This course guide provides information to support and supplement what is covered in the ABEN 790 library sessions.

Database Searching and Finding Journals

Documents for In-Class Activities

Database Searching

Citing Sources

Example style shown in class: APA 7th Edition

APA Style and Grammar Guidelines > References main page.

Example journal article shown in class: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.12226

How would you cite this if you were writing a manuscript for one of the ASABE journals?

https://www.asabe.org/GuideForAuthors

Article Types: Original Research vs. Review Article

For a guide on evidence synthesis in review articles, see the Cornell University Library guide: "A Guide to Evidence Synthesis: Types of Evidence Synthesis".

Here are two articles outlining different kinds of reviews

  • Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
  • Paré, G., Trudel, M., Jaana, M., & Kitsiou, S. (2015). Synthesizing information systems knowledge: A typology of literature reviews. Information & Management, 52(2), 183-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.08.008

 

Recommended Databases and Tips for Searching

Need to find one or more articles on a topic? Try one of our databases! Some recommend databases for ABEN include:

See our other recommended databases for Agriculture & Food Systems and for Engineering.

Database Searching Tips

Looking for more help? Schedule a research consultation with the Agriculture Sciences Librarian or the Sciences Librarian.

 

Finding Journals

Need to find the full text of a specific article? Want to see if we have online access to a specific journal? See our Find Journals guide for instructions.

Looking for peer-reviewed, original research articles? The Finding and Identifying Original Research Articles in the Sciences guide has information that describes peer-review and characteristics of original research articles (so you know what to look for!).

If the library does not have the article you need, you can request it (for free) through Interlibrary Loan.

Finding Full Text & What to Do When You Can't Find It!

When searching in library databases, look for the SEARCH @ NDSU button or link. When you click on this button/link, a new window or tab will open to run a search through library resources to see if we have access to that journal.

You can also check to see if the library has access to the journal the article was published in by using our journal search. For more information see https://library.ndsu.edu/search-find/research/research-assistance/find-journals

* If you discover that we don't have electronic access but we DO have print access in our storage annex, you can request a PDF of the article. For more information see https://library.ndsu.edu/search-find/research/research-assistance/request-annex

One of the fastest and easiest ways can be to search for the article in Google Scholar. You can change the settings in Google Scholar so that links to materials that NDSU has access to will be available. Here are directions for changing your settings: https://library.ndsu.edu/search-find/research/research-assistance/google-scholar.

If the library does not have the article you need, you can request it (for free) through Interlibrary Loan. For instructions on how to use Interlibrary Loan, see https://library.ndsu.edu/search-find/research/research-assistance/interlibrary-loan.

Access Issues

Unfortunately, we all occasionally have issues with accessing library resources. Here are some of the most common problems that students may encounter:

I can't login to access this database/article.
The login for databases/articles is your NDSU email with the associated password.

After logging in, you may encounter a second authentication page that asks you to choose a device and an authentication method (Duo Push, Call Me, Passcode). For more information about this multi-factor authentication go to https://kb.ndsu.edu/99733

If you are having problems with your login or the authentication process, please contact the NDSU Helpdesk at https://www.ndsu.edu/it/help/

I can’t login to my library account
The login for your library account is your NDSU email (first.last@ndsu.edu) along with the password you have associated with it.

If you are having problems (like password doesn't seem to work), please contact the NDSU Helpdesk at https://www.ndsu.edu/it/help/

I haven't gotten my interlibrary loan yet. when will my interlibrary loan arrive?
Please contact interlibrary loan with questions about your account at (701) 231-8885 or at ndsu.library@ndsu.edu.

 

 

Responsible Conduct of Research

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is "...the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research."  (NIH, Notices of NIH Policy Changes November 24,2009;  NOT-OD-10-019)

It encompasses the following areas:

  • research misconduct
  • human participants
  • research involving animals
  • data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership
  • mentor/trainee responsibilities
  • publication practices and responsible authorship
  • peer review
  • collaborative science
  • conflicts of interest

For information about training requirements and training options see the NDSU Research and Creativity Office's page on Responsible Conduct of Research

For more information:

 

Copyright & Plagiarism

Copyright law (17 U.S.C. [2016]) gives certain exclusive rights to the copyright holder of a creative work for a limited period of time. Copyright protects authors, publishers and producers, and the public. Copyright holders have the exclusive right to:

  • Reproduce the work
  • Prepare a derivative of the work
  • Distribute copies or transfer ownership of the work
  • Publicly perform and/or display the work

See our Copyright guide for more information such as copyright basics (what is protected by copyright, fair use, and public domain works), copyright for disquisitions, and copyright for publication.

For a guide to determining whether a copyright has expired or when/if it has entered the public domain, see Copyright Term and Public Domain by Cornell University Library. 

Plagiarism

For resources on academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism, see the Citing Sources page from the Center for Writers and the Avoiding Plagiarism page from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Below are some resources on self-plagiarism.

Plagiarism Detection Tools

The only software tool available through NDSU for plagiarism detection is the SafeAssign feature in Blackboard. However, this is only available to students enrolled in a course in Blackboard for which the instructor has enabled the SafeAssign feature.

The following article reviews some other plagiarism detection tools (some of which are free, but most require some cost).

Martínez-Lopéz, J. I., Barrón-González, S., & López, A. M. (2019). What are the tools available for scholars? A review of assisting software for authors during peer reviewing process. Publications, 7(3), 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications7030059 

Some tools listed in the article include:

  • iThenticate
  • Copyleaks
  • Plagium
  • Grammarly
  • Unicheck
  • PaperRater
  • Duplichecker
  • Viper Plagiarism Checker
  • Plagiarism Detector

This is not an endorsement of the above tools. You will need to review them yourself to determine their quality and security. You may also want to consider what they do with anything you give them (e.g. if you upload your own document, what are they doing with it? - different companies will do different things with that text, content, and data). 

 

Citing Sources & Citation Management

Citing Sources and Using Citation Styles

Citation Management

 

 

Reading and Analyzing Research Papers

Reading and Analyzing

There is no one right way to read and analyze a research paper. You may want to try a few different methods before you find one that works best for you. Below are links to pages that provide some suggestions on a few different methods. You can also search Google for how to analyze research articles (or some variation on that) and you will find lots of suggestions that way too!

Remember, you don't have to read the article sections in order. Read them in whatever order works best for you! Some like to read them in this order: Title, Abstract, Conclusion, Introduction, Results, Methods.

 

Taking Notes

Reading and analyzing sources will also involve taking notes. There are also many different methods for note-taking. Here are some links for ideas and suggestions:

 

 

Other Resources

Check out our Library DIY and Special Topics Guides.

For tips and help with writing check out the Center for Writers. They can help with various aspects of writing such as: developing ideas, integrating sources, documenting sources, writing clearly and applying grammar guidelines, and understanding conventions in your discipline.

They also have resources for academic publishing, citing sources, grammar usage and style, writing in your discipline, and writing processes. Go to https://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/ and hover over the Writing Resources too see the above resources and more.

Get Help

For brief questions, use the chat box in the lower right corner or stop by the reference desk.

For more involved questions or to schedule a research consultation, contact the Agriculture Sciences Librarian (nicole.km.juve@ndsu.edu).

 

Top Databases for ABEN

Scopus

Scopus

Abstracts and citations for academic, peer-reviewed journal articles in technical, medical, sciences, and social sciences. Elsevier

Yes