Descriptions of literature sources in science

Descriptions of literature sources in science

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  Descriptions of Literature Sources in Science Una adaptación de la información publicada en: Timken Science Library. 2008. Guide to library research in Science [Internet]. Wooster (OH): Timken Science Library. [citado 2009 Ago 21]. Disponible en: http://www3.wooster.edu/library/sciref/Tutor/EvSciInfo/p rimary.php
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  This diagram hasbeen adapted from Evolution of Scientific Information. [From Allan Kent and Harold Lancour, eds., Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science (New York, 1979), s.v. ”Scientific Literature,” by K. Subramanyam, 394]. 2
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  Primary Literature Sourcesin Science Primary sources present information that has not been previously published in any form in any other source. These sources may evolve through either formal or informal channels of communication. Journals, patents, and technical reports are examples of primary literature that have been evaluated through a peer-review process and are disseminated through published sources. Other primary sources, such as laboratory notebooks, memoranda, e-mail or listservs, are not usually published, but are nevertheless an important resource. Informal communication involves person-to-person interactions between scientists, often between members of a cohesive group of researchers sometimes referred to as an “invisible college.” This informal communication has the advantages of timeliness, selectivity, completeness, and development of personal rapport. Disadvantages include the possibility that researchers become too exclusive and miss important advances made by others outside their network, or that young researchers may have difficulty gaining access to the network. Laboratory Notebooks Laboratory notebooks are bound volumes in which scientists record the progress of their research. Besides their obvious value as internal references for procedures and results, they are important in obtaining patents because they can be used to prove when and where events took place or discoveries were made. Letters Journals Letters journals provide rapid publication of preliminary communications of fundamental research. Some journals include letters and short articles of this kind in the same issue as full-length research articles. 3
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  Conference Papers andProceedings Conference papers are reports of research that are read at a conference or meeting. Proceedings are collections of conference papers that are published as a single volume. Papers presented at conferences tend to be very current and deal with a specific, narrow topic. They may or may not be published after the meeting. Dissertations and Theses Theses are research papers required for some Master's degrees and dissertations are presentations of original research written by a candidate for a doctoral degree. Both serve as a source of data that has been carefully researched by the candidate, and reviewed by a faculty committee. Technical Reports Technical reports are prepared to describe the progress of research and development projects. This research is usually conducted by government agencies or supported by government grants or contracts. If the research continues over a period of years, the reports may be published in a series. Technical reports may appear in different reference formats, including proceedings, transactions, annual reports, or bibliographies. Patents A patent is an agreement with a government that grants a person or organization ownership of a design or process for a designated period of time within that country. Most industrialized countries award patents, but they don't recognize patents from other countries. Patents usually include drawings and descriptive text. 4
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  Biosequence Data Nucleotide sequences derived from the experimental sequencing of biological molecules are deposited by direct submission to primary, archival databases such as GenBank, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and DNA Databank of Japan (DDNB). SWISS-PROT is a protein sequence database containing data derived from translations of DNA sequences or by direct submission. Access: Biosequence data can be accessed at many sites, including National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and SWISS-Prot. Journal Articles Journals are publications that are issued on a regular schedule and that present detailed reports of current research in a particular field. Some journals cover research in all areas of science and technology, while others concentrate on a narrow subject area. The importance of science journals lies in their social, archival and dissemination roles in scientific communication. All articles submitted to scholarly scientific journals are subjected to a peer review process, which helps to maintain the quality of the scientific literature. Secondary Literature Sources in Science Secondary literature sources, including indexes and abstracts, encyclopedias, handbooks, reviews, and other reference sources, facilitate the assimilation of information originally disseminated through the primary literature. They integrate and improve access to the ever-increasing body of primary literature by organizing, repackaging, compiling and editing primary sources. Indexes and Abstracts Indexes provide the most efficient means of subject or author access to science information published in widely-dispersed primary literature. Relevant citations to works on a subject include such information as 5
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  the title andauthor of the article, the title, volume, issue, and publication date of the periodical, and the pages on which the article appears. Abstracts are extensions of indexes which include a summary, or abstract, of the article. Abstracts often provide enough information to determine whether or not the entire article is needed. Indexes and Abstracts may be multidisciplinary in their coverage, provide comprehensive coverage of a major discipline, or focus on a narrow subdiscipline. Some indexes are intended for use by a lay audience, covering a very limited number of popular periodicals. Other indexes and abstracts are intended for professionals in a field of science, and cover an extensive list of peer-reviewed journals as well as review literature, conference proceedings, patents, and other primary sources. The classified subject heading arrangement of abstracts tends to be more complex than the simple alphabetical arrangement of indexes. Abstracts often provide multiple access points, including biosystematic names, molecular formulas, geographic locations, chemical names, and a variety of classification codes. Searching the controlled vocabulary of some abstracting tools is facilitated by the use of a thesaurus. Indexes and abstracts are available in both print and electronic formats, although electronic databases are more convenient and provide more flexibility in searching. Citation Indexes Citation indexing is based upon the premise that there is usually a direct subject relationship between previously published articles that are cited in a new article, and the subject of the new article. A record in a citation index includes the references cited in the bibliography of the article. These cited references are searchable and provide access to newer articles that are related to the subject of the original article. Bibliographies A bibliography is a collection of citations to information sources on a particular topic. A bibliography may cover a broad subject area or focus on a very narrow topic. It may be limited by date, language, country of publication, format, or other characteristics. Bibliographies 6
