Research Guide for Science and Technology Studies 126:
Science and Society: Experimental Medical Scientific Cultures
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts126.html
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH STRATEGY
Search strategy is the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy insures that you will find the information and materials you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Research Steps:
- Choose your topic
- Find background information
- Find books on your topic
- Finding periodical articles
- Find networked resources or relevant Web sites
- Evaluate your sources
- Cite your sources
For online help using on library research strategy and using library resources, try using Library Research, a Hypertext Guide - online, hypertext-based tutorial on library research.
LIBRARY GATEWAY
The Cornell University Library Gateway is the Cornell University Library's homepage on the World Wide Web. The Gateway lists information about the CU Library and provides access to library resources and services.
- Library Catalog is used to identify and locate almost everything the CU Library owns in print, electronic, and other formats. This catalog reflects the majority of our collections, representing the holdings of 18 Cornell libraries plus the CISER Data Archive.
- Find Articles allows you to search for journal article citations in more than one database simultaneously. In some cases, these citations will provide links to the full-text of the articles online.
- Find Databases provides access to over 1000 online indexes and abstracts, almanacs, catalogs, dictionaries, directories, and encyclopedias.
- Find e-Journals
links to over 20,000 electronic journals licensed by Cornell University Library.
- Find Images
allows you to search for images within various databases.
- Ask a Librarian lists numerous ways you can ask us your questions.
- Individual Libraries connects to all of the CU Library's various libraries, divisions, collections, and programs.
FINDING BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information and context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for those materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information.
The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.
AccessScience: McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology
10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000- .
Available online through Find it!: Databases
(Search for
AccessScience), or the Library Catalog
Also in print: 20 Vols. 9th ed. (Mann Ref Q 121 .M14x 2002)
Encyclopedia of Bioethics
Post, Stephen G., ed.
3rd ed. New York: Macmillan, 2004.
Available online through the Library Catalog. Also in print: (Olin Ref QH 332 .E56 2004 +)
FINDING BOOKS
Help Using the Cornell Library Catalog
Search Commands, Subject Searching, Keyword Searching, and other functions of the online catalog are explained on these pages.
Connect to the CU Library Catalog
Contents of the Catalog
The Cornell UniversityLibrary Catalog includes the holdings of all 17 libraries on the Ithaca campus, in addition to those of the Geneva Experiment Station. The catalog contains records for books, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual materials received and cataloged since 1973. There are also records for most pre-1973 items, and for items that are on order or in process.
FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES
Articles
Periodical articles are an excellent source for detailed analysis or up-to-date information on a topic. These articles are from materials that are published "periodically" or in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or even irregular intervals. They are found in newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and other sources.
Periodicals are available in several formats: bound paper volumes (like books), microfiche or microfilm, and increasingly as electronic text.
Indexes and Abstracts
Periodical indexes are reference resources that identify and locate articles in periodical publications. They are often subject-oriented and list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication in entries called bibliographic citations. For information about bibliographic format and how to cite resources that you use in your research, go to Citing Sources.
Abstracts are specialized indexes that also include summaries of the content of the articles with their citations.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Applied Science & Technology Index
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Google Scholar
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Hoovers Online
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
JSTOR
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
LexisNexis Academic
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
ProQuest Research Library
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
PsycINFO
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
ScienceDirect
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Sociological Abstracts
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
Web of Science
Available online through Find it!: Databases, or the Library Catalog
DISTINGUISHING SCHOLARLY JOURNALS FROM OTHER PERIODICALS
Journals and magazines are important sources for up-to-date information in all disciplines. With a periodical collection as large and diverse as Cornell's it is often difficult to distinguish between the various levels of scholarship found in the collection. In this guide we have divided the criteria for periodical literature into four categories:
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Definitions:
Webster's Third International Dictionary defines scholarly as:
Substantive is defined as having a solid base, being substantial. Popular means fit for, or reflecting the taste and intelligence of, the people at large. Sensational is defined as arousing or intending to arouse strong curiosity, interest or reaction. Keeping these definitions in mind, and realizing that none of the lines drawn between types of journals can ever be totally clear cut, the general criteria are as follows. |
Scholarly journal articles often have an abstract, a descriptive summary of the article contents, before the main text of the article.
Scholarly journals generally have a sober, serious look. They often contain many graphs and charts but few glossy pages or exciting pictures.
Scholarly journals always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. These bibliographies are generally lengthy and cite other scholarly writings.
Articles are written by a scholar in the field or by someone who has done research in the field. The affiliations of the authors are listed, usually at the bottom of the first page or at the end of the article -- universities, research institutions, think tanks, and the like.
