WRIT 372

The Process

1. Go to a science talk & take notes:

· One option is to search the MSU website for “Science Seminar” or look at the MSU Calendar of Events

· During the talk, note keywords that are frequently used, to search for more research later

2. Do an initial search for the speaker & research on the topic

· Search the MSU website for the researchers name, to find if they work with a lab or other researchers

· Start by searching CatSearch for the specific author’s name, or a specific article the talk was about by title

· Use the arrow icons to show older sources cited in an article, and newer sources citing  that article

3. Determine keywords - example: ("subglacial lake" OR "ice sheet") AND (microbes OR minerals)

· As you search you may find more -or better- keywords & synonyms to use, or different spellings... play around with keywords and different combinations to see what is most useful

· Use AND to link different concepts and keywords together

· Use OR to group synonyms, or similar concepts together in parentheses

· Use quotation marks to search for specific phrases, or key words with two or more words

4. Search for more research on the topic in Web of Science & Subject databases

· Use Web of Science to find review papers, highly cited papers, and hot papers, which are explained more on the next page (these will show up as filters if they are available - you won’t see these options for every topic)

· Find databases by subject area, and search using keywords in a few of the databases listed under Suggested Resources

· If you find a good article (or if the talk was about a specific article), use the reference list to find more sources on the same topic. 

· If another author shows up multiple times in the reference list, they are likely a key player—search for more research by that author as well (use advanced search to search by author)

5. Search for news & popular sources on the topic

· Use Journals by title to find: Scientific American, Nature, The Atlantic, NYTimes, Washington Post, WSJ, Nautilus

6. Read, determine an angle, and write about it

· Not just a summary of the research, but what did you find interesting, why is this important, or what does it mean for me… find an interesting implication of the research, future directions, etc.

Specific Resources

MSU Website – use for:

· Search for a specific researchers name, to find if they work for a lab, or with other researchers on campus

CatSearch (search box on library homepage) — use for:

· searching a specific author’s name: search the full name in quotations, or first initial and last name 

· finding a specific article by title: search for the title in quotation marks

· Use the arrow icons to show older sources cited in that article, and newer sources citing  that article

· finding books by keywords: read the description to get a sense of the big picture of research in the field

Web of Science — use for:

· Search using keywords, and limit by date, to find more articles on the topic

· Review papers: articles that have pulled together and summarized the most relevant sources on a topic

· Highly cited papers: sources (usually older) that have been very influential and cited by many other authors

· Hot papers: sources (usually newer) that are currently being cited and talked about in the field

Subject Databases — use for:

· Limit databases by subject area

· Search using keyword in a few of the databases listed under Suggested Resources Search, and limit by date, to find more articles on the topic

News sources - Use Journals by Title to find:

· Scientific American, Nature, The Atlantic, NYTimes, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Nautilus, etc.

• Off Campus Login

  

  Using your NetID and password, you can login and access all the information you need through the Library.
• Google Scholar

  Connect to Library resources from Google Scholar > Settings (three-line icon in the top left corner of the page) > Library Links > search for "Montana State University Library - Check MSU Availability" > check the box > save.

The MSU Library provides interlibrary loan (ILL) services for current students, faculty, staff, and affiliates.  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide this to alumni, retirees, or the general public.

ILL is an agreement to borrow from and loan to other libraries. You can request books (no current semester textbooks), articles, video or audio recordings, government documents, theses/dissertations, conference proceedings, patents, and newspapers. If we can find a source, we’ll try to get it!

Most article requests take 2-3 business days while most loan requests take 3-7 business days