Course description

Scientific information is increasing in both diversity and quantity. There is a strong need to access the most accurate and up–to–date descriptions of scientific and technical research. This course examines the diverse ways in which scientific scholars communicate in order to realistically acquaint students with their options to secure scientific and technical information. An emphasis in this course will be placed on digital resources used by scholars in a variety of disciplines.

Required texts

There are no required texts in this course. Handouts will be provided in class.

Objectives

Students in this class will be asked to understand how scholars communicate and in turn how their different communication styles affects their needs for scholarly information.

Specifically, students will:

• become familiar with scientific literature by reading selected articles from the premier weekly journal Nature and listening to parallel podcasts by Nature on these selected articles;
• examine the monograph collections in the sciences in the Crown Library at Dominican University, comparing those collections to reference standards for collections; and,
• examine Internet resources in a variety of scientific disciplines, testing the utility of those resources with a variety of reference questions.

Assignments

All students are expected to participate in discussions during class meetings, and complete a variety of assignments over the course of the semester.

   I. Understanding scientific communication by following the weekly journal Nature.

Each week students will be provided with articles from a recent issue of Nature. These articles are discussed in turn by Nature’s podcast editors in a weekly broadcast. We will discuss these articles and specifically examine the utility of these podcasts in making the articles more understandable and accessible. To that end, we will evaluate each weekly podcast with criteria to be discussed in class starting on September 8.

For example, for the second class (September 8), we will examine the contents of selected articles from the issue of Nature for August 27, 2009. You can find the audio (mp3) file at http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index.html.

The following articles from the August 27 (volume 460, number 7259) issue of Nature were discussed in the podcast, along with some additional materials (these papers will be distributed in class on September 1):

• Thomas Hartung & Costanza Rovida. “Chemical regulators have overreached: The costs — both in animal lives and euros — of the European REACH legislation on chemical testing are escalating,” Nature, volume 460, number 7259, pp. 1080–1081.

• Natasha Gilbert. “Chemical–safety costs uncertain: Researchers and regulators disagree on how REACH legislation will affect costs and loss of animal lives,” Nature, volume 460, number 7259, p. 1065.

• Masahito Tachibana, Michelle Sparman, Hathaitip Sritanaudomchai, Hong Ma, Lisa Clepper, Joy Woodward, Ying Li, Cathy Ramsey, Olena Kolotushkina, & Shoukhrat Mitalipov. “Mitochondrial gene replacement in primate offspring and embryonic stem cells,” Nature advance online publication 26 August 2009.

• Brendan Maher. “Q&A: Science pop songsters,” Nature, volume 460, number 7259, p. 1084.

• Coel Hellier, D.R. Anderson, A. Collier Cameron, M. Gillon,, L. Hebb, P. F.L. Maxted, D. Queloz, B. Smalley, A.H.M.J. Triaud, R.G. West, D.M. Wilson, S.J. Bentley, B. Enoch, K. Horne, J. Irwin, T.A. Lister, M. Mayor, N. Parley, F. Pepe, D.L. Pollacco, D. Segransan, S. Udry & P.J. Wheatley. “An orbital period of 0.94 days for the hot–Jupiter planet WASP–18b,” Nature, volume 460, number 7259, pp. 1098–1100.

• Douglas P. Hamilton. “Extrasolar planets: Secrets that only tides will tell,” Nature, volume 460, number 7259, pp. 1086–1087.

How is your ability to understand these technical articles helped by the podcast? Provide a one–page summary of your comprehension of each article based on listening to the podcast and reading each paper. Each week’s evaluation and commentary is worth 10 points. The first assignment will be due on September 8, based on the aforementioned papers from the August 27 issue as well as the podcast. We will continue this exercise each week until December 1, for a total of 12 evaluations. Total points for Nature evaluations = 120 points.

   II. Understanding the scientific Web.

A recent report in Science (James A. Evans, 2008. “Electronic publication and the narrowing of science and scholarship,” Science, volume 321, number 5887 (July 18), pp. 395–399) indicates an increasing dependency by scientists on Web resources. Throughout this class, we will examine a variety of Web resources dedicated to specific scientific disciplines. In turn we will attempt to understand these Web–based resources by trying to answer a variety of queries as a form of tests of their utility and efficiency.

