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Biology Research Guide

A collection of resources for NEIU students researching and taking classes in Biology

Pre-class Survey Results - Booms

Experience

Most students (who answered the survey) reported having no experience using the library's resources.

No one (who answered the survey) has used WorldShare Interlibrary Loan to request articles

Print (0) vs. Electronic (10)?

Class Mean: 5.18

Other Questions

I'll be covering most of the questions written in, but:

Best cozy space?

- It depends on your preferences. Do you like big open spaces with windows? 2nd floor, back. Do you prefer to feel like you have your own little area? 3rd floor, study carrels

Background (from BIO 250 syllabus)

How many of us would like the taste of food without the addition of spices? People have used spices and herbs for centuries to improve the flavor of foods. Also some spices, salt in particular, have been used to dry foods and aid in its preservation. There are many, many herbal products on the market that claim to improve health, and many spices have documented health benefits. Just what makes spices so great? Some contain antioxidants that have been shown to reduce free-radicals in the blood. Free-radicals run amuck in our bloodstream causing changes to our body’s chemistry, and sometimes these changes lead to disease. Other spices contain aromatic essential oils. Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds produced by some plants. Essential oils have been used for centuries in medicine, foods, perfume, and cosmetics. Even the well-known Hippocrates used essential oil aromatherapy for healing in 2000 B.C. Nowadays they are used as disinfectants, in healing ointments, in toothpaste, as flavorings, perfume, deodorants, soaps, salves and many new body and hair care items."

The Top 3 Tips for Accessing Online Resources at NEIU

If you remember only 3 things, let it be these:

  • Always, always, always start your research at the NEIU Libraries home page.
    Our catalog and A-Z databases list provide special links that identify you as an NEIU student.
     
  • Use your NEIU NetID and password to log in to library resources if off campus.
    UTS refers to this as your "User ID" (as opposed to the NEIU ID number, which they call the "University ID"). Neither of these is your email address. Leave off the @neiu.edu.
     
  • Frustrated? Ask for help!
    Sometimes our systems can be a little confusing. Not finding what you need? Contact me!

Using the Library Catalog

Know What You're Searching

Find everything? Really?

Not quite -- the "Everything" search scope includes references to articles in addition to books, videos, maps, etc. Databases are still the most efficient way to search for articles, though.

Right here. Right now.

If you are actually in the library and want to leave with an item TODAY, use the NEIU Libraries scope to find things we have on our shelves.

Have a little time?

We are very fortunate to be part of CARLI, a consortium of more than 90 academic libraries that lends materials across the state, quickly (usually 2-3 days at most). Use the All I-Share Libraries scope to search across all CARLI libraries.

Adjust Your Results

Filters, just like with online shopping.

For instance, if you want to find materials available online, search for your terms then select:

  • Availability: Available online and Resource Type: Books

 

TIP: Don't put in too many search terms when searching the catalog. There are fewer results here than in the databases, so you don't want to narrow your search too much, too soon. Try just one keyword or one phrase at a time.

Types of Sources

  • Simpler summaries in the forms of
    • dictionaries
    • handbooks
    • encyclopedias
  • Often provide citations to primary and secondary sources
  • Found through reference databases such as:
  • Summary and synthesis of original research, whether presented as
  • Typically includes "Review" in the article and/or journal title
  • Most books fall into this category, and they can be found in the library catalog
  • Also found through article databases, You will have to look for "clues" in the abstract and article to determine whether a result is a primary or secondary source.
 

Tips for finding review articles:

  • Search for the word "review" in the article or journal title
  • Use limiters to restrict a search to review articles
    • Availability of this option depends on the database

Example from PubMed:

Article Type limiters in the PubMed database

 

  • Original research, whether presented as
    • conference presentations
    • dissertations
    • peer-reviewed/scholarly journal articles
  • Typically includes sections like Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion
  • Found through article databases such as:

Basic Database Searching

"Database"?

NEIU Libraries subscribes to dozens of search tools that are not freely available online. We pay annual subscription fees for these resources. You can access them anytime, from anywhere with your NEIU NetID and password.

Why use these?

  • The content can be limited to peer-reviewed or scholarly journals, which is what many instructors want you to use in academic papers.
  • Databases offer advanced search features that make searching more efficient.
  • Many of the subscriptions include full text articles.

How do I choose?

  • Consider the level of the course.
  • Consider the type of information you want.
  • Consider how many references you need.

For this class, we will take a look at one database, Academic Search Ultimate, from the Biology subject databases list.