BIOLOGY TEACHING ORGANISATION

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT RECORD
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LIBRARY SKILLS
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Check the list below. Use the links to find the resources. When you have attained these skills, record them in "MY PAR"
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Library skills:

• How the libraries are organised - find what you need (click for HELP)
• Use of databases, on-line search facilities (HELP)
• Hierarchies of information - journals, reviews, books, etc. (HELP)
• Science 'dates' quickly - critical evaluation of information (HELP)
• Effective browsing/ scanning for information (HELP)
• Effective filing of information and references
• How to cite information (HELP)
• Plagiarism - the does and don'ts (HELP)

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Some University library resources:

Search the library book catalogue online

Science databases can be used to find recent research papers in particular subjects (especially useful for third-year and Honours students.

Other useful resources:

Encyclopaedia Britannica online
National Library of Scotland (first-year students writing essays - e.g. ODL1h students - should note that the National Library of Scotland discourages you from using their facilities. This is a pity because the National Library has several useful books on topics such as dolphins, whales and other organisms that are popular essay topics)

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Information sources and information handling

During your undergraduate career, you will access various types of information, apart from the information given in lectures, tutorials, seminars, etc. Click on the entries below for guidance on resources.

1. Textbooks

The many excellent "General Biology" textbooks are valuable sources of information for first and second year courses. Many students also use the more subject-specialised textbooks in third year. The libraries hold multiple copies of the main textbooks recommended for particular courses. Some of these copies are available on loan, but there are always a few copies kept on the Reserve shelves. We recommend you to keep all the textbooks you buy - don't be tempted to sell them second-hand, because you will not get much for them and you never know when you might want to refer to them again.

When you write essays or other course assignments in first year, you should be able to get some of your information from textbooks, but you almost invariably will want to consult "mini-review" articles (see "2" below) or scientific magazines such as New Scientist. But be careful with magazines (including New Scientist) because many of the articles are written by staff journalists and are seldom refereed (to ensure accuracy). Specialists in the subject (including the staff who mark your work!) often find mistakes or even glaring errors in these articles.

2. Mini-reviews

There are some excellent mini-review journals, such as the "Trends" journals (Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Trends in Microbiology, Trends in Neurosciences, etc.) The articles are of fairly short (3-4 pages), very well written, well illustrated, and easy to read. They are written by experts and are refereed to ensure their accuracy. Typically, the mini-review articles give an overview and insight into the more topical aspects of biology.

We have a large number of these journals in the Darwin Library. They form an ideal basis for essays and other course assignments in second- and third-year but also can be useful in first year.

3. Review journals

The series of journals called "Current Opinion in..." are valuable sources of up-to-date reviews - for example, Current Opinion in Cell Biology/ Immunology/ Microbiology/ Neurobiology/ Genetics & Development, etc.

The more substantial review journals include the "Annual Review" series (Annual Review of Microbiology/r Entomology/ Biochemistry/ Cell and developmental biology/ Ecology & Systematics/ Pharmacology/ Physiology, etc.) have quite lengthy articles (20-30 pages) that deal in depth with particular subjects. They will refer to work that has been done in a subject over the last 10 years or more, and they will cite perhaps 100 or more scientific papers. These are very authoritative articles, of most value in third year and the Honour year.

4. "Primary" scientific journals

These are the publications in which new research findings are published. You will have heard of the journal Nature, but this is rather unusual because it accepts only the more startling and important discoveries. There are hundreds of other journals that have a similar role but publish subject-specific articles. For example, there is a journal called Blood Cells, and another called Bird Behaviour, and so on. Only the specialists tend to read these journals because it is impossible to keep pace with the amount of detailed published information across the whole field of biology. But, you will be expected to read some articles in these journals during your Honours year - often the articles that are recommended by your lecturers or tutors.

There are two important things to note about these "primary journals":

• When you write essays in your Honours year, you will often be given a "starter reference" such as a review article. But you will be expected to find the most recent and relevant scientific papers in the subject. The best way to do this is through a database. If all your references stop at the year 1998, then you cannot claim to be up-to-date, and your essay mark will suffer.
• You must recognise that scientific information dates. In fact, it dates extremely rapidly in some areas. For example, the reviews and books published in 1998 might tell you that some of the chromosomes of yeast have now been sequenced. In fact the whole genome of yeast (and of several other organisms) has now been sequenced. The best advice we can offer is to think about the subject and ask yourself if it is one of the rapidly advancing fields of research. If so, then you really need to consult the most recent books and journals.

5. World-wide web - finding information

For guidance on searching the WWW click HERE

• Remember that very little on the WWW has been approved and edited by independent authorities - anyone can write anything, so YOU have to decide whether it is truthful and trustworthy.
• Your best guide is to look at the web address (called the "URL"). It will contain clues that indicate whether the information comes from a reliable source. For example, academic institutions in the UK have the term "ac" in their URL. The address of this University is http://www.ed.ac.uk (where "ed" stands for Edinburgh, "ac" stands for academic, and "uk" stands for United Kingdom). Academic institutions in the USA typically have "edu" (meaning "education") in their address. You can be fairly confident that information on these sites is reliable. But you will soon find that all those web sites from colleges in the USA that look promising turn out to be lists of "domestic" details about a change of class times or location, or hand-in dates - WOW!
• Governmental organisations in the UK typically have "gov" in their web address, and research-related institutes and organisations typically have "org". These sites usually are reliable and informative.
• On the other hand, sites with "com" (commerce or related activities) in the address may or may not provide full and independent information. The Pharmaceutical Information Network is an example of a reputable site (http://www.pharminfo.com/). So also is the BBC Education website.
• Wherever possible, be guided by the links to other web sites that you find on the pages you know you can trust. For example, if you go to Edinburgh University "Library Online" you will find a button called "Resources by Subject". This gives you links to some recommended web sites.
• You can find a BTO list of good biological websites by clicking HERE.

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