The language of scholarly journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes some scholarly background on the part of the reader.
The main purpose of a scholarly journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world.
Many scholarly journals, though by no means all, are published by a specific professional organization.
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Examples of Scholarly Journals:
American Economic Review Archives of Sexual Behavior JAMA: The Journal of the american Medical Association Journal of Marriage and the Family (published by the national Council on Family Relations) Modern Fiction Studies Sex Roles: A Journal of Research |
Substantive News or General Interest
These periodicals may be quite attractive in appearance, although some are in newspaper format. Articles are often heavily illustrated, generally with photographs.
News and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources, though more often do not.
Articles may be written by a member of the editorial staff, a scholar or a free lance writer.
The language of these publications is geared to any educated audience. There is no specialty assumed, only interest and a certain level of intelligence.
They are generally published by commercial enterprises or individuals, although some emanate from specific professional organizations.
The main purpose of periodicals in this category is to provide information, in a general manner, to a broad audience of concerned citizens.
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Examples of Substantive News or General Interest
Periodicals:
Christian Science Monitor Economist National Geographic New York Times Scientific American Vital Speeches of the Day |
Popular periodicals come in many formats, although often somewhat slick and attractive in appearance. Lots of graphics (photographs, drawings, etc.).
These publications rarely, if ever, cite sources. Information published in such journals is often second or third hand and the original source is sometimes obscure.
Articles are usually very short, written in simple language and are designed to meet a minimal education level. There is generally little depth to the content of these articles.
The main purpose of popular periodicals is to entertain the reader, to sell products (their own or their advertisers), and/or to promote a viewpoint.
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Examples of Popular Periodicals:
Ebony Parents People Weekly Readers Digest Sports Illustrated Time Vogue |
Sensational periodicals come in a variety of styles, but often use a newspaper format.
Their language is elementary and occasionally inflammatory or sensational. They assume a certain gullibility in their audience.
The main purpose of sensational magazines seems to be to arouse curiosity and to cater to popular superstitions. They often do so with flashy headlines designed to astonish (e.g. Half-man Half-woman Makes Self Pregnant).
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Examples of Sensational Periodicals:
Globe National Examiner Star Weekly World News |
Information on Individual Periodical titles
There are reference books which describe and evaluate periodicals. For evaluations of specific periodicals, use:
Magazines for Libraries
LaGuardia, Cheryl, ed., with Bill and Linda Sternberg Katz
16th ed. New York: Bowker, 2008
(Uris Ref Z6941 .K21, and Olin Ready Reference)
EVALUATING INTERNET RESOURCES
Question Authority! The Internet is a very democratic tool, in that anyone can write or say virtually anything they wish to on it. As you would do with books and journal articles, look to see who is responsible for producing the web page or site that you are accessing. Does the individual or institution have a particular bias or concern or agenda in presenting their information? How objective is the information? How accurate or truthful? How authoritative?
CITING SOURCES
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APA Citation Style Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.)
Africana, Hotel, Management, Olin, and Uris Libraries
Also in ILR and Mann Reference at APA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages) APA Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials (Excerpted from the 5th edition of the Publication Manual) APAStyle.org (APA's web site) |
MLA Citation Style
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Olin and Uris Libraries Z253 .M68 2003 MLA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages) MLA Style (MLA's web site)
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RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. RefWorks workshops are offered at Uris Library, Mann Library.
EndNote allows you to build your own database of bibliographic references from a variety of resources, including library catalogs and periodical indexes. EndNote interfaces with several standard word processing programs and provides direct connections to resources, making it easy to import references and incorporate them in your writing. EndNote (or RefWorks) is highly recommended for researchers. EndNote workshops are regularly held on campus at Uris Library, Mann Library.
Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity
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Drop in with a problem or question. Bring your own laptop or a copy of your paper and a RefWorks/EndNote expert can trouble-shoot citation and bibliography formatting problems. Librarians can also show you how to:
When: Fridays 2-4 pm, February 1st - May 9
Can't wait until Friday? |
RESEARCH HELP ONLINE
REFERENCE HELP
-
(our chat reference service Monday - Friday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm)
- Reference Desk Directory
- Reference Desk Schedules in Olin and Uris Libraries
- Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144
- Uris Library Reference phone number: 255-2339
- Olin and Uris Reference e-mail address: okuref@cornell.edu
- OKU Research Consultations
Evaluate your learning in this class
28 February 2008 (moe)
Deb Schmidle, dj13@cornell.edu and Michael Engle
Reference Librarians
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/sts126.html
Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, okucirc@cornell.edu