Biology of Human Disease
Biology 300

RESOURCES AT KALAMAZOO COLLEGE

Using Catalogs to locate books:

1.) Ariadne

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number

2.) MeLCat

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• About MeLCat

3.) WestCat - Western Michigan's catalog

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number
• Waldo Library: Hours and How to get to Western

4.) WorldCat and 5.) Interlibrary Loan

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Order item through Interlibrary Loan

Scholarly Journals, Popular Magazines, and Trade Publications

Scholarly Journals (Psychology of Women Quarterly)

• Authors are scholars or researchers in their fields.
• Authors cite their sources in footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies.
• Individual issues have little or no advertising.
• Articles must go through a peer-review process.
• Articles usually report original scholarly research.
• Most illustrations are charts, figures, or graphs.
• Authors use the specialized language or jargon of the discipline.

Popular Magazines (Psychology Today, Newsweek)

• Authors are free lance writers or magazine staff members.
• Authors may mention sources, but rarely cite them in notes or bibliographies.
• Individual issues contain many advertisements.
• There is no peer review process. Articles are reviewed by editors or publishers.
• Illustrations are numerous and colorful.
• Articles are meant to inform and entertain an educated audience.
• Language is written for the general adult audience (no specialized jargon).

  Trade Publications

• Authors are specialists in a specific field or industry.
• Authors may mention sources, but rarely cite them formally in notes or bibliographies.
• Articles are meant for people employed in an industry or seeking employment in it.
• There is no peer review process.
• Articles give practical information to people in an industry.
• Some illustrations are included, usually charts, graphs, etc.
• Authors use jargon of the industry.

Scholarly or Not?
Use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Ref. Desk Z6941 .U5)
Look for section called "Document Type"
Document Type MUST say "Academic/Scholarly Publication" to be considered scholarly!

Examples of periodical types:

INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS 

See the Biology Research Guide: Indexes and Databases to help select an Index.

General Science Abstracts < about >

Health Reference Center-Academic < about >

Do you have access to a journal?  

1.) Ariadne (print)

• Title search on Title of the Journal to locate print journal

2.) Online Journals at K

• Title search on Title of the Journal to locate article in a Full Text Database

3.) WestCat - Western Michigan's catalog

• Title search on Title of the Journal
• Waldo Library - Hours and How to get to Western

4.) Interlibrary Loan

• Order item through Interlibrary Loan
  
• Use *only* when the journal is not available through Ariadne or Online Journals at K

FULL-TEXT RESOURCES

Online Journals at K

OmniFile < about >

NOTE: Don't forget to use Bibliographies!

WEB SITES

For Search Engines and Search Tools, see Finding Web Sites and Web Indexes and Directories.
See also Biology Research Guide: Web Sites.

WorldCat < about >
WorldCat contains bibliographic citations for high-quality Web sites on a variety of subjects. When you search WorldCat for Web sites, remember to check the box for "Internet Resources" in the section called "Limit type to". Sites are selected according to a collection development policy that emphasizes quality, authoritativeness, and durability.

Use these points to evaluate the credibility of Websites:

1. Accuracy
How reliable is the information? Are there editors and fact checkers?
2. Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Is the publisher reputable?
3. Objectivity
Is the author trying to sway opinion? Is the information free from bias?
4. Currency
Is the publication date indicated? Is the source up to date?
5. Coverage
Does the site cover the topic comprehensively, or are there information gaps?

Sites that provide guidance on evaluating Websites:

• Evaluating Web Resources
  Widener University Library
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
  Johns Hopkins University Library
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources
  New Mexico State University Library
• Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
  UCLA College Library

A CONCISE GUIDE TO WRITING A CRITICAL BOOK REVIEW
from the University of Alberta

A critical book review, as well as giving information about a book, expresses an opinion on the book. An essential element of a critical review is the expression of an evaluative judgment on the quality, meaning and significance of the book. It includes a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well (in the opinion of the reviewer) the author has succeeded, and presents evidence to support this evaluation.

Three aspects that must be covered by a critical book review are:

1. Contents - what is said in the book.
   (Note: this is not a summary of contents, but a statement describing the contents.)
2. Style - how it is said
3. Assessment - a comment on the significance of what is said.

