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.
Next, head to Gale below to get more information.
- Gale eBooksFind the full-text of a number of different reference books in Gale.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders by ISBN: 9781410332813Publication Date: 2016-04-29This is a good book to begin your genetic research with,
Finding Scholarly Articles
There are two main databases you can check to find scholarly articles for your projects, Science Direct and Academic Search Complete. You can find more information below:
- Science DirectScience Direct is a good scientific scholarly article database which contains mostly full-text results.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowASC contains a mixture of popular and scientific scholarly articles that can be used for this project.
Trying to remember the best way to find information in these databases? Check out the guides below:
Identifying and Reading Scholarly Articles
Let's start with this video that explains how to find and identify scholarly articles in Academic Search Complete:
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.
