.

17. Peer-reviewed article: The
Abstract
Abstract:
Briefly summarizes the
contents of the article
(useful for quickly establishing
whether the article pertains to
your research)

18. Peer-reviewed article: The
Introduction
Introduction:
Addresses the topic or
problem being addressed by
the research, as well as the
contexts and reasons for the
research.
Introductions may include
literature reviews, although
these may also appear as
separate sections.

19. Peer-reviewed article: Charts,
Graphs, and Equations related to
data
Charts, Graphs
and Equations:
Relate to the data
collected and analyses
performed in the
course of the research

20. Peer-reviewed article: The Text
Article Text:
In addition to the
Introduction, sections
may include a
Literature Review,
Arguments,
Experimental
Methods, Results and
Conclusions.
The text will often be
highly technical and
use terminology
unfamiliar to the
general public.

21. Peer-reviewed article: The
Conclusion
Conclusion:
Summarizes the
results of the research

22. Peer-reviewed article: The
References
References:
Lists each of the
articles cited by the
author(s).

23. How do I find my primary
article?
 Use one of the library’s research databases.
 Research databases allow you to simultaneously
search for articles in many scholarly journals.
 The library provides access to almost 150
different research databases.
 Which one(s) should you use?

24. Selecting a Research
Database
1. Go to the library homepage:
lib.fit.edu
2. On the left-hand side, click on the
“Research Guides” link.

25. Selecting a Research
Database
1. Find and click on the link for
“Ocean Engineering & Sciences”.
2. Click on the new “Ocean
Engineering and Sciences” link that
appears.

26. Select a
Database from
the list of Key
Databases.
In the “Ocean Engineering & Sciences” database, go to the “Articles
& Databases” tab.

27. Searching for Primary
Article
If you see an option for limiting results to peer-reviewed content, select it.
Select
“Advanced Search”.
(Some databases will
include a setting to
specify peer-reviewed
content.)

28. Searching for Primary
Article
Look for option to limit search
to peer-reviewed content.
Enter a topic of interest.
Look for articles for which
your topic is a subject
Limit date range (optional).
Search!

29. Searching for Primary
Article
Results!
Click on titles for more
details.

30. Getting a copy of your primary
article.
Two possibilities: either
1. You have immediate
access to a PDF,
or
2. You need to check whether
the library has the article in
its collections.

31. Using 360 Link
Two possibilities: either
1. We have it 2. We don’t have it
(probably want to try a different article)
or
If you search the catalog, you might find that the library has a print (but not online) copy of the article.

32. Task No. 2
In the bibliography of the primary article, determine if each source (the
journal in which the cited article was published) is peer-reviewed.
Find a peer-reviewed
article (your “primary
article”) from a journal
in your field.
In the bibliography of the
primary article, determine if
each source (the journal in
which the cited article was
published) is peer-reviewed.
Locate copies of 4 of
the articles listed in the
bibliography of the
primary article.

33. Cited Sources
Does this journal use peer review?
What about this one?
…and this…….and this……and this?

34. Are the cited sources peer-
reviewed?
 Look up the titles of the cited journals in
UlrichsWeb.
 If necessary, use CASSI to clarify the name of the journal.

35. Task No. 3
Locate copies of 4 of the articles listed in the bibliography of the primary article.
Find a peer-reviewed
article (your “primary
article”) from a journal
in your field.
In the bibliography of the
primary article, determine if
each source (the journal in
which the cited article was
published) is peer-reviewed.
Locate copies of 4 of
the articles listed in the
bibliography of the
primary article.

36. Does the library have that
journal?
 Go to the library homepage (lib.fit.edu)
 Click on the “A to Z Journal link on the
left side of the page (under the “Evans
Library” heading.
 Search for journal name.

37. Does the library have that
journal?
 Here’s the journal
 Sometimes, the library will not have
the journal, in which case you
probably want to use a different
paper.
 You can either
 Access the new article online
or
 Find the new article on the 2nd floor of
the library.

38. Getting an on-line copy of the new article
 Either locate a copy of
the article by clicking
on the link for the
issue in which it was
published
or
 Search for the article
(for example, enter all
or part of the article
title)

39. Getting hard copy of the new article
 The Florida Tech Library still has some
journals in print (hard copy) form.
 Kept on the 2nd Floor
 Generally stored in alphabetical order
 Can make digital copies of the articles using
either of the two scanners on the ground floor.
 If you annotate a hard copy of the bibliography of
your primary article by hand, the ground floor
scanners can also be used to digitize your
annotated bibliography for submittal.

40. Questions?
Contact Information:
Rob Sippel
Evans Library, #123
rsippel@fit.edu
321-674-7585

41. Feedback
 We welcome your feedback on this
presentation
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