Transcript BiSc 102 - SFU Library

BiSc 102
ECOLOGY ASSIGNMENT: LIBRARY TUTORIAL
Instructor: Dr. Ivona Mladenovic
TA: Howie Lai
Shane Plante, Librarian
Fall 2009
Tutorial Outline
 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
 The research process
 Popular vs scholarly publications
 Using databases to find scholarly information
 Practice time
BiSc 102 Library Research Guide in WebCT
Link to BiSc 102 Library Research Guide
for this assignment
BiSc 102 (@ Surrey) research guide
Posters – see: WebCT
Sample posters
Creating posters
Sample poster (link in WebCT)
A scientific poster
IUCN Red List <http://www.iucnredlist.org/>
Search box
Sample search: Manatee
IUCN Red List: results page
The species I have chosen:
Trichechus manatus
(West Indian Manatee)
Status: Vulnerable C1 ver 3.1
Pop. trend: decreasing
Trichechus manatus entry
Scientific name:
Trichechus manatus
• Taxonomy
• Assessment Information
• Geographic Range
• Population
• Habitat and Ecology
• Threats
• Conservation Actions
Your species
 Note: It will be easier to find information on your
species if you choose an organism that has been
studied by researchers extensively.
 This may seem obvious, but it’s worth considering
before you commit to creating a poster on the Ochrerumped Antbird.
 Try searching in the IUCN Red List now.
Research Process
Identify the research topic:
Endangered or vulnerable species:
manatee
Research Process
Some aspects of your species:
Ecology
 Habitat
 Conservation actions

Research Process
Identify the terms:
 manatee
 conservation
Research Process
Identify the related terms
 Manatee: Trichechus manatus
 Conservation: conserve, preserve
Searching tools

OR

AND

Truncation *
Combining terms & tools
Trichechus
manatus
AND
conserv*
OR
preserv*
Popular vs. scholarly publications
 For your poster, you will need to find scholarly
publications with articles on your species
 Also: you shouldn’t be using Wikipedia as a source
 What are the differences between popular and
scholarly publications?
Popular publications
 Informs or entertains
 Sells products
 Aimed at general
public
 Contains graphics,
photos, illustrations
 Rarely cites other
sources
 Simple, non-technical
language
Scholarly publications
 Reports on original
research
 Audience includes
academics,
researchers,
professionals
 Often contains charts,
graphs and tables
 Always cites sources
 PEER REVIEWED or
REFEREED
Background information (books)
 For background information on your species, try
looking in reference books (e.g., encyclopedias),
books about your species (warning: there might not
be any), and books on a broader topic (e.g.,
Endangered species)
 There are suggestions for finding useful books in the
BiSc 102 (@ Surrey) research guide in your WebCT.
Article Indexes and Databases
 Biosis Previews
 Biological and Agricultural Index Plus
 Web of Science
 Zoological Record
Citations: APA style
Citing images (APA)
Biosis Previews
Trichechus manatus conserv*
Biosis Previews: results
Where can I get this? link:
Use this link to search for a
full-text version of the article
“Where can I get this?” link
SFU Library has a full-text online
version of this article in Cambridge
Journals Online. Click on the red link to
get to the article.
Full-text version of article
Biosis Previews
 Let’s spend a bit of time searching in Biosis Previews
for articles on species you found using the IUCN
Red List
Ask Us
 Questions?
 If you want help with your research, we’re happy to
help.
 Visit the reference desk
 Call the desk (604.782.7414)
 AskAway (IM chat reference)
 http://www.lib.sfu.ca/