Science Communication : Home

The library website is your gateway to finding and accessing the research articles you will need to complete your assignments. The website is available at tamucc.edu/library

This guide will show you how to use the library website to find research articles, and explain how to get help when you need it.

You will need to log in to the library website when accessing library materials off campus. When prompted use your Island ID and your password, just like logging in to Canvas. Once you have logged in, you can use library tools and content the same way you would from a computer on campus.

What types of information sources will you use this semester?

You will need to find both find original research articles and review articles. Both types are published in peer reviewed journals. Some are available free on the Internet, some are behind paywalls. Library subscriptions allow you to access some paywalled content. We subscribe to many journals, but not all.

Original research articles

Authors of original research articles propose a hypothesis and then prove or disprove it with their chosen method. The article reports the results of this experiment or study. Original research articles will usually feature the following:

• introduction - this usually features a statement of the problem and a review of earlier research
• method - a description of the experiment and how data was interpreted
• results - what actually happened when they did the experiment
• discussion - Was the hypothesis proven or disproved?  What are some avenues for further research?

Review articles

In review articles the authors discuss the findings of many original research articles written on the same topic. Review articles do not usually have methods or results sections as there is no new study being done. The review is a means to report on the current state of research in an area based on analyzing the existing original research articles regarding that area.

Examples

To help you distinguish between these two types of peer reviewed science articles, I have found an example of each.

Example of primary research article:

Nelms, S. E., Galloway, T. S., Godley, B. J., Jarvis, D. S., & Lindeque, P. K. (2018). Investigating microplastic trophic transfer in marine top predators. Environmental Pollution, 238, 999–1007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.016

Example of review article:

Zhang, H. (2017). Transport of microplastics in coastal seas. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 199, 74–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.09.032

Finding research articles

This video demonstrates how to find peer reviewed articles on the library website using Quick Search and research databases.

Using keywords and filters

Here is a video about the utility of keywords and filters when you are searching for research articles to include in your bibliography.

I want to introduce you to citation management software. This software can help you manage your sources like books and articles and all the information you need to create citations for them. The software will automatically scrape this information from the Internet and save it to your computer. You can also install a plugin to integrate Word and other word processor software to create both intext and reference list citations automatically based on a local database synced to a cloud account.

The following video is an introduction to Zotero.

Creating a Bibliography in Zotero

Zotero is able to produce citations and bibliographies in multiple formats; examples include APA, MLA, Chicago, and Council of Science Editors. Some are available as soon as you download the Zotero software. Other formats must be loaded before they are available in Zotero.

To produce a bibliography using Zotero:

• Open Zotero
  •  First time users will have to download and install the software from zotero.org.
  • To take advantage of the cloud capabilities, create a Zotero user profile and sync your library.
• Create a collection in your library for the bibliography project
• Collect citation data
• Double check citation data
• Create a bibliography
  • Right click on folder for which you want to create a bibliography
  • Select "Create a Bibliography from this Collection"
  • Select desired citation style
  • Under "Output mode" select "Bibliography"
  • Under "Output method" select "Copy to Clipboard" 
  • Paste in Word

Left to Right: Aida Almanza-Ferro, Mohammed AlHamad, and Eric Cosio.

We are the librarians for the College of Engineering and Computer Science and for the College of Science. We look forward to working with you! To contact us or to make an appointment:

Submit your request and we'll get right back to you!

Or, you can reach out directly. For our email addresses and phone numbers, see the list below:

Mohammed AlHamad | mohammad.alhamad@tamucc.edu | 361-825-2355
Aida Almanza-Ferro | aida.almanza@tamucc.edu | 361-825-2356
Eric Cosio | eric.cosio@tamucc.edu | 361-825-2610

Librarians are available M-F, 8-5.

The CASA Writing Center can help with any type of writing at all stages of the writing process!

The Writing Center can help:

• brainstorm ideas
• outline your paper
• organize your argument
• use the clearest language possible
• check your technical style (APA/MLA/Chicago)
• identify and correct grammatical errors and look for patterns
• revise your own paper
• edit, format, and proofread your own paper

Visit their website for location, hours and contact information.