ENT 202: Entomology - Honey Bees

Skip Contact Info and Research Tips

Contact

Mary Fran McLaughlin
Title: Reference Librarian

John D. Vairo Library
25 Yearsley Mill Road
Media, PA 19063
610 892 1386

email Mary Fran

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Course Info

Course Name:
  ENT 202
Semester:
  Fall
Campus:
  Penn State Brandywine
Instructor:
  Feldman

Research Assignment

Journal Article Presentation: Each student will present an empirical research article on one of the topics below. The empirical research article must be from a primary source and must be presented to the entire class in a PowerPoint presentation.

Topics: Medicinal honey, Medicinal propolis, Small Cell Beekeeping / cell size, Apitherapy (Sting), Pesticides and honey bee, Pesticides in wax, bees for development; No Colony Collapse.

If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.

You may also chat online with a Penn State librarian about your research needs. Don't be surprised if you are helped by Susan, Mary Fran, or Sara through chat reference, as well as in Vairo Library and by email!

Empirical Research

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH is based on Experimentation or Observation

Examine journal articles for these features:

Purpose or Objective - question(s) to be answered by the study
Method or Design - description of the research methods
Results - outcomes of the measures of the study
Discussion - interpretations and implications of the study
References - citations of articles, books, and other sources used in the study
Language - use of words such as methodology, outcomes, sample size, control group, experiment, statistical analysis, etc.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.

Search Tips:

Use the arrow at the end of the Google Scholar search box to access the ADVANCED SEARCH option.

Select keywords based on your topic needs. In the sample search below, I have included keywords: honeybees, medicinal and "control group" while excluding "colony collapse." Be sure to use the date limit option in the search.

Are you working from home? Set your Google Scholar Preferences to recognize you as a Penn State student.

For best results: Before searching Google Scholar, click on the link to SETTINGS in the upper right of the Google Scholar search page. Click on LIBRARY LINKS in the left margin. Enter Pennsylvania State University and click on the search icon. When "Pennsylvania State University (Get it! @ Penn State)" appears, place a check in the box preceding it and click on SAVE. Now, if the Google Scholar search includes results that are available in Penn State full text databases, a link for "GET IT! @ Penn State" will appear. Click on it and log in with your Penn State ID and Password when prompted in order to display the full text from Penn State subscriptions. This brief screencast demonstrates the steps.

Access Google Scholar

If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.

Selected Databases

SELECTED DATABASES

Academic Search Complete (Ebsco): is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals.

Search Tips:

Add these search terms to your topic keywords: ("control group" or experiment or "data collection")
Search your keywords in the ABSTRACT field of the articles.
ASK the librarians for help if you have questions. Ask in-person, by email or by chat online.

NAL Digital Repository: The National Agricultural Library's (NAL's) digital repository includes selected articles, research and other information produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). NAL is committed to providing open access to scientific information in the fields of agriculture, food, and the natural resources.

Search Tips:

click on ADVANCED SEARCH in the left-side column.
Add these search terms to your topic keywords: ("control group" or experiment or "data collection").
Search your keywords in the ABSTRACT field of the articles.
ASK the librarians for help if you have questions. Ask in-person, by email or by chat online.

If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a scholarly article authored by a Penn State researcher?If you are using Google Scholar to search for your article, include "Pennsylvania State University" (with quotes) in your search.

The journal title on my article is abbreviated. How do I find the complete title?Enter the abbreviated title into Google and browse the results for the complete journal title.

How do I find the editorial board of a journal?Many editorial boards can be found by entering the full journal name and the phrase "editorial board" (with quotes) into a Google search.

What is the benefit of using quotation marks around a search phrase?
Using the quotation marks when searching ensures that the results will show only pages that exactly match your keyword phrase. When you search without using the quotation marks, the results are given to you in any combination of the words.