Course Guide: Biology Senior Seminar  

HSL Science Databases

GreenFILE (EBSCO)  

HealthSource (EBSCO)

Pharmaceutical News Index (ProQuest)

ProQuest Biology Journals (ProQuest)

ProQuest Family Health (ProQuest)

ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source (ProQuest)

ProQuest Science Journals (ProQuest)

PubMed

Searching for a Topic

• Choose a database  

• Add corresponding databases 

• Enter search terms 

• Make a decision on timeframe 

• Be aware of Full Text and Scholarly-Peer Reviewed checkbox implications 

• Search 

• Evaluate Results 

• Change search words and/or parameters 

• Search Again

 Choosing Search Terms

• To start- Take your best guess

• You’re looking for the (4-6) main words that describe and differentiate your topic.   

• Leave out of, the, in and any other words that meaningless when taken out of context. 

• Consider all the different language that can be used to name your topic.  

• Use OR to search for different ways to express a concept. 

• Use NOT to exclude a particular facet of your topic.

Evaluating List of Search Results

• How many results did you get?

• If you got too many results- go back and add search terms to be more specific.

• If you got too few results- go back and take out search terms to be less specific or re-evaluate your word choice.  Check spelling!

• Did some articles use different language to describe your topic?

• Change the words you chose to those words

• Use OR to search for both

Using one good article to find more

• Keep in mind that at the end of academic articles there should be a list of citations.

• If the initial article was of interest to you then it is likely that some of the articles cited by the author of the article may be of interest to you as well.

• Searching for a specific article (Of which you have the Author, Title, Publication Title and Date) differs from searching for a topic.  

• You may need to ILL these articles, so make sure to give yourself enough time.

Searching for a Particular Article

• Go to the Journals link from the library’s homepage

• Search for the Publication Title

• You will be shown which databases and dates you have access to through Holy Spirit Library’s resources

• Follow the links to the appropriate issue, if it’s available

• If it’s not, make an Inter-Library Loan request.

InterLibrary Loan (ILL)

• We have access to thousands of full-text journal articles through our subscription databases. BUT you could find an article citation/abstract through the databases that does not have the entire article attached to it.

• You might also find a citation that refers to an article from a journal we do not have access to. You can ILL the article by following the links in the database or World Cat or by filling out a paper request at the library.

• It is likely that it will take up to 10 business days for an ILL article to arrive at Holy Spirit Library.

Evaluating Websites

Consider the Source

Does the web page give you any indication of who produced it? Is there an author listed?  Is there any contact information (phone, address, or e-mail) for that author? An author's name on the web page will allow you to gather information on that person, or any materials they may have previously published, etc. If there is a way for you to contact the author, you will be able to gather information from the source itself. If there is an "about us" link, useful information may be provided about the creator or organization.

Finally the url will indicate to you the type of source you are accessing.  What is the url (uniform resource locator, or address/location) at the top of the toolbar? Examples: .com – commercial,  .edu – educational,  .gov – government, .org – organization, .mil - military

Look for Timeliness

Are you looking for current information?  Are there related links?  More and more often designers of web pages are now listing a last updated date at the bottom of their web page. This will indicate to you whether the information was updated a week ago or a year ago. Access the site several times to see how often the site is updated. View any links listed on the web site to see how current the related links are as well.

Consider the Content

What information is the page trying to convey?   What is the tone of the article?  Who is it geared toward?  Is the article well written?  Is there a bias or point of view expressed?  Use your own critical thinking skills to analyze the content on the web site.

Remember, the best way to evaluate web resources, in many cases, is by comparison with other non-web resources. What other materials or organizations might be authorities on your subject matter?

APA Citation Format

HSL Website Style Guides – APA

Look for how to site other types of sources (Scientific Abstracts, Indexes, Theses) in 

APA Manual available at the library’s circulation desk

Library Information Session PowerPoint Presentation 

Biology 444_9.2.10desktop.pptx