Researching for Science subjects
The research process
Planning your research before you start will save you time, because you'll know what to look for and where to look for it.
Planning your research before you start will save you time, because you'll know what to look for and where to look for it.
Where you can find information
Academic articles
Where to find academic articles
State Library of NSW
If you are a member of your local library you can register your card to access the State Library's databases where you can find academic articles. We have a guide to using the State Library databases.
Open Access
Open Access (OA) articles are freely available online, you don't need a login to read them. The following are places you can search for OA science journals. Be sure to use the options provided on each search page to refine your search so you can filter out irrelevant results.
PLOS - OA science journals. Probably the best place to look if you are looking for OA science research.
DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals. Filter out irrelevant results by choosing English in the 'full text language' filter on the left of the search results page.
CORE - Use the options on the left to modify your search, particularly the language of the articles.
BASE - To limit the search to OA articles uncheck 'non-open access' from the access options on the bottom right.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is another source for academic journals. Uncheck the 'include patents' and 'include citations' boxes. If you're still getting a lot of results you can't access the full text for, try adding filetype:pdf at the end of your search. This will limit the search to PDFs, which are usually freely available. If you're getting results for books, try adding -book at the end of your search.
State Library of NSW
If you are a member of your local library you can register your card to access the State Library's databases where you can find academic articles. We have a guide to using the State Library databases.
Open Access
Open Access (OA) articles are freely available online, you don't need a login to read them. The following are places you can search for OA science journals. Be sure to use the options provided on each search page to refine your search so you can filter out irrelevant results.
PLOS - OA science journals. Probably the best place to look if you are looking for OA science research.
DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals. Filter out irrelevant results by choosing English in the 'full text language' filter on the left of the search results page.
CORE - Use the options on the left to modify your search, particularly the language of the articles.
BASE - To limit the search to OA articles uncheck 'non-open access' from the access options on the bottom right.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is another source for academic journals. Uncheck the 'include patents' and 'include citations' boxes. If you're still getting a lot of results you can't access the full text for, try adding filetype:pdf at the end of your search. This will limit the search to PDFs, which are usually freely available. If you're getting results for books, try adding -book at the end of your search.
Finding quality resources on Google
You can also try using Sweetsearch, which is a search engine designed to produce results that are more relevant for students.
You can also try using Sweetsearch, which is a search engine designed to produce results that are more relevant for students.
There is a process you can use to find quality resources quickly so you spend less time looking for resources and more time working on the main requirements of the task.
1. Begin by doing a Google search using the keywords from your question. Don't just type the whole question into Google. Don't open any websites at first.
2. Look at the urls in your search results. In a new tab, open any urls that:
-End in .gov - this is a government website.
-End in .edu - this is an educational website.
-Contain an acronym rather than words - eg. bgs.ac.uk rather than science-homework-help.com- The website with the acronym in the url is more likely to be for an organisation specialising in the topic.
-Any results that are from reputable publications (newspapers, magazines etc) or media outlets - eg. Smithsonian, New Atlantic, BBC, ABC, National Geographic, The Conversation, The Guardian, Encyclopaedia Britannica etc.
1. Begin by doing a Google search using the keywords from your question. Don't just type the whole question into Google. Don't open any websites at first.
2. Look at the urls in your search results. In a new tab, open any urls that:
-End in .gov - this is a government website.
-End in .edu - this is an educational website.
-Contain an acronym rather than words - eg. bgs.ac.uk rather than science-homework-help.com- The website with the acronym in the url is more likely to be for an organisation specialising in the topic.
-Any results that are from reputable publications (newspapers, magazines etc) or media outlets - eg. Smithsonian, New Atlantic, BBC, ABC, National Geographic, The Conversation, The Guardian, Encyclopaedia Britannica etc.
How to tell if the online publication you are looking at is reputable
Research the publication...
Google the name of the publication. Find out: When was it established? Generally, older (10+ years old) publications are trustworthy. (NB. Older publications, not older articles!) Check Wikipedia or media bias fact check type websites for information about political bias and the level of accuracy of their articles. Are there other search results that confirm that the publication is trustworthy? |
Look at the article...
Is the author's name given? Is there a link to more information about them such as their qualifications, background and specialist topics? Is the page layout neat and well organised or is it cluttered and confusing? Is it well-written? Look for typos and grammatical errors, but also the level of sophistication of the writing. |
3. Flick through each tab and briefly scan the website. Close the tab if:
-The site is very short or very long.
-If the images aren't loading or aren't relevant.
-Is the website technical? That's good. Unless it's too technical for you to understand, then close it.
-If it's out of date or if there is no date.
-If you can't find who wrote the website or if the person who wrote it isn't qualified in that field.
4. You should have narrowed your selection down a bit in step 3, so now you can use these detailed questions to evaluate any remaining websites more thoroughly.
-The site is very short or very long.
-If the images aren't loading or aren't relevant.
-Is the website technical? That's good. Unless it's too technical for you to understand, then close it.
-If it's out of date or if there is no date.
-If you can't find who wrote the website or if the person who wrote it isn't qualified in that field.
4. You should have narrowed your selection down a bit in step 3, so now you can use these detailed questions to evaluate any remaining websites more thoroughly.
Evaluating websites
This is important to make sure the information you are using is correct and trustworthy.
This is important to make sure the information you are using is correct and trustworthy.
Advanced search skills
You can use these when you're searching in both Google/Sweetsearch and databases, and they will help you to find more relevant results more quickly. Narrowing your search to .edu sites will be especially useful for you in science.
You can use these when you're searching in both Google/Sweetsearch and databases, and they will help you to find more relevant results more quickly. Narrowing your search to .edu sites will be especially useful for you in science.
Helpful websites
Science Daily - Short articles with the latest news in scientific research.
Science News - Short articles on current scientific news.
Eureka Alert - News releases from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Science - Longer articles from the AAAS. You can read five free articles per month.
The Conversation - Articles written by academics in an easy-to-read style.
Scientific American - Online version of the Scientific American periodical. You can read a limited number of free articles per month.
Nature - Online version of the Nature periodical.
Science Daily - Short articles with the latest news in scientific research.
Science News - Short articles on current scientific news.
Eureka Alert - News releases from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Science - Longer articles from the AAAS. You can read five free articles per month.
The Conversation - Articles written by academics in an easy-to-read style.
Scientific American - Online version of the Scientific American periodical. You can read a limited number of free articles per month.
Nature - Online version of the Nature periodical.
Bibliographies and referencing
You can use the SLASA Referencing Generator for your bibliography.
If you have been asked to use in-text referencing or footnotes and aren't sure how to do this, we have a guide on Referencing in Year 11 and 12.
You can use the SLASA Referencing Generator for your bibliography.
If you have been asked to use in-text referencing or footnotes and aren't sure how to do this, we have a guide on Referencing in Year 11 and 12.
© 2024 Inaburra School