A step-by-step approach for finding secondary and primary literature in all areas of Chemistry and related disciplines.
Questions? Please contact me
What is secondary and primary literature?
Secondary literature looks like this or this …
Primary literature looks like this, this, or this … (note the format–Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References)
How to use and understand primary literature?
Science Matrix overview (video)
Science Matrix: unpacking primary literature (video)
Step 1 —
Define: creating a research question/understanding a topic
… what is the question(s) you are trying to answer? These secondary sources can help you find —
*topic ideas
*understand concepts
*answer fact questions
*discover search terms, phrases, and names
*focus a research question
Remember, true research is rarely a straight path.
Keyword searching: finding and identifying search terms (video)
Good sources to help you understand topics and link to primary literature:
Science News
New Scientist
Scientific American
New York Times
Review sources:
Science Bibliographies (Strategian)
Annual Reviews
Trends in … (journals)
Other important secondary sources for Chemistry:
Organic Syntheses
Online procedural manual for the synthesis of organic compounds. Provides detailed descriptions of verified practical methods for the preparation of specific compounds, as well as illustrations of important synthetic methods with general utility.
NIST Chemistry WebBook
National Institute of Standards and Technology; thermochemical, ion energetics, spectra, thermophysical, and other data.
Step 2 —
Identify: these sources can help you find evidence to answer your question or validate/invalidate an answer
Choosing sources (video)
Start here: Science Primary Literature (database help)
Includes articles, books, and book chapters that have been used and cited by college students, plus have been highly cited in the scientific literature. Links to full text are provided; some full text is directly available.
Finish here: PubChem (About; “find chemical information from authoritative sources”)
Step 3 —
Locate: if the full text of an article or book is not directly available above, these are quick ways to check if you have access to a source
Full Text – Science Books (free, online)
Step 4 —
Evaluate: questions to ask about the information you find; how appropriate and valuable is the information? A worksheet to go along with the questions.
Understanding is key
Predatory publishers
