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BIOL U599 - Biology Senior Seminar - Webb

This library guide will help support students in BIOL U599.

Molecular Biology Research

Finding Resources for your Assignment

  • Topics must be in the field of molecular biology. Microbiology & Immunology topics are encouraged but not required. 
  • The review paper must include a minimum of 5 primary research articles. 
    Primary Source Material: "Either created at the time of an event or period, or was later created by an actual participant or witness from that time." Samantha Sanders, uploaded to YouTube on Sep 22, 2010
  • Case studies, review articles, and books may only be used in addition to the 6 primary articles and must only play a small role in the paper. 

Topics and Answers

Accomplish?

  • Maybe go over successful papers from previous senior seminars. Helps point us in the right direction.
  • Find more database for research purposes
  • Learn how to search scientific research papers
  • Learn how to access more sites easier/faster
  • Find several articles to use for my research topic. More specifically, see if there are enough primary sources on my topic as it is fairly new.
  • Use my class time wisely to get homework done for the class
  • Learn how to use many different databases and if there is a more
  • Confirm my topic and find more articles to start with
  • Graduate School x4
  • Medical School x2
  • PA school
  • CRNA school
  • Vet school
Tuesday Wednesday
  • C-Ferns
  • Effects of Rabies
  • Transplantation of stem cells prior to the patient
    receiving a donor kidney to prevent use of long-term anti-rejection drugs
  • elephants horns and poachers
  • What genetic mutation cause canines to be born with parvovirus?
  • UTI induced delirium
  • toxoplasmosis on pregnant women
  • aplastic anemia

Review the basics
  • Boolean connectors- use AND, OR, NOT (sometimes AND NOT) to connect two or more search terms:
    • AND finds all records with all of your search terms and narrows your search
    • OR finds all records with one or more of your search terms and broadens your search
    • NOT or AND NOT is used to exclude the following term and can help to focus a search where one term has different meanings or uses (e.g., Mexico NOT "New Mexico")
  • Phrases in Quotes - most databases and web search engines allow you to search for exact phrases by placing them in quotes: "carbon footprint"
  • Truncation - the library catalog and most databases use special characters to make searching easier in certain situations. Check the help screens in the catalog or database you are using to see what the special characters are for that resource.
    • the asterisk * is often used to stand for multiple endings on a word (singular, plural, etc.): vot* finds vote, voter, voters
    • wildcards are similar, but replace another character in a word: wom?n in the library catalog finds both woman and women
  • Nesting - use parentheses to sort out the elements of a more complex Boolean search phrase, especially when you may want to search for more than one related term for one element of your phrase:
    • (carbon OR ecological) AND footprint
    • ("hip hop" OR rap) AND culture