MIME 345 - Applications of polymers

Course Materials

• Literature Searching workshop (slides)
• Research Toolkit (handout)
• Checklist for Reading and Thinking Critically about Research Articles (handout)
• A Guide to Using EndNote (handout)
   

Where to Find References to Journal Articles

 
Search Tips – Basic Principles of Online Searching

1. Define your question.
   e.g., Which polymer composites are the most effective to use for making tires that increase an automobile's speed?
2. Identify the appropriate source(s) to search.
   e.g., Materials Research Database (see above for list of possible databases)
3. Break down the question into its separate concepts.
   e.g., Which polymer composites are the most effective to use for making tires that increase an automobile's speed?
4. Search each concept separately.
   Consider synonyms/related terms for each concept (e.g., automobile OR car) and variant word endings (e.g., speed* for speed, speeds, speeding).
5. Combine search terms (AND/OR).
   e.g., polymer composite* AND tire* AND (automobile* OR car OR cars) AND speed*
6. If too many results, consider applying limits.
   e.g., limit search results to references published in the past 5 years
7. Evaluate your results & modify your search strategy if necessary.
   e.g., look at the title, abstract, author keywords, or subject headings of a relevant result to pick out additional terms that you can use to revise your search
    

How to Locate Journal Articles or Books

Look for the Find It @ button when searching databases. Click on this button to link to our catalogue.

Search the McGill Library Catalogue to find journals or books, whether in print or electronic format.

• For Journals: Choose "Journal Title begins with..." and enter the title of the journal in which the article is published.
• For Books: Choose "Title begins with..." and enter the title of the book you are interested in.
   

How to Obtain Materials Not Available at McGill

• McGill students and staff may order articles and books that are not available at McGill using COLOMBO.  Please do not wait until it is too late for us to help you with COLOMBO.
   

Reading Journal Articles Efficiently

• How to Read a Scientific Paper (Quick tutorial from Purdue University)
   

Using Endnote to Cite Your References

EndNote is computer software that allows you to:

• save references from database and web searches
• organize your references into different folders
• cite references within a text document and automatically create a bibliography

McGill students and staff can download the software for free. There are library workshops given throughout the year on how to use this software effectively.