Suggested steps in writing a critical book review:

1. Get to know the work by a careful reading of the book; and by the opinions of others. (Use the resources of the library to find other critical reviews.) In getting to know the book, use all the information within the book itself. Look at the title page, is there a subtitle? Note when the book was first published. Is there a table of contents, or chapter headings? If so, use these as an orientation to the organization and contents of the book. If a bibliography is present, give it careful scrutiny to determine what may have contributed to the author's conclusions. Also consider the quality and veracity of these sources. Always read the preface or introduction for statements about the book's intentions and/or limitations. As you read, take notes and flag passages that you feel are illustrative of the purpose, theme and style of the work. Note strengths as well as weaknesses.

   .

2. Establish the "thesis" of the review. Think about what the main point of your criticism will be. In establishing the main point of criticism consider the author's intention in writing the book and whether this was achieved.

   .

3. Make a preliminary outline. Consult notes made while reading the book. Assemble these notes around the main point to be made in the review. Decide on the best order of presenting the criticism for clarity and emphasis.

   .

4. Write a first draft, double or triple spacing and leaving wide margins to allow room for corrections and additions. Include statements about the author's previous works and background; his or her cultural, scientific, religious, and political affiliation; and reputation. Also state the author's purpose and occasion for writing the book, as stated or implied in the preface or text. Pay particular attention to the opening paragraph.

   Some suggestions on how to begin:

   • describe the author's purpose for writing the book and his or her qualifications
   • state the main point of criticism about the book
   • describe the genre or group to which the work belongs
   • give the historical background of the work
   • comment on the significance of the work

   
   For the body of the review follow the preliminary outline, assembling and if necessary, rearranging arguments for the most logical presentation. Use quotation marks or indents to set off any quoted material. In the conclusion restate or sum up your thesis. If possible leave some time before the next step.

5. Revise the first draft. Read through and correct errors as they are found. Reading aloud is helpful to show up any awkwardness of construction. At this point verify quotations for accuracy and make sure they are properly indicated. Check again for logical presentation and, if necessary, rearrange statements and/or make major revisions. Your rough draft is finished when you are ready to make a final copy from it.

6. Copy over and document sources. Check uncertain spelling as you copy. Document the work being reviewed either in a subtitle or footnote, giving the author, title, place of publication, publisher and date of publication. Passages quoted from the work as well as passages referred to in the work must be footnoted. Ideas borrowed or quoted from other sources must also be properly acknowledged. (For correct examples of footnotes and bibliographic form consult any of the style guides available in Reference collections.)

Finding Examples  

General Science Abstracts
Select "advanced search," then from the drop-down menu called TYPE, select "Book (brv)".
This will return citations to book reviews.

Books

Reviews and reviewing : a guide, edited by A.J. Walford.
PN98.B7 R5 1986
Location: Waldo Library, Western Michigan University, General Stacks.

Book reviewing for an audience; a practical guide in technique for lecture and broadcast, Evelyn Oppenheimer.
PN98.B7 O6

SCIENTIFIC JOURNALISM

Books

Writing Science through Critical Thinking / Marilyn F. Moriarty
T11 .M573 1997

Science as Writing / David Locke
Q225.5 .L63 1992

Selling Science: How the Press Covers Science and Technology / Dorothy Nelkin
Q225 .N35 1987

Communicating in Science: Writing and Speaking / Vernon Booth
Q223 .B665 1985

A field guide for science writers / edited by Deborah Blum and Mary Knudson.
T11 .F52 1997 Location: Waldo Library, General Stacks

The craft of scientific writing / Michael Alley
T11 .A37 1996 Location: Waldo Library, General Stacks

Communicating in science : writing a scientific paper and speaking at scientific meetings / Vernon Booth
Q223 .B664 1993 Location: Waldo Library, General Stacks

The elements of technical writing / Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly.
T11 .B628 1993 Location: Waldo Library, General Stacks

Web Sites

Writing and Editing Links for Biology and Medicine
Maintained by Jennifer Macke, Biomedical Writing and Editing Service.

MedWeb
MedWeb is a catalogue of health related web sites maintained by the Emory Health Sciences Center Library to provide access to biomedical information to improve education, research and patient care.

MedWebWriting
MedWeb's links to sites on Medical and Technical writing.

PRESENTING SCIENCE

General Books

Presenting Science with Impact / Cindy Todoroff
Q223 .T63 1997

Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and Publications
Q222 .B75 1996

Presentation Software

Getting results with Microsoft PowerPoint 98, Macintosh edition.
Curricular Support QA76.76.I57 M47 1998

Teach yourself PowerPoint 97 [video recording]
Curric.Supp/Main Lvl W22-QA76.76.O63 T4 v.5

Using Microsoft PowerPoint 97 / written by Nancy Stevenson ... [et al.]
Curricular Support T385 .U87 1997

CITING YOUR SOURCES