This page provides a summary of the Library resources and research tools we explored in the HSCI 1220 library orientation. I will keep it up for you for the remainder of the semester. Check back from time to time for updated content. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you'd like me to include additional links you found helpful.
Celia Brinkerhoff, Health Sciences Librarian
Science communication is the process by which the results of primary research are:
As we saw above, the results of scientific research are communicated in a variety of formats, and to a wide range of audiences.
Depending on your own information need, some sources will be more relevant than others. For example, a magazine article on nutritional supplements might serve your personal interests, but is likely not a source of credible information for an academic research paper.
Below are links to 3 different sources, each dealing with the topic of diet and rheumatoid arthritis. Skim each source, noting such things as the credibility of the author, where the article is published, who the intended audience is, etc.
Start your research with one of these subscription databases. The library should have access to the full text of most of the journals indexed here. If you do not see the PDF or full text of an article in the database, be sure to use the "where can I get this?" link to see if it is available elsewhere.
Or try one of these for "systematic reviews" or "review articles" of primary research.
Wondering what the difference is between a systematic review and a literature review?
This guide from PennState University Libraries might help.
Found an article on a reference list and want to see if the Library has it?
Use the Journal title search linked from the Library's homepage, and enter the name of the journal (NOT the article title). If the Library subscribes to that journal, the resulting page will link you to the database where it can be found. You will have to also check the date your article was published.
Try it.
Look at the following citation.
Pattison, D. J., Harrison, R. A., & Symmons, D. P. M. (2004). The role of diet in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review. The Journal of Rheumatology, 31(7), 1310.
Does the Library have access to the full text of this article?
Here is a link to the Library's APA citation style guide.
For additional help with APA formatting and citing, see the Online Writing Lab (the OWL) at Purdue University.
Visit Zotero.org for information on installing and using the citation manager.
A number of online social networks have emerged recently to bring scholars together to collaborate, report findings that otherwise might go unpublished, and provide feedback.
Nature recently conducted a survey of scientists' awareness and use of these social networks.
The Lancet also published a review of the rise of science social networking sites.
For a collection of science blogs, try:
