BIOL 4620 - Undergraduate Seminar: Journal Articles
Discover Search
Discover is a great tool
- for beginning and novice researchers
- you are just getting started and want to explore a topic
- unsure the direction or more specific topic you want to research
- want to know which databases hold content on your topic
- want to know which journals publish content on your topic
Once you have some research perimeters set, it is advisable to leave Discover and conduct your search in one of the Discipline Specific Databases, or Subject Databases. Your results will be much more targeted, PLUS you gain some useful analytics to help you strengthen your research even more.
Search Google Scholar
Click Search to look for articles on biology topics (or try your own search) in Google Scholar.
Subject Databases
can offer a much more targeted and refined search than a full Discover Search. You also gain some analytic tools that can be very helpful to your research. Below is a list of suggested subject databases for science fields.
Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly:
Scholarly (peer-reviewed) resources undergo review by experts in a field of study. These experts determine if the articles are objective and credible before they are published. Examples of peer-reviewed resources include articles in scientific journals, encyclopedias, and textbooks.
Non-scholarly resources are published without review by experts. Often they are written by journalists hired to cover a subject. These resources range from a variety of types, such as websites and magazines, newspapers and some books and journals.
*If you plan to use non-scholarly materials, ask your instructor beforehand, and use the CRAAP Test to guide your judgment in using these resources.
Searching Environment Complete
Searching Science Direct
Searching Web of Science