Have a Question?
Library Reference Desk
(563)-333-6245 / librefdesk@sau.edu
Biology Liaison Librarian
Hannah Carlton
(563)-333-6474 / CarltonHannah@sau.edu
SAU Library Website
https://www.sau.edu/library
Library Central and TRAC
- Library Central This link opens in a new windowLibrary Central combines SAU's book catalog and most of our databases into one unified searching interface. Use Library Central to find scholarly books and articles or expand your search to request books from a network of academic libraries in Iowa (TRAC).
- How to Search Library Central and TRACThis guide provides tips for searching for books and peer-reviewed articles in Library Central and for expanding your book search to all Iowa academic libraries (TRAC).
JSTOR
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR is interdisciplinary database with collections of scholarly peer-reviewed articles and books. It is notable for its collection of journals focused on the history of science.
- How to Search JSTORThis guide provides tips and tricks for finding relevant articles and books related to your topic in JSTOR.
Highlight: Search within specific collections of journals (The History of Science & Technology collection is a great choice for this assignment!)
Other Useful Databases
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowScienceDirect provides access to peer-reviewed articles and books with strong collections in the natural and health sciences. Sources here are more likely to be focused on the current and future uses of technologies/processes.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowCredo contains academic reference books (encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) from a range of disciplines. This is a good place to find background information and foundational explanations of many technologies/processes.
Keywords and Search Strategy
Finding the Right Keywords
The keywords you use to target information about the historical use and development of your technology/process should reflect the major people, events, and precursors. Use Credo Reference (academic encyclopedias and dictionaries) and/or Wikipedia to brainstorm.
Keywords could represent:
- Important People
- Ex: "Arne Tiselius" "Oliver Smithes"
- Precursor process/technology
- "moving-boundary electrophoresis"
- Significant Developments/Events
- Noble prize (1940, 2007)
- Current/Emerging Uses
- genetic diagnosis, genetic fingerprinting
Developing a Search Strategy
- Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.
- “transmissible spongiform encephalopathy”
- Use boolean operators to narrow or expand your search.
- Use AND to expand your search and define specific keywords.
- Prion diseases AND “Stanley B. Prusiner”
- Use OR to search for alternate keywords in one search.
- Prions OR prion diseases OR “transmissible spongiform encephalopathy”
- Use NOT to exclude irrelevant terms.
- NOT “Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease”
- Use AND to expand your search and define specific keywords.
- Try different combinations of keywords and alternate keywords. Brainstorm 2-3 synonyms or similar terms for each component of your research question. Look for better/new keywords as you search.
- Use the Advanced Search option to structure your search and increase your options for narrowing your results.
- Search Strategy and Keyword HandoutThis handout provides suggestions and tips for brainstorming keywords and developing a search strategy that targets information about the history of your process/technology.
Interlibrary Loan
If we don't have the full text of an article of a book in the SAU Library, we can borrow a copy from another library. The following guide provides instructions for accessing the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) portal and requesting materials.