Every two weeks, you will be provided with a list of Web–based resources and queries to test these resources (you may elect to use alternative online resources or print reference works). Here is the calendar of resources to be tested with queries for the semester:

Distributed September 8
General science: Web resources and queries
Answers due September 22.

Distributed September 22
Mathematics: Web resources and queries
Answers due October 6.

Distributed October 6
Physics and astronomy: Web resources and queries
Answers due October 20.

Distributed October 20
Chemistry: Web resources and queries
Answers due November 3.

Distributed November 3
Geophysical sciences: Web resources and queries
Answers due November 17.

Distributed November 17
Zoology and Botany: Web resources and queries
Answers due December 1.

Your answers to these queries will be evaluated based on your ability to find a variety of answers. Reaching a consensus of answers will provide you with clues on the reliability of one resource over another. Your answers to each assignment are worth 20 points.

Total points for answers to queries = (6 assignments) x (20 points) = 120 points.

   III. Wikipedia vs. Encyclopaedia Britannica: The sciences.

In class, we will examine the online resource Wikipedia for specific answers to scientific queries. We will then compare those answers to those found in Encyclopaedia Britannica. These queries will parallel our examination of subject-specific online resources.

September 15: Wikipedia vs. EB: General science queries.
September 29: Wikipedia vs. EB: Mathematical queries.
October 13: Wikipedia vs. EB: Physics and astronomy queries.
October 27: Wikipedia vs. EB: Chemical queries.
November 10: Wikipedia vs. EB: Geophysical queries.
November 24: Wikipedia vs. EB: Zoological and botanical queries.

Up to 20 queries will be distributed in class for examination in each subject area. Each analysis is worth 20 points.

Total points for answers to queries = (6 assignments) x (20 points) = 120 points.

   IV. Collections development in the sciences.

Any reference collection includes a number of publications not available in online form. We will analyze the science collections in Dominican’s Crown Library in both the reference area as well as the stacks for appropriate publications. Our guidelines will be based on Robert Balay (editor). Guide to reference books. 11th edition. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996; H. Robert Malinowsky. Reference sources in science, engineering, medicine, and agriculture. Phoenix: Oryx, 1994; and other sources.

September 8: General science collections (LC classification Q).
September 22: Mathematics collections (LC classification QA).
October 6: Physics and astronomy collections (LC classification QB, QC).
October 20: Chemistry collections (LC classification QD).
November 3: Geology collections (LC classification QE).
November 17: Zoology, botany collections (LC classification QH, QK).

We will examine the strength of Dominican’s collections relative to standard sources for reference materials in the sciences as a semester–long, in–class project. Total points available for each analysis in class = 10 points. Hence, total points for collections development analysis= (6 assignments) x (10 points) = 60 points.

   V. Final.

On December 1, a variety of reference queries, representing difference scientific disciplines examined over the course of the semester, will be distributed. The answers to these queries will be due at the last class session on December 15.

Total points available for final = 100 points.

   VI. General class discussion.

During formal class sessions, there will be ample opportunity for you to ask and answer questions and to participate in discussions. All members of the class are highly encouraged to participate and will be rewarded accordingly.

Total points available for general class discussion = 80 points.

Review of assessment

A grand total of 700 points for all assignments and contributions are available to each student in this class; (120 [podcast analysis] + 120 [reference queries] + 120 [Wikipedia, EB analysis] + 60 [collections development] + 100 [final] + 80 [general class discussion] = 600).

Each student should make every effort to reach class for every session. Please notify the instructor by e–mail (ejv [at] dom [dot] edu) or telephone 708–524–6562 if attendance is not possible.

No optional assignments are available. All assignments must be completed on time; inadequate preparation for each class session and of specific assignments will lead to a reduction in points awarded in all of the aforementioned categories.

Academic Integrity Policy

Students of the University must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to maintain academic integrity will not be tolerated. For further details, please see the Dominican Student Handbook and Planner.

Syllabus

Tuesday, September 1: Introduction; Assessment of resources in the sciences.

