BIOL 4080 - Principles of Research
Principles of Research
Connie Fritz
Science Librarian
fritzc@rpi.edu
X8324 3rd floor Library Rm 337C
This class will focus on using library
resources to obtain information needed for research
projects and research papers. Our class will by no
means cover all library resources but
will focus on those areas necessary for this class and
future research needs both
academically and professionally.
1. Interlibrary Loan https://illiad.lib.rpi.edu/illiad/YRM/logon.html
Register to use ILL when you need resources (books, journal
articles, conference
proceedings etc.) the library doesn‘t have. Takes an
average of 3 days.
2. Connect NY look for books
that we don’t have but are available through the
consortium and delivered to Folsom in three to four
days. Can use this system if we have a
book but it is checked out.
3. My RensSearch http://www.lib.rpi.edu/mylibrary/?cmd=findPatron
Create your own
customized web page with a listing of information resources
from the library tailored to
your studies.
4. Class Reserves access from
library home page (top right of page) by course name or
instructor. Use IE.
5. Catalog lists the books,
periodicals, government documents, and archives &
manuscript collections owned by the Libraries. The catalog
does not provide access to
specific articles in journals, magazines and newspapers.
Reading the catalog:
Books from our library [get 16 weeks loan]
Due [date] unavailable; may put
a hold on book
BILLED book is overdue BILLED AND
PAID book may or may not be reordered
HOLD someone is waiting to take book out
after it is returned. First patron gets
book for 3 weeks
only.
IN
PROCESS book has been ordered, received and is
awaiting cataloging
FOLSOM
RESERVE request for book at service desk, can not be
checked out
( 1 hour unless more time is requested by
professor)
ARCH
LIB Architecture Library; third floor of the Greene
building
FOLSOM
REFERENCE on the second floor, can not be checked
out
6. DAP card - free of charge;
obtain from our service desk. Patrons can take this
card
to participating libraries (included Albany Med) where they
can browse and check out
books at the participating library.
http://library.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=287
7. Mechanics of Searching–
A. Boolean logic (and, or,
not)
Truncation
For more efficient and relevant journal searching
B. Magic of SFX 
Navigate directly to the full-text relevant journal article
from a database search
Journal databases we will review:
Nature journals, Science, Ebsco's Medline, and Web of
Science
Individual Journals: some journals are so important
to biology and medicine that they
could be searched separately
I. Nature journals
http://libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url=http://search.nature.com/search/?sp_a=sp1001702d&sp_t=advanced&sp_x_1=ujournal&sp_q_1=Nature
* The library has electronic subscriptions to Nature Online
and Nature Biotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature
Communications, Nature Genetics, Nature Immunology, Nature
Medicine, Nature Methods, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature
Neuroscience, Nature Protocols, Nature Structural Biology,and
News@Nature. Nature Reviews Cancer, Nature Reviews Drug
Discovery, Nature Reviews Genetics, Nature Reviews
Immunology, Nature Reviews Microbiology, Nature Reviews
Molecular Cell Biology, and Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
II. Science The library has
every volume & issue available electronically
http://libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url=http://www.sciencemag.org/search.dtl
(1996 to the present)
and
http://libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/
(from 1880 to
1999)
Journal Databases:
I. Ebsco’s
Medline Why are there four separate
databases? We will
use the EBSCO version – librarian preference
Provides links to our library holdings. Complete
browserable MeSH [list of synonyms that can be
used to find matches for particular words if the words
themselves don't appear in documents.
http://libproxy.rpi.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp?profile=web&defaultdb=cmedm
II. Web of Science –
Journal database mostly used to find articles more current
than
what you have. Instead of using a bibliography and
going back this allows you to go
forward and find articles that cited in their bibliography
your journal article.
