Start: Reference Works
Begin by thinking of a topic related to biology. Not sure where to start? Search for a topic you're interested in on Google News to see what headlines might connect to your topic. For example, Whales or honeybees.
Next, head to Gale below to get more information. (Note: this Gale article will not count as the article you analyze. It is for background information only.)
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Gale eBooksStart here to gather more info on your environmental topic. Interested in climate change? Coral reef bleaching? Gale will give you a summary of the topic, relevant statistics, and a sense of how to narrow the topic down.
Popular Articles and Scholarly Articles
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Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowASC contains a wide variety of sources, from popular to scholarly, on a range of topics, including scientific and current events. You'll find a mixture of citations and full-text articles here. Have questions? See the videos below.
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DiscoverYou can use the link above to search and read Discover online
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Scientific Americanis a respected scientific magazine and can be found in full text through Academic Search Complete. Need an image or table from your article? The journal is in full-text in JSTOR except for the current 5 years.
Cite Your Work: APA Style
Of course, as you get ideas and data from your sources, you want to be able to cite them. Keep in mind that you want to cite not only quotations, but also ideas that you get from your research.
Not sure if you are paraphrasing, plagiarizing, or patchwriting? Check out Academic Integrity by Ulrike Kestler, which has a section on all three.
Need some help putting together citations? Check out the helpful links below:
Want software to create citations for you?
George Mason University created a free browser extension/external database named Zotero. Zotero is a wonderful resource, especially for storing and tracking citations over time. Have questions about what it is or how to use it? Contact me.
