Virology: Researching methods and protocolsLaksamee PutnamResearch & Instruction Librarianlputnam@towson.edu

First… Laksamee Putnam lputnam@towson.edu Cook Library Reference:

410.704.2462. IM/email

Phone: 410.704.3746. Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU Albert S. Cook facebook profile!

On the side …

Agenda Refresher on library website/resources

Plagiarism/citation discussion

Searching for resources

What do you use the library for? Have you had a

library session before?

Where do you go to find a specific book?

Is there a database you use frequently?

How can I help?

The library Catalog – Find Books

Databases – Find Articles

Subject gateways - Biology

Help guides – Citation style guides

Plagiarism Using someone’s ideas or expression

of those ideas (words, pictures, music, etc)

Without giving proper credit

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/09/12/copy-cat/

An interesting side story

A quote attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. went viral after the death of Osama bin Laden

But part of it was never said or written by him

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/anatomy-of-a-fake-quotation/238257/

It’s out there, why not reuse it?Im

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Gabriel, T. (2010, August 1) Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in the Digital Age. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html

“If you are not so worried about presenting yourself as absolutely unique, then it’s O.K. …if you say other people’s words, it’s O.K. if you say things you don’t believe, …it’s O.K. if you write papers you couldn’t care less about because they accomplish the task, which is turning something in and getting a grade… and it’s O.K. if you put words out there without getting any credit.”

~Susan D. Blum anthropologist at The University of Notre Dame, author of “My Word!: Plagiarism and College Culture” on student attitudes toward plagiarism

It’s out there, why not reuse it? Discussion on the article:• Your thoughts on plagiarism• Why don’t some people seem to think it’s bad

to copy?• Why do people who know it’s wrong still do it?• Does downloading music count?• How does plagiarism affect academia/biology?• What examples of plagiarism have you heard

of? In the news? From a friend? Etc?

Why does it matter?

Newitz, A. (2012, January 16) You are bitching about the wrong things when you read an article about science. I09 blog. Retrieved from http://io9.com/5873948/you-are-bitching-about-the-wrong-things-when-you-read-an-article-about-science

“Science is designed to challenge our common sense assumptions about the world because they are often wrong. Sometimes, however, common sense turns out to be right. Which is why occasionally science seems to prove the obvious. But that's not science being useless - it's science doing what it does best, which is applying rigor and rationality to anecdote and dogma.”

Why does it matter? Discussion on the article

• Why is it important to attribute information to a source?

• Why is anecdotal information still so compelling?

• What does this have to do with you? In real life? In school?

The point is… No matter where you are, you will constantly

need to assess the information around you

In order to be an informed consumer you should know how to evaluate the information you acquire

In order to support your own arguments you should know how to research your question and cite your sources

So, lets get started finding your information! Places to look• Websites• Books• eBooks• Articles

Websites Wikipedia

http://www.protocol-online.org/

Lab equipment/ Biomedical supply company websites

http://www.mendeley.com/research-papers/

Books Go to the catalog

Search for general topics• Molecular biology• Virology• Genetics

Search for lab manuals, protocols or methods

Search for encyclopedias or dictionaries

eBooks Go to Research Databases -> ebrary

Academic Complete

Search your method in quotes

Click into the books available

Articles Try Academic Search Premier,

ScienceDirect or Web of Science

Try searching various key words such as• “assay name” AND (method OR protocol)

AND description

Notice the title of the journals

Additionally… Check the references of the resources

you find, they may list a more relevant resource

Try different spellings or terms for your method

If we don’t have it, try Interlibrary Loan

Questions? Laksamee Putnam lputnam@towson.edu Cook Library Reference:

410.704.2462. IM/email

Phone: 410.704.3746.