BIOLO 1100: Shaffer-McCarthy

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Welcome! Click on a tab below to find books, articles, and websites for use in this course.

You'll need a College of DuPage Library card in order to use most of the resources below from off campus. If your card is not working, it may need to be reactivated.

Questions? Feel free to use my contact info to the right, stop by the Reference Desk, or contact us by email or chat

Image Credit: Lactobacillus acidophilus By Bob Blaylock via Wikimedia Commons
  1. Pick a Topic
  2. Find Articles
  3. Use Websites
  4. Citing Sources

Finding (and Narrowing) a Topic

Have a glimmer of a topic that you'd like to work on? Great! You'll want to work to narrow that topic a bit before you dive into the catalog and databases, or you will be swamped with results. You can try the following strategies to narrow a topic:

Finding Articles in Databases

Newspaper Databases

National Newspapers Core contains the full text of the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Washington Post, and many others. It's worth using this database to look for Level 2 sources for your project.

Academic Search Complete also contains newspaper citations and the full-text of many magazines and trade publications.

Scholarly Article Databases

Scientific research can be best found in academic databases. Here are the top two databases to look for scholarly articles for this project.

Academic Search Complete also has a number of scholarly articles on scientific subjects. You'll want to be sure that you're using a source appropriate for the assignment when searching.

Science Direct has a large number of scholarly articles that may be helpful for your project.

See the full list of biology databases.


Evaluating Websites

While you're doing Google searches to either narrow your topic or in order to dig up more information on certain subject, you want to be careful to decide if the information you find is trustworthy.

When it comes to science, nearly everyone has opinions: should we be labeling genetically modified food for consumer's awareness? What will fracking do for our economy or our groundwater supply? Your job is to evaluate the information you can find through Google and Bing to find the good websites--those written by authors you can trust, with good and up-to-date information.

Authorship: Who created this website? What is their background on the topic? Are they trustworthy?

Bias: Why was the website created? What point of view does the author have? Does that limit the facts they present or how the facts are presented?

Date: How old is the information that is presented? Is it still accurate?

Questions? Check out the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.


Class Exercise

Take a moment to look at your website. Is this information trustworthy? How do you know? Be prepared to tell your classmates your opinion.

Do Probiotics Really Work?
Probiotics Guide: Benefits, Foods, Supplements
Do I need to include probiotics and prebiotics in my diet?
Probiotics: In Depth

Using MLA or APA Style

Find directions about how to cite your sources on the library citation guide.

Most databases will have a Cite link that you can also click to get article citations.

Finally, you are welcome to use NoodleBib if you'd like to use a program to create and organize your citations. You must "Create a New Folder" when you use NoodleBIB for the first time. Click on "I am citing a(n):," choose the type of item you are citing, and then fill in the online form. Your bibliography will be formatted for you.

Further questions about MLA or APA style? Purdue OWL has great MLA and APA citation guides.

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Future of Research: Health and Natural Science Workshop Series

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The Future of Research Series provides faculty with the opportunity to explore and discuss college research within the framework of 21st century student outcomes and skills. Join Health Sciences Librarian, Debra Smith, and Science Librarian, Laura Burt-Nicholas, to learn practical, time-saving and effective ways to incorporate research and evidence-based (scholarly) resources in your instruction and assignments. Attend any or all of the three 45 minute workshops.

Want to see when these workshops might be scheduled this semester? Check out our library faculty workshop calendar.

Questions, resource exploration and discussion are encouraged. Highlighted resources and examples are tailored to health and natural science curriculum. All sessions will be held in Library (SRC) classroom 3114

  1. Incorporating Research
  2. Incorporating Library Resources
  3. Incorporating Streaming Videos and Technology

No Paper Necessary: Incorporating Library Research

Why Incorporate Research?

  • You’re modeling professional behavior for students
  • Evidence-based practice (systematic reviews in academic terms) is at the core of health & natural science professions
  • Research enhances critical thinking skills
  • You’re modeling good citizenship for your students
  • Research is integral to formulating and answering “big” and “cutting edge” questions
Daunted by the mere thought of reading 20-30 research papers per course section? FEAR NOT! Alternatives that foster research, critical thinking AND evidence-based (research-based) practice exist!

Alternative Research Projects:

  • Focused annotated bibliographies
  • Presentations & posters
  • Worksheets (guided instruction combined with assigned reading/audio visuals)
  • Incorporate research into your flipped classroom and/or as a homework assignment
  • “Show and tell”
Any assignment can be given as a group project teaching professional behaviors--how to collaborate/communicate/work together in a lab or clinical setting—as well as making grading more manageable.
Creating and providing students with a rubric identifying the important concepts to be demonstrated in the assignment with point value for each assists instructors and students in assigning/understanding point distribution and final scores.