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  are important becausethey save the researcher time in locating at least some of the valuable resources needed for his or her project. Bibliographies appear at the ends of books, book chapters, journal articles, or encyclopedia articles. Long bibliographies are often published as separate books. The arrangement of a bibliography depends on its length and purpose. It may be a simple list arranged alphabetically by author, or it may be arranged by subject headings and subheadings, date, format, or a combination of characteristics. Access to bibliographies depends on the format in which they appear. Bibliographies appearing in journal articles can be accessed using periodical indexes. Those published as a book can be located using a library catalog. Atlases Atlases are collections of maps, charts, or plates illustrating a particular subject. In addition to geographical atlases, which illustrate geographical information of the earth and space, biomedical atlases consist of charts and plates that locate body parts in three dimensions. Biographical Sources Biographical information appears in a number of different kinds of sources, including books, periodicals, encyclopedias and newspapers. Single- or multi-volume collections of biographical information may provide very basic data (name, date of birth, address, employment, education) or may devote several pages to an individual, providing an account of his or her career, education, accomplishments, and significance in their field. Techniques for locating biographical information depend upon the format in which such information is published. Consult periodical indexes, newspaper indexes, and indexes specific to biographical sources. Also consult library catalogs, encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries. Dictionaries The primary purpose of science and technology dictionaries is to provide definitions of scientific and technical terms. They may cover all 7
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  fields of scienceand technology, or they may be more narrowly focused. Encyclopedias Encyclopedias often provide a good starting point for research. They are usually arranged alphabetically by topic, but some are arranged by a classified system. Most encyclopedia articles also include a brief bibliography of sources for additional reading. Always consult the index for access to different aspects of a topic that may be treated in different articles. Handbooks Handbooks are single- or multi-volume collections of data and descriptive text that are designed to provide a quick reference source of useful data for experts in a particular field. Information may be presented in charts, tables, graphs, glossaries, and detailed discussions. They may also include bibliographic references to the primary literature and detailed indexes. Reviews of the Literature Reviews of the literature survey the important primary literature sources and other works on a particular topic, usually over a given time span. They provide the bibliographic information needed to find the original works, and summarize the most important points about advances during that period. Reviews are important for researchers because they save them the time it would take to search a large body of literature for the most significant items. They also provide students with an excellent starting point for their research. Reviews may appear in book form in such series as Annual Review of..., Progress in... or Advances in... . Some journals are devoted entirely to reviews of the literature, while others may include a review article in an issue along with research articles. Thesauri A thesaurus is a list of controlled vocabulary terms that indicates the relationships of terms to each other within a database. Most list 8
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  broader, narrower, andrelated terms. Definitions and scope notes may be included. Using a thesaurus assists a searcher in selecting the most effective terms for retrieving the desired information in a print or electronic index. Thesauri exist in both print and electronic formats. Treatises A treatise is a complete, authoritative summary covering an entire subject or field. It contains a detailed bibliography of primary sources from which the information was gathered. Tertiary Literature Sources in Science As a result of the proliferation of the primary literature and the quantity and diversity of secondary publications, a secondary indexing is required to facilitate access to primary and secondary sources. The tertiary sources that provide this indexing include guides to the literature and library catalogs. Guides to the Literature Guides to the literature describe the types of sources, in all formats, available for one or more disciplines, and list outstanding examples of each type. Some guides cover all aspects of science and technology, while others focus on a specific discipline. Library Catalogs Library catalogs index all items in any format held in a particular library. Books, journals, newspaper, government publications, reference materials, and non-textual materials such as films, videos, computer software, maps, photographs are some of the items that may be included. A catalog record includes both a bibliographic and physical description of the item, subject indexing, the physical location and call number of the item within the library. Library catalogs are now beginning to include records for items that are not physically held in the library, but which can be accessed by authorized users, such as electronic journals or databases. 9
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  Individual library catalogsfrom all over the world can now be accessed via the Internet. WorldCat Is the union catalog of all items cataloged by OCLC member libraries. It includes more than 62 million records for books, computer data files, computer programs, films, journals, manuscripts, musical scores, newspapers, slides, sound recordings, and videos. WorldCat does NOT index journal or newspaper articles or book chapters. 10