In–class activity: Review of Web–based reference sources in the sciences to develop evaluative techniques of different resources; Evaluation techniques of Nature podcasts.

Readings: University of California at Berkeley, “Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask,” at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the August 27 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due September 8).

Tuesday, September 8: General science reference sources online and in print.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification Q) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of August 27 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the September 3 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due September 15); General science Web resources and queries (answers to queries due September 22).

Tuesday, September 15: Wikipedia vs. Encyclopaedia Britannica: General science queries.

In–class activity: Examination of general scientific entries in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica based on specific queries. What are the differences and similarities in the answers?

Due in class: Evaluation of September 3 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the September 10 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due September 22).

Tuesday, September 22: Mathematical reference sources online and in print.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification QA) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of September 10 Nature podcast; answers to general science queries.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the September 17 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due September 29); Mathematical Web resources and queries (answers to queries due October 6).

Tuesday, September 29: Mathematics in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

In–class activity: Examine articles in Wikipedia and EB on parallel mathematical topics. Which articles are more comprehensive? Up–to–date?

Due in class: Evaluation of September 17 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the September 24 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due October 6).

Tuesday, October 6: Web and print resources in physics and astronomy.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification QB, QC) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of September 24 Nature podcast; answers to mathematical queries.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the October 1 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due October 13); Physics and astronomy Web resources and queries (answers to queries due October 20).

Tuesday, October 13: Physics and astronomy in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

In–class activity: Specific content in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica will be compared to content from selected recent books on astronomy and physics published by Cambridge University Press.

Due in class: Evaluation of the October 1 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the October 8 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due March 18).

Tuesday, October 20: Web and print resources in chemistry.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification QD) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of October 8 Nature podcast; answers to physics and astronomy queries.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the October 15 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due October 27); Chemical Web resources and queries (answers to queries due November 3).

Tuesday, October 27: Chemistry in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

In–class activity: Look for specific answers to chemical queries in Wikipedia and EB. Which resource provides more useful answers?

Due in class: Evaluation of October 15 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the October 22 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due November 3).

Tuesday, November 3: Web and print resources in the geophysical sciences.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification QE) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of October 22 Nature podcast; answers to chemical queries.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the October 29 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due November 10); geophysical Web resources and queries (answers to queries due November 17).

Tuesday, November 10: Geophysics (and related disciplines) in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica, compared to GeoRef and GeoScience World (GSW).

In–class activity: Specific content in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica will be compared to digital, fee–based resources GeoRef and GeoScience World as well as selected recent printed works. How well do electronic resources compare to recent printed scholarly monographs?

Due in class: Evaluation of October 29 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the November 5 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due November 17).

Tuesday, November 17: Web and print resources in the zoology and botany.

In–class activity: Examination of print resources (LC classification QH, QK) in Dominican’s Crown Library in the reference collections as well as in the stacks. Analysis of selected Web–based resources as well as fee–based databases.

Due in class: Evaluation of November 5 Nature podcast; answers to geophysical queries.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the November 12 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due November 24); zoological and botanical Web resources and queries (answers to queries due December 1).

Tuesday, November 24: Botany and zoology in Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

In–class activity: Specific terms used in botany and zoology will be examined in Wikipedia and EB as well as specific organisms by their Linnaean names. Which resource provides more accurate details?

Due in class: Evaluation of November 12 Nature podcast.

Distribution in class: Selected articles from the November 19 issue of Nature for podcast evaluation (evaluation due December 1).

Tuesday, December 1: The special case of taxonomic literature: Linnaean reference work.

In–class activity: Examine citations in descriptive taxonomic papers (botany, zoology, paleontology). What are the unique characteristics of taxonomic literature, imposed to support the definition of new species?

Due in class: Evaluation of November 19 Nature podcast; answers to botanical and zoological queries.

Distribution in class: Final (due December 15).

Tuesday, December 8: Future of scientific reference services.

In–class activity: Can we identify commonalities in scientific research? How can libraries and librarians best serve researchers?

In–class activity: Collections development of sciences resources at Dominican’s Crown Library: Recommendations.

Tuesday, December 15: Summary.

In–class activity: Review of final queries.

Due in class: Answers to final set of scientific queries.