First Year Seminar - Nonsense and Why It’s So Popular

Dr. Mark Wilson
Information Resources Compiled by Donna Jacobs

An important factor in your academic and professional success will be how well you develop the ability to determine when you need information, and to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. One goal of this research assignment is to help you begin to strengthen your information literacy skills. This web page and the in-class library instruction session will:

• provide suggestions for developing a search strategy;
• suggest specific reference sources and general browsing strategies to use as a starting point;
• introduce you to techniques for using important tools such as library catalogs, research databases and the World Wide Web;
• show you how to locate the books, periodicals, and other references you retrieve in your search of catalogs and databases;
• give you advice on how to evaluate the quality of the information you gather;
• discuss the importance of the ethical use of information.

Remember—The primary goal of the library staff is to help you to develop the skills needed to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. If you have questions, ask for assistance at one of the staffed service points in the library or contact a librarian by telephone or e-mail.

Selecting Your Search Topic

Before you can begin searching for information, it is important to define your research topic. Take the time to write down a sentence or two in which you state your topic as specifically as possible, including the aspects of the topic that you wish to investigate. Remember, this is just the starting point. You will continue to refine your topic as you locate relevant information.

For example, if your assignment is to write a paper on alternative medicine with specific emphasis on herbalism, you might start with the following search topic:

Locate information on herbal medicine including examples of therapeutic plants, the conditions they treat, and issues related to the effectiveness and dangers of these plants.

Finding Background Information

Before researching a topic in depth, it is useful to read some background information of the kind found in encyclopedias and dictionaries. These sources are helpful in placing the topic in a broader context and providing related subjects and terms to use as keywords as you continue your search.

The following sources may provide useful background information about herbalism as well as the broader topic of alternative medicine.

Title	Location/Call Number
Health and Illness: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia	Science Ref R733 .L477 1997
The Alternative Health and Medicine Encyclopedia	Science Ref R733 .M38 1995
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine	Science Ref RC41 .G35 2002 v.1-5
The Herbal Internet Companion: Herbs and Herbal Medicine Online	Science Ref RM666 .H33 O975 2002
Tyler’s Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals	Science Ref RM666 .H33 R6 1999
Tyler’s Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and   Related Remedies	Science Ref RM666 .H33 T94 1999
PDR for Herbal Medicines	Science Ref RS75 .P554 2000
Natural Health Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine	Science Ref RS164 .C4437 2000
CRC Handbook of Medicinal Spices	Science Ref RS164 .C826 2003
Medicinal Plants of the World: Chemical Constituents, Traditional   and Modern Uses	Science Ref RS164 .R676 1999 v.1-3

The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience [Electronic Resource] Link to this electronic resource through the CONSORT catalog for a “balanced analysis of the most prominent scientific and pseudoscientific controversies made in the name of science, mixing both facts and theory.” Wikipedia According to information posted on its Web site,“Wikipedia is first and foremost an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, an online community of people interested in building a high-quality encyclopedia in a spirit of mutual respect.” Anyone can contribute a new article, or edit an existing article. The online encyclopedia contains information on almost any topic. It is updated immediately so that the information is very current. Caution! Wikipedia’s strength is also its weakness. Because anyone can edit almost any page, it is essential that users confirm information in other sources to ensure reliability.

The following sources may provide useful background information about the specific topics you have chosen for your research.

Title	Location/Call Number
Encyclopedia of Witchcraft	Ref BF1566 .E56 2006
Witches: An Encyclopedia of Paganism and Magic	Ref BF1566 .J67 1996
Witchcraft Today	Ref BF1571 .L49 1999
Current Biography	Ref CT100 .C8 1940-present
Holocaust Encyclopedia	Ref D804.25 .H66 2001
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust	Ref D804.3 .E53 1990 v.1-4
Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball	Ref GV862.3 .L54 1997
McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology   and Online as AccessScience	Science Ref Q121 .M3 2002 v.1-20
Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology	Science Ref Q123 .E497 2002 v.1-18
MacMillan Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences	Science Ref QE5 .E5137 1996 v.1-2
Oxford Companion to the Earth	Science Ref QE5 .O94 2000

Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia [Electronic Resource] According to its author, Peter Knight, “This encyclopedia [which is an electronic resource accessible through the CONSORT catalog] is intended to provide a serious and comprehensive summary of all the major events, ideas and figures of U.S. conspiracy thinking. It includes entries on both actual conspiracies and imagined conspiracies (or as far as historians can with any confidence determine the difference in particular cases). Given that much discussion of conspiracies is often hotly contested and politically charged, the aim of the present volume is to offer a rigorous, clear-sighted and concise analysis of each issue. It is intended neither to promote nor to dismiss various conspiracy theories (although some of the contributors make clear where they stand); instead, it places each item it in a meaningful context.” Subject Guide: Biographical Information One of a number of subject-related guides to research compiled by College of Wooster librarians, this Web page provides quick access to more than 25 biographical sources.

