Additional Tips
Finding out about MIT and Harvard Research
Facts and Statistics
- Governmental and International websites can be great sources for statistics
- Data.gov
- World Health Organization
- World Bank
- Google Site Search
- Beginner's Guide to Locating and Using Numeric Data - Harvard Libguide
Use Alerts and RSS Feeds to Stay Informed
- In HOLLIS, after you conduct a search you have the option to save it. In "My Favorites," you can set alerts for saved searches.
- JournalTOCs: a free service that lets you keep track of newly published journal articles
- Google Scholar alerts
Most scholarly databases offer an alerts feature
Managing citations
Citation and Research Management Tools at Harvard - this guide provides help with:
- Comparing Citation Tools
- Using Zotero (my recommendation)
- Citations Style Guides
- Sign up for Zotero classes
- And more
Science Writing Anthologies
Books (select titles)
- The Best American Science and Nature Writing
- years 2001 to 2010 are available for Pick Up at 16 Harvard Library location
- years 2011-2015 are available at Cabot Library
- years 2008-2017 are available at Widener Library for In-Library use only
The Best Science Writing Online 2012 by Call Number: Q225.5 .B47 2012ISBN: 9780374533342Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011,The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way we think about science-- from fluids to fungi, poisons to pirates. Featuring noted authors and journalists as well as the brightest up-and-comers writing today, this collection provides a comprehensive look at the fascinating, innovative, and trailblazing scientific achievements and breakthroughs of 2011, along with elegant and thought provoking new takes on favorite topics.
How to Read a Scholarly Article
- How to Read a Scholarly Article- brief video from Western Libraries
- Infographic: How to read a scientific paper"Because scientific articles are different from other texts, like novels or newspaper stories, they should be read differently."
- How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articlesbrief video from the University of Minnesota Libraries
Science Literacy
Scholarly vs Popular Sources
| Scholarly (e.g. Journals, Conference Proceedings) | Popular (e.g. Magazines, Trade Publications) | |
| Authors | Professors and researchers |
|
| Content | Articles reporting research results |
|
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, college students | General public |
| Reviewed by |
Other scholars within the field (Peer-reviewed) |
Editors |
| Bibliography |
List of references |
Few if any citations |
| Illustrations |
Charts, Graphs, Math Equations, etc. |
Pictures, cartoons, infographics, etc. |
| Examples |
Journal of Heat Transfer Journal of Applied Mechanics [titles you would find in an academic library] |
Time Newsweek [titles you can find at a bookstore and in a library] |