Structuring Your Research Assignments and Questions:

  • Avoid assigning “pick a topic” papers
  • Customize your assignments:
  • Make it local
  • Make it specific
  • Use Scaffolding

Active Learning Opportunity:

Have an assignment that you would like to revamp? Interested in drafting a new assignment? Let’s discuss!

See our Tip Sheet from the Workshop!

No Paper Necessary: Incorporating Library Resources

Not all information sources are equal

  • Each format offers specific types of information
  • Encyclopedias and dictionaries, websites, books, journals, reports, white papers, guidelines, systematic reviews, research articles
  • Assignment requirements dictate the most suitable resources
  • What students hear is not always what instructors mean

Identifying the Right Resources for Projects

The Library's Research Guides are starting points for researching a wide variety of topics.
You are also encouraged to speak with your liaison librarian. (Not sure who is your liaison? Check your research guide or the COD Library's Liaison Guide!)

Structuring Searches

Database Name Search Tips and Tricks
CINAHL Complete http://www.codlrc.org/HS/cinahl-research-tips
Micromedex http://www.codlrc.org/HS/mobilemicromedex
Science Direct Use your last name and library card to log in here.
SciFinder http://www.codlrc.org/chemistry/searching-scifinder

Active Learning Opportunity:

  • Have an assignment that you would like to revamp? Interested in drafting a new assignment? Let’s discuss!
  • Make use of this “free” time to explore Library databases and ask questions of your Library and discipline colleagues.

See Our Tip Sheet from the Workshop!

No Paper Necessary: Incorporating Streaming Videos & Tech In Courses

Incorporating Streaming Videos in Courses:

  • Think of flipping your class or “switching up” how you deliver in-class content utilizing COD Library resources
  • Find and embed videos (or clips) into Blackboard shells
  • Add multimedia content inside or outside the classroom
  • Locate and utilize transcripts and/or closed captioning
  • Maximize the instructional potential of videos

Highlighted COD Library Online Videos

Incorporating Technology in Courses

Take advantage of existing Online Instruction Resources and COD Campus-Wide Learning Technology support:

Useful E-Tools:

What Additional Resources do YOU Recommend?

Active Learning:

Play and explore: what skills do you teach that could stand video reinforcement? What concepts could be better illustrated with technology? Let’s see what we can find.

See Our Tip Sheet from the Workshop!

Environmental Ethics

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Welcome! Click on a tab below to find books, articles, and websites for use in this course.

You'll need a College of DuPage Library card in order to use most of the resources below from off campus.

Questions? Feel free to contact me, stop by the Reference Desk, or contact us by email or chat

Want to know more about the COD library? Check out our orientation video.

Image Credit: COD Newsroom: Russell Kirt Prairie. No alterations.
  1. Find Books
  2. Find Articles
  3. Read Research Articles
  4. Example Paper

Finding Books

Books are great resources to use to get started on your paper topic. They often are written for a general audience but have focused chapters, and can give you necessary background to interpret scholarly articles.

In order to discover what print or electronic books we may have that will help your research, start by searching the library catalog.

Once you pull up the catalog page, type in a few words related to your topic such as prairie and medicine.
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A new tab will open with book results displayed. Write down the title, location, and call number of any books that look interesting. Bring that info to the library reference desk in order to have help finding the books.

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Prairie Research

Is your topic focused on the prairie? If so, check out the bibliography and other resources on the prairie research guide.

Finding Articles

There are two databases where you might find helpful articles for your topic. It is crucial, when you search databases, to use at least two words or ideas in your search. For example, a search of prairie in Academic Search Complete will get you almost 22,000 articles. A search of prairie and economics will drop that number to 650.

Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete will have a mix of scholarly and popular articles on many different topics related to the environment.

Science Direct
This database will be able to help some of you with more complex topics dig up information. When you search Science Direct, you'll be looking through a database of scientific scholarly articles. You will also find only full-text information as long as you leave "subscribed journals" selected.

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Notice the following:

  1. I've used at least two keywords.
  2. "Subscribed Journals" is checked.

Remember, if you find a great article for your topic, don't hesitate to look at the subject headings listed in the article-- maybe you could change your search terms to get more related articles!

Reading a Scholarly Article

Struggling to read your scientific scholarly article, even though it looks like it might be perfect for your purpose?

