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BIOL 20: Ecological Biology - Library Research Help

This course guide will help Biology 20 students think about their research ideas and complete the required worksheet for class credit.

Steps to Searching Library Databases

Searching a library database is not like searching Google; many databases are very unforgiving of typos and have many more features. They tend to, however, have the same searching mechanisms, look, and feel. 

1. Search in a library database (suggestions below) using the 2-3 nouns you have identified. Combine keywords and phrases to search for the specific aspects of your question

  • What to type into search box from example above: light therapy Parkinson's
  • Got too many results? Add in another word or consider replacing one of those words with the scientific name and/or synonyms for the words you circled
  • Not enough results? Remove a word or try replacing one of those words with the scientific name and/or synonyms for the words you circled
  • Finding articles published between 2010-2016: Use the limiters on the left-hand side to limit the publication date to 2010-2016

2. Read the title and abstracts of the articles that sound relevant then skim the article

  • Is it a primary research article? Look at the PDF to see if it has a "Methods" section. If yes, it is a primary research article in the sciences.
  • Is it a peer-reviewed article? More information on the Biology Research Guide.

3. Get the entire article

  • In Biological Abstracts and Web of Science: Click on the "GetText" icon 
  • In Google Scholar: Click on the PDF or HTML link (if available), or "SJSU GetText" link
    • To see the SJSU GetText link for full-text access when off-campus, set your preferences in Google Scholar. Watch the Google Scholar video tutorial for a step-by-step view of this process.

4. Make an Interlibrary Loan Request if the article is not available by clicking on "Make A Request

Biology Databases - Your Best Bets

Use a combination of keywords and phrases to search for the specific aspects of your question.

REMEMBER: A primary source of literature will generally have a "methods" section.

ALSO HELPFUL: Learn how to read a scientific paper (especially as a beginner) and use this worksheet to help you take notes to understand the article and to avoid plagiarism.