1. Understanding Science Articles (Journals, Periodicals, Primary References)

2. How do you get the most out of primary references?

3. Reference Types Primary References - Published scientific papers of actual peer reviewed studies. In the form of journal articles, periodicals. (Ex. Nature, Science, Neurology) Secondary References - Summaries, or repackaging of published papers. Often in the form of magazine stories. (Ex. Discovery, National Geographic,The Scientist) Tertiary References - Reference materials. In the form of books, literature guides, library catalogs. ( Ex. Encyclopedias, textbooks) Primary References - Published scientific papers of actual peer reviewed studies. In the form of journal articles, periodicals. (Ex. Nature, Science, Neurology) Secondary References - Summaries, or repackaging of published papers. Often in the form of magazine stories. (Ex. Discovery, National Geographic,The Scientist) Tertiary References - Reference materials. In the form of books, literature guides, library catalogs. ( Ex. Encyclopedias, textbooks)

4. Primary Literature Sources in Science Not (necessarily) peer-reviewed: Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and Proceedings Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and ProceedingsPeer-reviewed: Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Not (necessarily) peer-reviewed: Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and Proceedings Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and ProceedingsPeer-reviewed: Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles

5. Importance of the Scientific Journals journals serve three major functions in the process of scientific communication: 1. Social - To establish and maintain intellectual property of creative work so recognized by peers. 2. Archival - To provide information that has been peer-reviewed for quality control. 3. Rapid Dissemination - To allow for rapid sharing and utilization of knowledge. journals serve three major functions in the process of scientific communication: 1. Social - To establish and maintain intellectual property of creative work so recognized by peers. 2. Archival - To provide information that has been peer-reviewed for quality control. 3. Rapid Dissemination - To allow for rapid sharing and utilization of knowledge. http://www3.wooster.edu/library/sciref/Tutor/libraryresearchscience/importscijournal.php

6. Finding primary articles Search specific Databases - BIOSIS - biological research NCBI / PUBMED - biotech. & Nat. Library of Medicine MEDLINE - human health AGRICOLA - agricultural GeoRef - Geography SciFinder Scholar General searches - Be sure to evaluate results! Google Scholar, Google, Yahoo, About Search specific Databases - BIOSIS - biological research NCBI / PUBMED - biotech. & Nat. Library of Medicine MEDLINE - human health AGRICOLA - agricultural GeoRef - Geography SciFinder Scholar General searches - Be sure to evaluate results! Google Scholar, Google, Yahoo, About

7. Evaluating the quality of primary articles The following factors influence quality: Quality of parent journal Quality of parent journal Extent of peer review Extent of peer review Number and quality of internal references Number and quality of internal references Organization scheme Organization scheme Readability Readability The following factors influence quality: Quality of parent journal Quality of parent journal Extent of peer review Extent of peer review Number and quality of internal references Number and quality of internal references Organization scheme Organization scheme Readability Readability

8. Strategies for Reading Primary Articles 1. Read title 2. Read abstract 3. Read first and last paragraphs of article 4. Look at tables and figures / legends 5. Skim article 6. Look up any essential unknown vocab (ignore unessential) 7. Read article 8. Take notes in margin 9. Write any questions or ideas in margins 10. Re-read ∞ times or until comprehend 1. Read title 2. Read abstract 3. Read first and last paragraphs of article 4. Look at tables and figures / legends 5. Skim article 6. Look up any essential unknown vocab (ignore unessential) 7. Read article 8. Take notes in margin 9. Write any questions or ideas in margins 10. Re-read ∞ times or until comprehend

9. How do you get the most out of primary references?