Try using the info below as a guidepost to help you understand the article.

Start by looking for the distinctive markers of a scholarly article: are the authors' degrees or university affiliations listed? Do you see an abstract? How about charts, tables, graphs?

If you are using a scientific research article, you'll see the following distinctive sections:

  • Abstract: a paragraph summary of the research question and findings
  • Introduction: the research question: what did the scientists set out to know? Also provides context to the study: what did we know about the topic? Who answered the most important questions so far? Will include many citations.
  • Method: the experiment design
  • Results: The data gathered by the experiment
  • Discussion: analyzes the results. What do we understand about the topic after the experiment has been conducted?
  • Conclusion: lists further questions to be studied
  • References or Works Cited: functions just as yours will. What research has been referenced throughout the paper?

Some of these sections may be merged with other sections, have slightly different names, be combined together (results and discussion often share a single section) or may not be labeled, but all should be present in one way or another.

Confused? Take a look at page one of a scholarly article below:

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Notice the following:

  1. The authors list a university affiliation
  2. The abstract is right in the center of the page
  3. The (unmarked) introduction

Want to take a closer look? Cladophora (Chlorophyta) spp. Harbor Human Bacterial Pathogens in Nearshore Water of Lake Michigan is a research article found on PubMedCentral, the government-sponsored free article database. You can use this as a model scholarly research article.

Review Articles

Scientific review articles aim to summarize current research on a topic, leading to a comparison of what is known about a topic as well as questions that remain to be addressed. Review articles will often summarize tens of articles, and so a long list of works cited is to be expected. Review articles also do not typically follow the structure of a research article. Often times, the word "review" will appear in the title.

Want to take a closer look? Infant Feeding and Risk of Developing Celiac Disease: A Systematic Review is a review article found on PubMedCentral, the government-sponsored free article database. You can use this as a model scholarly research article.

Having Trouble Reading Your Article?

  • Remember to start with your abstract. The summary will tell you where the authors are heading and help you to fight through confusing sections.
  • Don't hesitate to read the article through twice.
  • Check out this handy guide to reading scholarly articles.
  • Remember that you can use reference databases to explain words or concepts that you're unfamiliar with. Try searching Credo or Gale to start.

Student Example

Check out “Foraging Behavior of Rodent and Songbird Populations, Examined with Variation of Predatory Risk” by Abe Whiting for an example of student scientific writing at COD.

TOOLS Library Marketing Videos

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In-Text Citations - APA

Why we include parenthetical / in-text citations

Researchers include brief parenthetical citations in their writing to acknowledge references to other people’s work. Generally, APA parenthetical citations include the last name of the author and year of publication. Page numbers are also included when citing a direct quote.

If some of this information is included in the body of the sentence, exclude it from the parenthetical citation. In-text citations typically appear at the end of the sentence, between the last word and the period.

For additional help formatting your paper, visit the College of DuPage Writing Assistance Area in SRC 2102.

Parenthetical citation without author’s name in the text

Example:

Harlem had many artists and musicians in the late 1920s (Belafonte, 2008).

Parenthetical citation when author is mentioned in the text

Example:

According to Belafonte, Harlem was full of artists and musicians in the late 1920s (2008).

Parenthetical citations with multiple authors

Works with two authors

Include both names, separated by an ampersand (&).

Example:

Rallying to restore sanity was a revolutionary undertaking (Stewart & Colbert, 2010).

Works with three to five authors

• Include all names in the first in-text parenthetical citation, separated by commas and then an ampersand (&).
• For all subsequent in-text parenthetical citations, include only the first author, followed by “et al.” and publication year if it is the first citation in a paragraph.

First in-text parenthetical citation

Example:

Rallying to restore sanity was a revolutionary undertaking (Stewart, Colbert, & Oliver, 2010).

All subsequent in-text parenthetical citations

Example:

The event resulted in thousands of participants flocking to the National Mall in support of the cause (Stewart et al. 2010).

Works with six or more authors

Include only the last name of the first author, followed by “et al.” and publication year in all parenthetical citations.

Example:

The study did not come to any definitive conclusions (Rothschild et al., 2013).

Citing sources without an author

If a work has no author, include the first few words of the bibliography entry (in many cases, the title) and the year.
Use double quotations around the titles of articles, chapters and/or websites.

Example:

Statistics confirm that the trend is rising (“New Data,” 2013).

*Note: Unlike in your reference list, parenthetical citations of articles, chapters and/or website should have all major words capitalized.