Possible Keywords

As you consult various reference sources, you will find keywords and concepts that are relevant to your topic. It is a good idea to keep a list of keywords to search in other reference sources, library catalogs and databases. Remember, you will probably continue to refine your search topic as you locate more information. You will add new terms and delete other terms as you continue your research.

Some of the following concepts and keywords might be helpful as you search for information about herbal medicine or other alternative therapies.

Alternative Medicine	Herbalism	Examples	Issues
complementary medicine homeopathy aromatherapy iridology herbal medicine	herbal remedies herbal medicine botanical medicine phytotherapy ethnobotany phytomedicinals	Echinacea ephedra Garlic Ginseng goldenseal St. John’s Wort	efficacy effectiveness safety therapeutic activity placebo effects side effects contraindications interactions (drug) quality control standards

Library Catalogs

Library catalogs contain listings of the materials owned by (or accessible from) their respective libraries. Materials listed in library catalogs include books, government publications, electronic resources, scores and recordings, media, and periodical titles (but not the articles contained in the periodical). Library catalogs also provide information about locations of materials and current availability.

The CONSORT catalog includes the merged catalogs of the College of Wooster, Denison University, Kenyon College, and Ohio Wesleyan University. You can search the merged catalog or the individual catalog of one of the CONSORT colleges and access the OhioLINK catalog.

OhioLINK is a consortium of more than 80 Ohio academic libraries, including Ohio State University, Kent State University, Cleveland State University, and Case Western Reserve University. The OhioLINK Central catalog is the database of all books and other materials owned by all the OhioLINK member libraries.

See Searching Library Catalogs for a brief summary of the contents and search capabilities of the CONSORT and OhioLINK catalogs.

Organization of Library Materials

As you locate relevant reference sources and books by using the library catalog, you may find that books shelved nearby also contain useful information. That is because most of the materials in the library are arranged by subject according to the Library of Congress Classification System. For more information, see Organization of Library Materials in the Guide to Library Research in Science for more information about library classification systems, reading call numbers and physical locations of materials in the College of Wooster libraries.

Newspaper Indexes

Newspaper indexes provide access to articles in newspapers, and are especially useful for finding information on current events. The College of Wooster Libraries subscribe to several print newspaper indexes, which are located in the Reference section of Gault Library. In addition, online access to many newspaper indexes and full text access to newspaper articles is available through the Databases by Title page. Current issues of print newspapers are shelved on Level 2 of Andrews Library. Back issues are stored on microfilm or microfiche. For a more detailed list of research links related to news, see the News Sources page.

Selected Newspaper Indexes

Alternative Press Index [FirstSearch] (1991-present) Alternative Press Index Archive (1969-1990) Indexes alternative, radical and left-wing journals, newspapers and magazines, covering topics on cultural, economic, political and social change. America’s Newspapers [Newsbank] This collection of online full-text newspapers includes 17 Ohio newspapers, plus other major newspapers from other states. Content includes local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries and people in the community. Google News Archive Search Google’s newest feature directs searchers to both paid and free digital content from the archives of newspapers and magazines that may date back as far as 200 years. Participating publications include The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, The Guardian and LexisNexis. LexisNexis Academic [LexisNexis] Provides indexing and full text access to sources in news, business, legal research, medical, and general reference sources. The news categories include: general news; today’s news; US news; world news; wire service reports; transcripts of television and radio news broadcasts; reviews, entertainment and sports news; campus news, including Chronicle of Higher Education and student newspapers; and, non-English language news, including Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, and German. Newspaper Abstracts [FirstSearch] This database indexes articles from national and regional newspapers with coverage from 1989 to the present. Newspaper Source [EBSCOhost] Provides indexing, abstracts and full-text for 233 news sources, including newspapers, wire services and television and radio news transcripts. Most of the coverage is from 2000 to the present with some going back to 1995. New York Times Index [Index Ref AI21 .N45] Indexes the New York Times from 1913 to the present. Official Washington Post Index [Index Ref AN2 .W34B4] Coverage is from 1971 to the present. The Wall Street Journal Index [Index Ref HG1 .W26] Coverage is from 1955 to the present

Finding Citations to Articles in Periodicals

To gain access to information in periodicals, you will need to become familiar with periodical indexes and abstracts. By looking up your topic in a relevant periodical index, you can determine what articles have been written and find complete bibliographic citations to those articles. In addition to the bibliographic citation, abstracts provide a brief summary of the article cited. Most periodical indexes are available as electronic databases. A complete list of the databases available at the College can be found on the Databases by Title page. The following are a few databases that will be helpful for your assignment.

