CHEM 2025--Zito: Welcome

Database searching is a repetitive learning exercise; the more you practice, the better you get. Many databases function similarly: a basic search engine plus a set of relatively sophisticated limiting functions. 

Search interfaces have common features: the ability to search for topics by a keyword (like using Google), an author, the title of an article, a review, or a specific subject. The search parameters can sometimes be specialized according to subject matter indexed by a particular database.  One of the most important things you can do to learn about a database is to check the section (often in upper right-hand corner) labelled 'Help'. It will often define the terms you see listed in a database, and once you learn them you will find they are common to many databases.

Common limits you will see include ways to restrict your search to a specific time period, i.e. 2002- to the present, to filter out peer-reviewed from popular materials, to a certain journal, to a specific author, or publisher. All of these can be profitably used to narrow your search to retrieve high-quality citations and articles for your research. For help in database searching, please contact me (contact information on the right)   or contact the library's reference service via email or chat. 

Evaluating and re-evaluating search results gives you ideas for refining your search and retrieving more targeted results. Scan the titles of the articles in your search result list. Note any subjects included in the description. For an article that has a promising title, click on it and check the abstract--that will give you a good idea of the scope of the article. Is it entirely appropriate or partially appropriate to your research topic? You can profit from both varieties, but at the beginning of your search process, it is best to focus on articles that you can use in its entirety.

Connecting to full text is your next task. Many databases will offer you a link to the full text, but it isn't always available in every database. There are several options, in that case. The first is to check our catalog and find the journal in print. Using the citation from the database (you can often email yourself the full citation, sometimes in your preferred citation style), you can search the catalog and locate the item in the 2nd floor Periodical stacks. Copiers are located on the 1st and 2nd floors.

If UNO does not own the book or article you need you can use UNO's Interlibrary Loan service. Cilck on 'Frist Time Users' to create your personal account. Typical transit times are 7-10 days for printed materials and 1-4 days for online items. 

For help in searching, finding and using complete citations and questions about how to obtain materials, chat with a librarian online  or contact me, Hannah White at 504-280-6548 and jwhite15@uno.edu.

One of the big differences between the research you did last year in high school and what you're expected to do during your college career can be summed in one phrase  you will see and hear frequently, "Please use 3-5 scholarly peer-reviewed sources in your paper". 

What does this mean?!

Universities are special places. Shipyards build ships, we build educated minds. One of the skills you will develop in college is how to read the literature that is produced by the scholars (and future scholars) in your discipline: biology, English, sociology, and more. It takes a lot of practice to learn to read thoroughly, carefully, and then analyze what you're reading. THEN you're asked to synthesize what you've read and heard in classes with what you think in order to produce an essay or other project.  This is the path to becoming a scholar--someone with depth of knowledge who can write clearly in their subject area with a curiosity for exploring ideas. This training helps produce an 'educated mind'. 

So, learning to distinguish between the everyday kind of knowledge we all consume--tv news, Newsweek, the Times-Picayune from  an article about an experiment on rats detailing the effects of food additives with possible effects on human nutrition becomes a worthwhile skill to have. 

One of the key functions of scholarship is to evaluate information. Information (books, journals, websites, etc.) is often classified as scholarly or popular.

Scholarly information is most often produced by scholars for other scholars. The vocabulary used  is specialized and expert. The intended audience for this material generally has or is acquiring advanced knowledge. The author of such work is an expert in his/her field; usually with advanced degrees, most commonly a PhD. The publication has been peer-reviewed. And the sources for the work are always cited. 

Popular works are intended for a general audience of readers. Advanced knowledge is not usually required to read and use this material. The author may not be a recognized expert or practitioner in her/her field. The work has not gone through a rigorous peer-review process. The sources for such a work may not be cited at the the end of the work.

Check out these two examples below to see the differences in action. Read the abstracts. To the left of the abstracts, you will see pdfs; click on each to see the complete article. Which one is scholarly and which one is popular?

Article A 

Article B

Research consultations are available to every student by appointment with a  librarian.

Previous to your appointment,  your librarian will ask for  a description of your project, due date, and what you hope to gain from the session. We tailor the session to your immediate research needs and offer follow-up appointments, as necessary.  Please use this form to request a research consultation.

Should you have questions, the library has answers for you! You can contact me at my coordinates above, you can call the Services desk at 504-280-6355  or chat with librarians online here: https://libguides.uno.edu/reference

Help is available. Don't waste your time being frustrated about not finding what you need or want in the library. We can help answer questions and get  you going in the right direction! 

Please take my Class Survey. Much appreciated!