Italicize the titles of periodicals, books, brochures or reports

Example:

The report includes some bleak results (Information Illiteracy in Academia, 2009).

Citing part of a work

When citing a specific part of a work, provide the relevant page number or section identifier, such as chapters, tables or equations. Direct quotes should always have page numbers.

Example:

One of the most memorable quotes is when he says, “You are going to live a good and long life filled with great and terrible moments that you cannot even imagine yet!” to Augustus (Green, 2012, p. 272).

If the source does not include page numbers (such as online sources), you can reference specific parts of the work by referencing the paragraph number (if given) with the abbreviation “para. xx”

Example:

He quickly learned that pandas were not considered good pets (Chan, 2011, para. 3).

Section or heading and the number of the paragraph in which the information is found. For lengthy headings, use the first few words of the title in the parenthetical citation

Example:

The sample population included both red and giant pandas (Chan, 2011, Methodology section, para. 1).

Citing groups or corporate authors

Corporations, government agencies and associations can be considered the author of a source when no specific author is given.

Write out the full name of the group in all parenthetical citations:

Example:

The May 2011 study focused on percentages of tax money that goes to imprisonment over education funding (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 2011).

However, you may abbreviate the group name if the group’s name is lengthy and it is a commonly recognized abbreviation in all subsequent parenthetical citations.

Example:

The report found that over a half billion of taxpayer dollars went to imprison residents “from 24 of New York City’s approximately 200 neighborhoods” (NAACP, 2011, pp. 2).

Citing classical works

For classical sources, such as ancient Greek works, cite the year of the translation or version used. Precede this information with “trans.” or “version,” respectively.

Example:

(Homer, trans. 1998).

When citing specific content from these sources, include the paragraph/line numbers that are used in classical works. This information is consistent across versions/editions, and is the easiest way to locate direct quotes from classical works.

Example:

The Bible extols the virtues of love; “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Cor. 13:4 New International Version).

Note: Remember, you do not need to create formal citations in your reference list for classical works.

Citing and formatting block quotes

When directly quoting information from sources in your writing, you may need to format it differently depending on how many words are used.

If a quote runs on for more than 40 words:

• Start the direct quotation on a new line
• Indent the text roughly half an inch from the left margin
• If there are multiple paragraphs in the quotation, indent them an extra half inch
• Remove any quotation marks
• Double-space the text
• Add the parenthetical citation after the final sentence


Creative Commons License
Content on this guide comes from EasyBib, thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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In-Text Citations - MLA

In-text citations are brief citations found after a direct quote or a paraphrase. They are located in the body of your work. For additional help formatting your paper, visit the College of DuPage Writing Assistance Area in SRC 2102.


In-text citations are placed in parentheses, and have two components:

  • The first word found in the full citation on the Works Cited page (usually the last name of the author)
  • The location of the direct quote or paraphrase (usually a page number)

In-text citations should be placed directly after the direct quote or paraphrase, or in a place that is a natural pause and does not cause the reader to become distracted while reading the body of your work.

Example:

In order to prevent starvation, Watney knew exactly what he needed to do. “My best bet for making calories is potatoes” (Weir 17).

When using the author’s name in the sentence, only include the page number in the parentheses.

Example:

Seuss’s use of words such as, “lurk” and “dank” help students understand the type of character that the Once-ler is (6).


Creative Commons License
Content on this guide comes from EasyBib, thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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LinkedIn Learning (LIL) Playlists

Useful Tutorials for Students & Faculty

COD specific directions for registering and creating a student or faculty LinkedIn Learning (LIL) account (including a downloadable handout with images):
https://www.codlrc.org/LIL

Once registered, users can access the database via linkedinlearning.com

*Subscribing to or copying these sample collections will add them to your playlists page. Subscribing means you will receive updates made by the playlist curator, Debra Smith. Copying allows you to edit the playlists, add and delete courses or videos, and make them your own.

Teamwork, Communication, Presenting, Listening

Resumes

Interviewing

WordPress & Portfolios

Google for Individual & Group Projects

Time Management

Study Skills, Reading, Comprehension & Memory

Tips for Health & Wellbeing

PowerPoint & Presentation Tips/Tutorials

Instructor Training/Development

September 11, 2001

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COD Library Catalog - Books and Videos in the COD Library

Outline of the Library of Congress Classification System (what C.O.D. uses to arrange its books)
I-SHARE (formerly Illinet Online): Get books from over 80 Illinois academic libraries
Interlibrary Loan, to get books and journal articles from other libraries around the country.