Selected Periodical Indexes

Academic Search Complete [EBSCOhost] Provides indexing to 4,360 scholarly journals, newspapers, popular magazines and journals of commentary, including access to full text articles from nearly 3,500 scholarly publications in most areas of study and research. While indexing for some titles begins in the 1970s, coverage for most begins in the mid- to late-1990s. Alt HealthWatch [EBSCOhost] Covers complimentary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness by providing access to full text articles from more than 180 peer-reviewed and professional journals and magazines, reports, proceedings, association and consumer newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. Coverage is from the early 1990’s to the present. ArticleFirst [FirstSearch] Indexes nearly 12,500 journals in science, technology, medicine, social science, business, the humanities and popular culture. Updated daily. The coverage is from 1990 to the present. BIOSIS Previews [OSearch] Provides access to bibliographic citations and abstracts to biological and medical literature focusing on vital biological and medical research findings, pharmacological studies, and discoveries of new organisms. Includes references from journals, international meetings, reviews and books. Health Source: Consumer Edition [EBSCOhost] This resource provides access to nearly 300 full text, consumer health periodicals. In addition to full text, indexing and abstracts are provided for more than 300 periodicals. Searchable full text is available for nearly 1,100 health-related pamphlets and 135 health reference books. Updated daily. The coverage is from 1984 to the present. MEDLINE [OSearch] (1953-65), (1966- ) and (2000- ) Contains bibliographic citations and author abstracts from more than 3,900 biomedical journals covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences. Updated monthly, with coverage from 1996 to the present.

In addition to those listed above, the following periodical databases may provide access to journal and magazine articles about the specific topics you have chosen for your research.

America: History and Life [OSearch] This database provides indexing and abstracts to sources on the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Indexing covers 1964 to the present. Computers and Applied Sciences Complete [EBSCOhost] This database provides indexing for more than 1,300 academic journals, professional publications and other reference sources in subject areas related to the many engineering disciplines, computer theory and systems, new technologies, and the business and social implications of those technologies. Full text is available for more than 500 periodicals. Historical Abstracts [OSearch] This database provides indexing and abstracts to sources on the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life). Indexing covers 1955 to the present. Physical Education Index [CSA] This database covers topics in physical education including sport sociology and psychology. It indexes peer-reviewed journals, report literature, conference proceedings, trade magazines, patents, articles from the popular press and many other publications. Coverage is from 1960 to the present. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection [EBSCOhost] This database provides indexing, abstracts and full text for more than 510 scholarly journals on topics in psychology, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. Coverage is from the early 1970s to the present. Religion and Philosophy Collection [EBSCOhost] This database provides indexing, abstracts and full text for more than 290 journals in religion, theology and philosophy. Covering is from 1974 to the present.

Understanding Citations

Print and electronic bibliographic databases or bibliographies from books or periodical articles will provide references to many types of literature on your topic. It is sometimes difficult to tell whether a citation refers you to a book, a book chapter, a periodical article, or some other type of document. See the Understanding Citations lesson of the Information Literacy Tutorial for guidance with regard to deciphering citations found in bibliographies and databases.

Do We Have That Journal?

After you have retrieved citations to relevant articles from print and electronic databases, you will need to determine whether the journals are available at Wooster and how to access them. The College of Wooster libraries provide access to more than 35,000 electronic journals, in addition to our print and microform journal collections, through our databases, subscriptions, and aggregated collections from OhioLINK EJC, EBSCOhost, and JSTOR among others. You can use the search engine on the Wooster eJournals and Journals page to:

• search for an individual title or ISSN;
• browse an alphabetical listing of available titles;
• browse by subject category.

See Finding Full Text of Journal Articles in the Timken Science Library Web site for more detailed instructions for accessing journal articles at the College.

Borrowing Materials from Other Libraries

One of the advantages of membership in the CONSORT and OhioLINK consortia is that College of Wooster students have access to the resources of many academic libraries, large and small, in the state of Ohio. And, if the materials you need cannot be found in Ohio, we can usually retrieve them from outside the state. To learn how to borrow materials from other libraries, see Interlibrary Loan. See also Borrowing from Other Libraries at the Timken Science Library web site.

Web Resources

Throughout this Web page we have used the Internet to access a wide variety of databases and reference sources. For the most part, these electronic resources have been evaluated and selected by librarians for addition to our collection in the same way that print materials are selected. It is important to note that The College of Wooster library purchases access to these products, just as it purchases the books on the shelves.

