How to find information for your Scientific Report

Library TrainingBiochemistry 1B Practical: 22 & 23 July 2010Pavlinka Kovatcheva: Sciences Librarian, APK

pkovatcheva@uj.ac.za; Level 1 in the Library

Getting Started with Your Project

In order to begin your Project /Assignment you need to be able to find useful and relevant information.

Google is NOT THE ONLY place to searchThe UJ Library can provide support, resources and

solutions to your research problemDeveloping an effective search is an important part

of this process.You need to think of the various Steps in the Online

Searching – from places to search, to resources to find, to writing & referencing

Steps in Online Searching• Step 1: Think about your research topic. Resources to

consult: Books, Encyclopedias, Journal Articles• Step 2: Identify the main keywords and concepts

Example: Seroprevalence; HIV; South Africa; Bela-Bela• Step 3: Locate and Access Resources

- Library website; Biochemistry Subject Portal; Internet- UJLink; CASE: A-to-Z Journals; Open Science Directory; Journals & Books Databases; Google Scholar;. etc

• Step 4: Make use of Boolean Techniques (AND, OR, NOT) when conducting a search

• Step 5: Write your report. Ensure that you acknowledge your Resources (Citing & Referencing)

How to Write a Report: Summary

• Title • Abstract • Introduction• Materials & methods• Results• Discussion• Conclusion• References

Today you will learn How to....

Locate Resources• Library website• Biochemistry Subject Portal• Internet How to find: • Journal articles (Journal title search)• Journal Databases (keywords search)• Online Reference Works: Encyclopedias &

Dictionaries• Online Books How to get help in the Library or Virtually

UJ Library Portal (http://www.uj.ac.za/library)

UJ Sciences Librarian Portalhttp://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/

Biochemistry Subject Portal http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/Biochemistry

Log-in to the Library Resources: PIN

Research Minutes: How to Identify Scholarly Journal Articles

Article Structure

Search for Journals & Journal Articles

1. UJLink: Library Catalogue (http://ujlink.uj.ac.za/)

List of Databases

Your Library Account

Search for Print & Online Journals &

Books

2. Case: A-to-Z JournalsHow to Find Online Journals/Books

Result List

Type the title

3. Open Science DirectoryFreely available scholarly journals

3. Open Science Directory

4. Journal Titles: Abbreviations

• If you have an Abbreviated Journal Title:- Find the full journal title before conducting a search- Links to useful websites are available on the Biochemistry Subject Portal- OR just Google the abbreviated title

5. Google Scholar (Academic articles)(http://scholar.google.com)

Online databasesSearch for Journal articles

ACS: American Chemical Society Journals and articles search

RSC: Royal Society of Chemistry Journals and articles search

Online Books & Reference works Full-textOnline Books Portal:

http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/Online-Books Biochemistry Subject Portal:

http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/Biochemistry

Reference Works Online

Access this Glogster poster for quick way to learn about “Writing a Research Paper”

http://ujsciencelib.glogster.com/writing-a-research-report/?

Writing, Plagiarism, Citing & Referencing• Getting Started with Your Research Project

http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/Getting-Started-with-your-Research

• Access the Plagiarism Portal to find Videos, Interactive Tutorials, Library Books, Web Resources, etc. http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/Library-Resources:-Plagiarism

• UJ Harvard Reference Techniques http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Library/Documents/REFERENCE%20TECHNIQUES%202008%20Harvard%20Method%20and%20APA%20Style.pdf

• VUMA Portal on Plagiarism, Writing, Citing & Referencinghttp://www.vuma.ac.za/drupal/?q=content/cite-right-easy-steps-avoiding-plagiarism

Need Help?