List of COD Library Books on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
List of COD LIbrary Videos on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
List of COD Library Books on the World Trade Center
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Reference Books

Why Reference Sources?

Is your research topic too big to cover in a short paper?  Is your topic so specific that sources will be hard to find?

Before you even begin your research, start the process with reference sources-- in the Library's Reference Section or online in our databases.  Reference books, like subject encyclopedias, can give you a head start and make your research easier in the long run.  Use reference sources to:

  • find a topic
  • narrow your topic
  • find keywords
  • get background information on your topic

Chronologies of Modern Terrorism. Reference HV 6431 .R 84 2008
Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups. Reference HN 49 .R 33 A 85 2004
Encyclopedia of Terrorism. (2003)
Encyclopedia of World Terrorism. Reference HV 6431 .E 53 2003
Extremist Groups: Information for Students. Reference HN 90 .R 3 E 975 2006
Historical Dictionary of Intelligence Failures
9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq : A Chronology and Reference Guide. (2012)
9/11 Encyclopedia. (2011)
Political Violence and Terrorism in Modern America : A Chronology. Reference HN 90 .V 5 H 49 2005
September 11 in Popular Culture : A Guide.. General HV 6432.7 .S 455 2010
Shocked and Awed : A Dictionary of the War on Terror. Reference JZ 1253.5 .H 355 2010
The Terror Timeline : Year by Year, Day by Day, Minute by Minute : A Comprehensive Chronicle of the Road to 9/11--- and America's Response. General HV 6432.7 .T 46 2004
U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Global War on Terror.
The War on Terror Encyclopedia : From the Rise of Al-Qaeda to 9/11 and Beyond. (2014)

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Article Databases

Find an article on your topic in one of the databases below. You must have a valid College of DuPage library card to access the databases from off-campus.

Academic OneFile
Academic Search Complete
CQ Researcher for hot topics
Homeland Security Digital Library
Military and Government collection
Proquest National Newspapers Core This helps for researching local issues or current topics.
PsycInfo The main database for psychology journal articles.
SocIndex with Full Text This includes criminal justice journals.
Westlaw Next This includes law journals and court cases and legislation at the state and federal levels.

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Official Primary Source Documents

U.S. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States background reading
The 9/11 Commission Report : Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. General HV 6432.7 .N 39 2004b
Joint Congressional Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. General HV 6432 .U 62 2002
Congressional Hearings into the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service's Contacts with Two September 11 Terrorists. General HV 6432.7 .U 558 2002
The 9/11 Investigations : Staff Reports of the 9/11 Commission : Excerpts from the House-Senate Joint Inquiry Report on 9/11 : Testimony from Fourteen Key Witnesses, including Richard Clarke, George Tenet, and Condoleezza Rice. General HV 6432.7 .A 132 2004
Final Reports from the National Institute of Standards and Technology World Trade Center Disaster Investigation.
A Review of the FBI's Handling of Intelligence Information Related to the September 11 Attacks. (U.S. D.o.J., 2006)
Our Mission and Our Moment : President George W. Bush's Address to the Nation : Before a Joint Session of Congress, Washington, D.C., September 20, 2001. . General HV 6432 .U 545 2001a
Pentagon 9/11. General HV 6432.7 .P 43 2007

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Conspiracies

9/11 Conspiracy Theories overview
Making Sense of Conspiracy Theories background reading
Fake News library research guide
9/11 Contradictions : An Open Letter to Congress and the Press. General HV 6432.7 .G 7455 2008
The 9/11 Mystery Plane : And the Vanishing of America. General HV 6432.7 .G 34 2008
9/11 Review website
9/11 : The Simple Facts : Why the Official Story Can't Possibly be True. General HV 6432.7 .N 336 2011
Cognitive Infiltration : An Obama Appointee's Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory. General HV 6432.7 .G 7465 2011
Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia. (2003)
The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7 : Why the Final Official Report about 9/11 is Unscientific and False. General HV 6432.7 .G 76 2010
Planes without Passengers : The Faked Hijackings of 9/11. General HV 6432.7 .H 378 2011
Web of Conspiracy : A Guide to Conspiracy Theory Sites on the Internet. Reference HV 6275 .B 76 2008

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Websites

9/11 Commission Official Website
9/11 National Museum in New York City
Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania
Library of Congress 9/11 Collection
National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
Smithsonian Museum 9/11 Collection
Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive

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Related Research Guides

Controversial Topics
Criminal Justice
Emergency Management and Disaster Information
Fake News
History
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies
Sociology
Terrorism

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