U R O P Using the Library for Research: Natural Sciences

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U R O PUsing the Library for Research Natural
Sciences

• Jean M. Jones (jmjones_at_umich.edu)
• Shapiro Science Library
• Oct. 9, 2008

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Plan for Today

• Overview of scientific research
• Introduction to specific science databases
• - Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
• - Biosis Previews
• - MathSciNet, SciFinder Scholar, INSPEC
• Demo and practice searching
• Common Problems (handout)
• Where to find help

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Scholarly Communication

• Scientific research is based on observation and
  evidence. Theories are made, tested and
  conclusions are drawn.
• Research is shared with other scientists in the
  same field (publishing, email, conferences,
  meetings)
• Publishing ones research in a journal is the
  most common form of scholarly communication
• Most journals are devoted to a specific subject
  area, such as Journal of Ecology, Inorganic
  Chemistry, Systematic Biology
• Others are more general in their subject area,
  such as Science, Nature, American Scientist

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Catalog vs. Index

• Mirlyn is the catalog of the UM Libraries
• It lists book titles, a/v materials, maps and
  journal titles
• Gives the locations, call numbers, web addresses
  (where appropriate) of each title
• Everything listed in Mirlyn is owned by UM

• Also known as database
• Lists articles with journal title, volume and
  date information
• Companies and organizations create indexes
  libraries subscribe to them
• Access to content varies as it is dependent on
  the subscription UM has with the publisher
• UM may or may not have journals indexed in these
  databases

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Select Databases

• Cross-disciplinary
• Cambridge Scientific Abstractseg. Agricola,
  Animal Behavior Abstracts, Ecology Abstracts
• Web of Science

• Subject-specific
• Biosis Previews (biology)
• INSPEC (physics)
• SciFinder Scholar (chemistry)
• Beilstein (organic chemistry)
• Gmelin (inorganic chemistry)

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Boolean Operators

• And cats and dogs
• Or cats or dogs
• Not cats not dogs

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Academic Integrity

• Give credit where credit is due
• For more information, go to http//www.lib.umich.e
  du/acadintegrity/

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Getting Help

• Science Library reference desk. Current hours
  are M-F, 1000 am 500 pm
• Science Research Consultation. One-on-one
  research help. Drop-in or by appointment.
  Contact information at http//www.lib.umich.edu/sc
  ience/reference/scirescon.html
• Ask a Librarian. An IM service through Meebo
  (web-based) service, through your AOL Instant
  Messenger account, or Yahoo! Messenger account.
  Link to AAL can be found on any library homepage