CHEM 597R - INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY RESEARCH; COURSE REQUIREMENTS  

 INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY RESEARCH
CHEM 597R
2012/2013

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

I. Topics - (Feb 25 - Feb 28)

In consultation with your advisor, choose a topic for library research no later than Thursday, Feb 28.

• Gain approval of your Research Advisor
• Send your topic to me (libdth@emory.edu) no later than Thursday, Feb 28.  Type "Paper Topic for Chem 597R" in the subject line of your email and include the name of your faculty advisor. (See sample topic submission information at end of this guide.) My preparation for your consultation depends on having your topic ahead of time.  

II. Library Research

Students are expected to spend enough time to do a thorough job researching the chosen topic. If the amount of time greatly exceeds 15 hours, the topic may be modified upon approval of the Librarian and Faculty Advisor.

III. Preparation for Research Consultation

Begin preparation for your research consultation by finding, researching, and taking notes on at least one scholarly article specifically related to your topic. In many cases your advisor, the post doc or senior graduate student in your group will be able to give you a starting paper about your topic. If not, then you need to find that first paper on your own. The people listed above will be good resources for answering questions about your topic.

Search EUCLID or DiscoverE; databses, particularly SciFinder, Web of Science; and scholarly authoritative websites prior to scheduling a consultation. Come to your consultation prepared to discuss the questions outlined in the section, "Research Consultations" below.

IV. Research Consultations - (Mar 2, 3, 23, 24, 30). Schedule an Appointment here:

Research consultations are available at any time, and may be scheduled at any point during your research. You are REQUIRED to schedule at least one consultation with the Librarian.  Consultations are for 55 minutes.  Schedule your appointment by <clicking> on the link above.

When you come for your consultation be prepared to discuss or bring the following:

• Discuss your topic with at least beginning knowledge. What are you looking for? What will be the focus of your research?

• Bring a photocopy of one or more articles that represent the type of references for which you will be looking. What can be learned from these references to help you find more information?

• Bring a list of potential words, phrases, authors’ names, keywords, or indexing terms that will be important for you to search. Has your professor or his/her group written articles on the topic?

• Discuss your search strategy. How will you screen references for only those you want;? How much information will be enough? Too much? How much information do you expect to find? Is this a retrospective search covering many years or is this a new topic?

• Discuss background information you will need. Check DiscoverE for books on background or supporting information. Does the library own any reference books that will be helpful? Dictionaries? Encyclopedias? Handbooks?

• Discuss other databases that should be searched. Do not limit your searching to SciFinder.  Are you searching for biomedical information? Search Medline or PubMed in addition to SciFinder Scholar. If you are synthesizing compounds or looking for properties, don’t forget CrossFire, Beilstein or Gmelin. In general, most topics should be searched in Web of Knowledge/ Science Citation Index. Citation searching in Web of Knowledge helps you to quickly identify additional, significantly related bibliographic references.

• Are you using EndNote? If you haven't started building your database of references in EndNote or another approved bibliographic management software package such as Zotero, now is the time.  You are REQUIRED to use EndNote or Zotero or another approved equivalent in completing this course.  Using it will make writing your paper and producing your bibliography so much easier.

The last day for consultations will be Saturday, Mar 30.

V. Final Draft of Your Research Paper - (Due Friday, Apr 5)

The information for writing this paper will be found by using a combination of resources identified through SciFinder searches and resources identified by searching DiscoverE and other library databases, i.e. Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, CrossFire Beilstein, etc. In addition to the above resources, you may use information found on websites, provided you have verified that the information found on the website is accurate, authoritative, objective, and current.

Length of the paper and bibliography will vary. Ask your advisor for guidelines. S/he may want a comprehensive, retrospective discussion of the topic, an overview, or a paper identifying direction for future research.

The bibliography MUST conform to the guidelines established in the ACS Style Guide. EndNote will automatically format your bibliography in ACS Style.  A print copy of the ACS Style Guide will be on reserve at the Circulation Desk in the Chemistry Library. Online access is available at:

http://pubs.acs.org/isbn/9780841239999

Submit your paper for peer review - (Friday, Apr 5) 

VI.  Peer Review Process - (Monday, Apr 8 - Wednesday, Apr 10)

Please see the guidelines for the Peer Review Process at:  http://guides.main.library.emory.edu/chem597scientificpaper.

In the guidelines, Peer Review and Reviewer Responsibilities are discussed.  Guiding Questions are presented to prompt the reviewer to recognize and address broad concepts expected in writing a good scientific paper and to think more professionally about scientific writing.

Rubrics, tools that identify key performance criteria and standards linked to learning objectives and used to subjectively assess expected performance, are included.  The rubrics used in this  assignment discuss in detail the elements of a scientific paper and were developed and adapted from the ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, 3rd ed., 2006, Chapter 2, "Scientific Papers", pp. 17-26.  A Rubric Evaluation Worksheet will be completed for each paper reviewed; each research paper submitted for this class will receive two peer reviews.

VII.  Revised Final Paper - (Due - Wednesday, Apr 17)

Comments made on Rubric Evaluation Worksheets will be returned so that comments made by reviewers may provide input for revision of research papers.  Revised papers will be submitted no later than 5:00 PM Wednesday, Apr 17.

You are responsible for sending your paper to me AND to your advisor.  Send your paper electronically as an attachment to me at:  libdth@emory.edu.  As a second attachment, send evidence of the library of resources you created for this paper using EndNote, Zotero, or other approved bibliographic management software program.

Send or deliver your paper to your advisor. Check to determine his/her preference for receiving either a paper or electronic copy.  

VIII. Grading - Pass/Fail and Course Evaluation

• Course Evaluation

The course evaluation will be sent and ompleted on Survey Monkey Wednesday April 17.

All work for CHEM 597R will be completed no later than 5:00 PM Wednesday, April 17.

SUGGESTED READINGS

The following items are available in the Chemistry Library.

ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, 3rd edition 
Coghill, Anne M. and Lorrin R. Garson, editors. American Chemical Society, 2006.

Chemistry Library Reference (QD8.5 A25 2006); also Chemistry Library Reserves

Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: a Handbook For Students and Faculty.

Mauch, James E. and Jack W. Birch.  New York: M. Dekker, 1998.

Online Access

How To Write a Successful Science Thesis: the Concise Guide For Students.

Russey, Willaim E., Hans Friedrich Ebel and Claus Bliefert.  Winheim: Wiley-VCH, 2006.

Chemistry Library Book Stacks (LB2369 .R86 2006)

How To Write & Publish a Scientific Paper

Day, Robert A.  NetLibrary, Inc., Phoenix, Az.: Oryx Press, 1998.

Online Access

Writing and Presenting Research

Thody, Angela.  London: SAGE, 2006

Online Access

Sample Topic Submission Information

_____________________________
NAME

Please submit your choice of topic to Donna Hudson, Librarian for Chemistry and Physics (libdth@emory.edu), by Friday, February 17.

My research topic is:

_____________________________
FACULTY ADVISOR

_____________________________
LIBRARY APPROVAL