BI233 Instructional Session
This instructional session is designed to help you feel better prepared to complete your assignment for BI233. Upon completion of this session, you will:
- Identify and define primary literature.
- Construct effective searches to discover primary articles.
- Request articles through the Barber Library's Interlibrary Loan service.
- Identify ways to get help when you have questions.
- Search...with librarian support!
1. Identify and define primary literature.
What do we mean when we say Primary Research? Click here to add your response.
Generally, primary research can be defined as any research that involves collecting data. You might use surveys, interviews, observations, a laboratory--however it's done if it's original, it's primary research!
Some things to look for when recognizing primary research in the wild:
Some things to look for when recognizing primary research in the wild:
- Look for section headings like Abstract/Summary, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusion/Discussion;
- If an Abstract section exists, look for words like “this study examines….” or “we did research to find…”;
- The Methods section can be the easiest way to spot a research paper; it describes how the authors set up their study and the subjects of the research;
Let's see if we can identify some primary research in the wild!
Click here to review Article #1 and then vote True if you think it's primary or False if you think it's not primary.
Click here to review Article #1 and then vote True if you think it's primary or False if you think it's not primary.
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Click here to review Article #2 and then vote True if you think it's primary or False if you think it's not primary.
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Click here to review Article #3 and then vote True if you think it's primary or False if you think it's not primary.
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2. Construct effective searches to discover primary articles.
Protip: You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0. For example: What are effective new treatments for skin pathologies? My keywords might include the following: treatment, skin pathologies.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (skin cancer OR psoriasis OR skin pathologies) AND treatment NOT report
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (skin cancer OR psoriasis OR skin pathologies) AND treatment NOT report
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
There's no easy way to discover primary research articles. So if your goal is to go straight to searching, you'll need to use your skills we've discussed (looking to see if the results are original, looking at the language, trying to find section headings) and trying to distinguish the results for yourself.
With this strategy, make sure to look for the "Scholarly/Peer Review" filter or only search peer-reviewed journals. |
If you have the time and the ability to come to the Barber Library, you can come and browse our physical journal collection. You may have to search through several issues as not every issue will have an article relevant to your topic, but the benefit is that journals like Science and Nature separate where they publish primary research. Meaning, as long as you're in a certain section of the journal, you already know it's primary.
Another method is finding a tertiary article first and then tracing back to the original research. Did you read about a study in the New York Times or did something on Facebook catch your eye? When tertiary articles report on research they will usually include information about the article's authors, title, journal, DOI, etc. If you have that information, you (or a librarian!) can track down the original!
3. Request articles through the Barber Library's Interlibrary Loan service.
That means you can read a summary of the article, but you don't have immediate access to read the full article. Fear not! You can still read the full text, you just have to request it through Interlibrary Loan!
This should not be a barrier to you receiving the article you want! On average, it takes no more than 1 business day for you to receive the requested article in your inbox. To remove one obstacle from using ILL, let's create an account together!
This should not be a barrier to you receiving the article you want! On average, it takes no more than 1 business day for you to receive the requested article in your inbox. To remove one obstacle from using ILL, let's create an account together!
4.Identify ways to get help when you have questions.
I know that there's a lot of information here, and you might still have questions, even after this session. That's what librarians are for! You can always contact me, but there are also several other options for you to contact any Barber Library librarian.
Just look for this icon or go directly to the Need Help? page under Quick Links and you'll be connected to someone who can help you come up with keywords, cite your sources, choose databases, and help with your general library needs! |
5. Search...with librarian support!
To get started, go to the library homepage and choose the Research Icon that fits your need--either Articles & More or Resources by Subject. Here are a few places to get you started:
- Academic Search Premier...for a mix of articles from across many disciplines--a good place to start!
- arXiv.org or PLOS.org...an open access websites for scholars to publish their research directly
- PubMed Central...another free site sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine
- Resources by Subject--Health Sciences or Science page...to give you some other subject-specific suggestions