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.
- 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
- 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.
- Chicago Tribune (1849-Present)Search for full text articles from the Chicago Tribune. Best used for environmental issues that are local or have local consequences.
- International NewsstreamSearch for international news articles here.
The first video talks about how to do a good search in Academic Search Complete for your topic:
The next video talks about getting from a good search in ASC to finding and reading the articles you'd like to use:
Scholarly Articles
OK, now that you've identified how to find popular articles in Academic Search Complete, let's talk about how to read and identify scholarly articles there, too. First, watch the video below:
Remember that if you select "Academic Journals" from the source types list on the left of the screen, you'll see only academic articles. (Remember, just like above, that you'll want to select "full text" on the left as well.)
Have questions about reading or using scholarly articles? See the links below:
Evaluate Websites
While you're doing Google searches to either narrow your topic or in order to dig up more information on certain subject, you want to be careful to decide if the information you find is trustworthy.
When it comes to science, nearly everyone has opinions: should we be labeling genetically modified food for consumer's awareness? What will fracking do for our economy or our groundwater supply? Your job is to evaluate the information you can find through Google and Bing to find the good websites--those written by authors you can trust, with good and up-to-date information.
Authorship: Who created this website? What is their background on the topic? Are they trustworthy?
Bias: Why was the website created? What point of view does the author have? Does that limit the facts they present or how the facts are presented?
Date: How old is the information that is presented? Is it still accurate?
Questions? Check out the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.
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? Check out the database below:
- NoodleTools
NoodleTools allows you to find, organize and store your research citations all in one place. Create complete Works Cited and Bibliographies with the click of a mouse, and keep notes and ideas related to your work all in one place. Available in browser and mobile app.
Create an account with your COD email to access this resource.