In addition to these carefully selected electronic resources, there is an almost unlimited quantity of information available on the World Wide Web. Some of the Web sources are excellent — authoritative, accurate, reliable, objective and current. Other Web sources are less useful, for one or more reasons. See Searching the World Wide Web for detailed information about web directories and search engines and hints for evaluating information found on the Web.

You may want to use the following Web resources to find information on topics related to the field of herbal medicine and other topics you have chosen for your research.

First Year Seminar: Belief and Skepticism of the Paranormal This link provides some additional Web resources provided in the tutorial created for Dr. Paul Bonvallet’s First Year Seminar examing views and ideas about the paranormal. Google Scholar The Google Scholar search engine locates scholarly literature from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. Results are ranked by relevance, taking into account the full text of each article as well as the article’s author, the publication in which the article appeared and how often it has been cited in scholarly literature. Search results may include citations of older works and seminal articles that appear only in books or other offline publications. Google Directory: Anomalies and Alternative Science This directory page provides links to sites offering information about scientific anomalies and alternative science. Google Directory: Health > Alternative This directory page provides links to sites on the many categories of alternative medicine, including herbs. Google Directory: Society > Death > Suicide > Cult This directory page provides links to sites containing information about cult-realted suicide. Alternative Medicine Foundation This organization is dedicated to “providing consumers and professionals with responsible, evidence-based information on the integration of alternative and conventional medicine.“ The organization provides a collection of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Resource Guides (including one on Herbal Medicine) that are accessible through this site. HerbMed This database, produced by the Alternative Medicine Foundation, provides free access to the data on the medicinal use of 40 herbs and to scientific publications and data on each herb. The entry for each herb includes links to PubMed records about evidence for efficacy, evidence of activity, safety data, formulas and blends, and cultivation, conservation and ecology. Additional information includes links to pictures, distribution maps and other resources. MEDLINEplus Health Information This site, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, provides authoritative, up to date health information on over 600 diseases and conditions. There are also lists of hospitals and physicians, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials. The site is updated daily. See Drugs, Supplements and Herbal Information for information about herbal medicines. U.S. Food and Drug Administration The Food and Drug Administration is the federal agency responsible for evaluating and regulating food, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and other products for human and animal use. Navigate the site using the site map or use the search engine to locate relevant information. (Note: The FDA uses the term botanical to describe herbal drugs.)

Evaluating Information

Critical evaluation of information is an essential part of the research process. Whether the source of your information is a print reference or a web site, it is important to evaluate the information for accuracy, authority, timeliness, coverage, and objectivity. Although print publications are usually subjected to pre-publication evaluation by editors, publishers, and peer reviewers, they still may contain inaccuracies and may reflect the bias of individuals responsible for their creation. Likewise, documents appearing on many web sites also undergo rigorous evaluation before they are launched. However, the openness of the web environment makes it possible for almost anyone to publish information without the quality control that is part of print environment. Therefore, it is important to think about the reliability of the information you retrieve, no matter what the format. See Evaluating Information for help in assessing the reliability of information from both print and web resources.

Ethical Use of Information

Research is usually a cumulative process in which today’s researcher builds upon the work of those who have come before. While all scholars hope that their work will provide a useful foundation for the research of others, it is important to remember that when you use the ideas of others, you must credit your sources.

The College’s understanding and expectations in regard to issues of academic honesty are fully articulated in the Code of Academic Integrity as published in The Scot’s Key and form an essential part of the implicit contract between the student and the College. The Code provides a framework at Wooster to help students develop their own personal integrity.

While you are a student at this college, you will be treated as an adult. You are expected to know and abide by the rules of the institution as described in The Scot’s Key and The Handbook of Selected College Policies. Particular attention should be directed to the appropriate use of materials available on-line through the Internet. It is important that you read and understand the Ethical Use of Information tutorial found on the libraries’ web site. Whether intentional or not, improper use of materials can be considered a violation of academic honesty.

A few of the resources that will provide assistance in all stages of a writing assignment are listed below.

Title	Location/Call Number
Electronic Styles: A Guide for Citing Electronic Information	Science Ref PN171 .F56 L5 1996
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers	Ready Ref LB2369 .G53 2003
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (Turabian)	Ready Ref LB2369 .T8 1996
A Writer’s Reference (Hacker)	Sciences Reserves PE1408 .H2778 2003
College of Wooster Libraries Writers’ Guide

Don’t Forget: The information presented in your in-class library instruction session and in this web page are intended as an introduction to library research. As you begin to gather and evaluate information for your research paper, you will probably have questions about research methods or resources that have not been covered in class or in this web page. If you have any questions, ask a librarian for help.