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BIO-130 People-Plant Relationships

This guide will help you find resources for your three research assignments.

What do you need? What are you being asked to find?

Before you start searching, determine what you need to find.  This will help you to identify reliable sources and streamline your searching.  Ask questions, if you are unsure.

What is the difference between a magazine and a journal?

"Magazine" is often used to describe a popular publication like Time or People.

“Journal” is used to describe a scholarly work that is written by experts.  Journal articles tend to be longer and provide extensive citations to additional research.

What is a REVIEW ARTICLE?

REVIEW ARTICLES  should not be confused with "articles from a peer-reviewed journal."

Review articles are written by one or more authors and attempt to summarize the state of research on a specific topic.  The authors try to find everything relevant on a topic and organize it into a coherent article presenting the "state of the art" on the topic.

REVIEW  ARTICLES help the reader  to "get-up-to-speed" on a specific research topic.  Research articles (primary sources)  are very narrow  and report on a specific experiment or investigation but REVIEW ARTICLES will give you a broad introduction to the topic.  You will find out :

  • major scientists working in the field
  • recent advances and discoveries
  • gaps in the research, current debates, and discussions about the direction of future research  

Basic Rules for Searching for "Review articles"

In an article database, search for the keywords "review article" in addition to your topic keywords.

Example:  Ebola and "review article"

Some databases have  "Review Articles" coded as a separate facet.  For example,

  • Science Direct  has limiters that you can check-off in order to narrow your search.   
  • PubMed  includes "review" as a filter under "type of article."

Roll credits....

Profs. Edith Sirianni and Lynn Schott both contributed to the content of this guide.  Professor Sirianni retired from Bergen in 2018.