Comprehensive Guide to Final Research Papers, Scientific Literature Procurement, and Library Database Searching Strategies

Course Announcements and Schedule Adjustments

  • Lab 2 Group Assignments:

    • Occurs during the second lab session where students meet their semester-long project teams.
    • Instructions for locating assigned group numbers are published on the lab Brightspace pages.
    • Students must check their assigned group number on Brightspace prior to attending lab.
    • In the lab room, students must sit at the specific lab table that correlates directly with their assigned group number.

  • Updated Course Schedule:

    • Week of October 5: Execution of Lab 6 and Lecture 6.
    • Week Following October 5: Fall Break (no lectures, labs, or class assignments scheduled).

  • Final Research Paper Submission Date:

    • The submission deadline for the final research paper has been officially extended to Thursday, December 10.

Overview of the Team Research Paper and Poster Project

  • Project Scope:

    • Major course component executed in collaboration with assigned student teams.
    • Involves writing a formal research paper and creating an accompanying research poster.
    • Developed iteratively across the semester through outlines, preliminary drafts, and final compilation.

  • Core Structural Sections of the Research Paper:

    • Introduction Section: Sets up the scientific foundation and contextualizes the study.
    • Methods Section: Explains the exact procedural steps and experimental designs executed.
    • Results Section: Presents data acquired directly from the experimental procedures.
    • Discussion Section: Interprets results, outlines broader implications, and connects findings back to established literature.

Detailed Breakdown of Research Paper Sections & Citation Requirements

  • Introduction Section Requirements:

    • Poses the central research question evaluated throughout the study.
    • Frames the core research question within the broader global context of climate change.
    • Integrates background literature and current scientific data to demonstrate how the specific investigation fits into the wider knowledge base.
    • Mandatory Citations: Must include 8 to 10 primary source references.

  • Discussion Section Requirements:

    • Provides direct scientific interpretations of data presented in the Results section.
    • Connects data back to the overarching issues and questions introduced in the Introduction.
    • Evaluates whether findings align with, support, or refute existing published literature in the field.
    • Outlines potential future research directions based on findings.
    • Mandatory Citations: Requires referencing back to original citations introduced in the Introduction, plus adding 4 brand new primary source references.

Campus Library Resources and Subject Help

  • Subject Librarian Consultation:

    • Campus library support includes dedicated subject librarians specializing in Science and Psychology.
    • Provides instruction on advanced searching, source evaluation, database navigation, and proper citation.

  • In-Person Research Help Desk:

    • Location: Located inside Bartle Library, positioned directly adjacent to the main service desk at the front entrance.
    • Staffed during scheduled hours to assist students with literature searches and source procurement.

  • Online Subject Guides at Bantam:

    • The library website features dedicated subject landing pages for every discipline taught at Bantam.
    • Offers curated lists of specialized databases and literature repositories customized for specific field research.

Source Typology and Evaluation Criteria

  • Primary / Empirical Sources:

    • Original empirical studies presenting first-hand experimental design, methodology, and direct data collection.
    • Mandatory for meeting research paper reference minimums.

  • Review Articles:

    • Papers that summarize, compare, and synthesize multiple external experiments and findings.
    • Useful for obtaining broad foundational background on a research topic.
    • Should not be cited directly to support primary experimental claims in the research paper.

  • Peer-Reviewed Sources:

    • Research articles evaluated, vetted, and approved by independent subject-matter experts prior to publication.
    • Ensures academic rigor, methodological soundness, and credibility superior to unvetted web content.

  • Library Databases:

    • Comprehensive online archives containing searchable academic literature across distinct fields.
    • Web of Science: A massive, cross-disciplinary database covering all scientific fields.
    • PsycInfo: A specialized, domain-specific database restricted strictly to psychology literature.
    • Strategy: Searching across multiple databases is necessary, as a single database may lack coverage on specific interdisciplinary subjects.

Advanced Literature Searching Strategies

  • Objectives of the Literature Review:

    • Examines existing scientific publications to determine current knowledge bounds.
    • Compares and contrasts previous findings rather than providing simple summaries.
    • Highlights existing research gaps that the current experiment aims to fill.
    • Establishes a compelling argument justifying the necessity and impact of the study.

  • Search Strategy Selection:

    • General Search: Applied in early stages when a precise hypothesis or specific experimental plan is still being formulated.
    • Advanced Search: Applied once a specific research question is established (e.g., investigating the impacts of climate change on monarch butterfly migration patterns).

  • Constructing Advanced Search Syntax:

    • Step 1: Write out the research topic and question in comprehensive detail.
    • Step 2: Extract key concepts and core terminology to create targeted search terms.
    • Step 3: Employ Boolean operators and syntax modifiers to explicitly control search results.

  • Database Controls and Syntax Modifiers:

    • Boolean AND: Connects core keywords to force the database to retrieve only articles containing all specified terms.
    • Phrase Search (Quotation Marks " "): Encloses exact multi-word terms (e.g., "extreme weather") to ensure words appear immediately adjacent to each other rather than separated throughout the document.
    • Truncation Symbol (*): Placed at the root stem of a word (e.g., hurricane*) to retrieve alternate word endings, plurals, and variations across databases without auto-stemming.

  • Citation Management & Advanced Tools:

    • Critical for organizing literature across long-term academic initiatives such as the First-Year Research Immersion (FRI) program, Nursing studies, or Biology tracks.