Research Article Comparison:
Use these indexes to locate two or more research articles on an animal science topic.
Reminder: these two articles will not be on exactly the same topic, but they will have something in common so that you can compare them. For example, one article might be on the effects of vitamin E on immune function in pigs, the second article might be on the effects of vitamin E on immune function in fish.
- Biological Abstracts primarily research articles in the biological sciences
- CAB Abstracts (agriculture, nutrition and global health) agricultural articles. Includes foreign language titles not likely to be owned by PSU.
Get the full text:
Once you identify an article you want, while still in the database, click on the
button. A menu will appear that offers a link to the full text if it is available. If no online full-text is available, click on The CAT link to see if Penn State owns the print version. If no print version is available, click on the ILL option to order the article from another library. You can also enter your article information into the Citation Linker service to see if Penn State has it.
Legislative Constituent Letter:
Look for books, summaries and general articles by using the following databases, or use the databases listed for the Research Article Comparison assignment
- CQ Researcher - Access to essays on covering political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy.
- Congressional Research Service Reports (Gallery Watch) - Objective, non-partisan analysis of public policy issues before the legislature.
- Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - Research and background information on social issues.
- Proquest (multiple databases) - index to popular and trade magazines
- Access World News (NewsBank) local, regional (including Pennsylvania), national and world newspapers.
- Agropedia (agriculture encyclopedias) - General definitions and explanations
- The CAT - Books owned by PSU
Issues Paper:
Use any of the above resources for locating information for your issues paper should you choose to write the longer issues paper instead of the shorter writing assignments.Research Tips:
Selecting a Research Topic:Pick a topic you enjoy! You want something that is broad enough that you can find information and yet narrow enough that you are not overwhelmed with sources.
Evaluating Resources for Content:
To evaluate print sources and web sites, you should ask a series of questions concerning the source’s currency, authority, validity, intended audience and bias. See this How to Evaluate Information site for details.
Citing Your Sources:
The objective in citing your sources is to lead the next person to the same information you found. Make sure your citation contains everything you would need to backtrack and find the information again. Use the specific style outlined in your assignment.
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Course Contact
Course Information
Dale Olver
Fall 2009
