FIG: Sustainable Chemistry

On this page:

• Scholarly/peer-reviewed vs popular articles
• How to search for articles
• How to search for books
• How to cite sources
• Other Science Library resources

What are "Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed" articles?

The Scholarly vs. Popular page provides you with clues about how to distinguish the difference between scholarly and popular journal articles.

Here are a couple of pdfs that provide good explanations of what is (and is not) peer review, and why it's particularly important in the sciences:

• Peer Review in a Nutshell
• Sense About Science Short Peer Review Guide

Exercise - compare these two articles:

• Raloff J. 2010. Receipts a large and little-known source of BPA. Science News 178:5-6. UO Link
   
• Fleisch A, Sheffield P, Chinn C, Edelstein B, Landrigan P. 2009. Bisphenol A and Related Compounds in Dental Materials. PEDIATRICS Vol. 126 No. 4 October 2010, pp. 760-768 UO LInk

How do I find articles?

Here are a couple of options for searching for articles, using UO Libraries resources.

Use the databases in your subject area:

• Biology
• Chemistry

For detailed and specific searches, it's usually better to open and search individual databases.

Some starting points:

Use search terms and synoyms

Life cycle assessment; impact assessment; life cycle phases (materials, packaging, transport, disposal) - see EPA presentation and EPA LCA web site

Compound(s) and synonyms (trade names, chemical formula)

Getting the article file:
If the article citation doesn't include a link to full text, click on the link to see if the article is available online or in print via the UO Libraries.

If the article file is not available, you can request it from another library via ILLiad.

How do I search for books?

Use the UO Libraries catalog (also called "UO Worldcat")

Choose keywords and use synonyms to expand your search.

The catalog searches for information from the UO Libraries, plus books shared by our consortia of 36 universities and colleges in the Pacific Northwest, and thousands of other libraries in the world.

The results pages display the matches for

• UO items first, then
• those in our consortia, and then
• anywhere else.

Check the "books" box on the search results page (on left side of page) if you only want to see books.

You can have books held for you, to pick them up at the Science Library.

How long can you check out books?

How do I cite resources for a paper?

Choose a citation style
The way a citation for a book or article is organized is called a "style." There are many different citation styles to choose from; the key is to be consistent, using that style for all your citations and footnotes or endnotes in the paper you're writing.

One of our quick online guides might be useful, but there are also citation manuals for more in-depth information.

If you have a lot of citations to manage, software (some free, some for purchase) can really help. These include Mendeley, Zotero, and Endnote Web.

Create an annotated bibliography
In your own words, describe how the resource is relevant to your presentation, and its quality and accuracy.

More about annotated bibliographies from the Cornell Libraries.

Other Science Library resources

Course reserves: books and other materials set aside by your instructor for checkout for a limited amount of time.

Classrooms and study spaces: you can reserve rooms for your group.

Other equipment you can check out: video games and game consoles, laptops, phone chargers, a portable projector, scientific and graphing calculators, headphones, etc.