Teaching scientific literature in the small college and university

Chemical Literature: A Course Composed of Traditional and Online Searching Techniques

“…The course begins with a review of library policies and a survey of the library's organization. 3 Library cataloging systems (Library of Congress and Dewey decimal) are examined for general, science, and chemistry classifications; a detailed Library of Congress classification scheme for chemistry is also examined (32). The cataloging systems for books (traditional library catalog and online 4 ) and periodicals are studied, followed by an explanation of Library of Congress subject headings (33).…”

“…A thorough understanding of the organization and use of library sources is necessary to efficiently utilize the chemical literature. Although it can be taught in an independent chemical literature course, surveys indicate that the majority of chemistry departments do not offer an independent course (1)(2)(3). A majority of chemical literature papers submitted to this Journal over the past two decades advocate incorporation of chemical literature studies into the lectures and laboratories of other courses (4), including general chemistry (5,6), organic chemistry (7)(8)(9), instrumental analysis (10,11), physical chemistry (12,13), and advanced organic chemistry (14,15).…”

Using Scientific Literature to Affect Students’ Identification with the Scientific Discourse Community

“…For many years, scholars have been investigating the value of introducing undergraduate students to the scientific literature. − As the traditional undergraduate chemistry curriculum is primarily designed for teaching theory and practice, special effort must be made to teach students the entire scientific process which begins and ends in the literature. Research indicates that, with a concerted effort toward instruction, undergraduate students are capable of making significant strides in their ability to utilize the literature. ,, However, how the literature is used within the undergraduate curriculum may also have a significant effect on the students’ perception of the role of the literature and their own relationship to the scientific community.…”

A Chemical Information Literacy Program for First-Year Students

“…Learning to navigate and understand the chemical literature is an important though often overwhelming part of an undergraduate chemical education. Course instructors and chemistry librarians have sought ways to effectively teach literature searching to students and professionals for years, reporting many of these efforts in this Journal and elsewhere − . Availability and accessibility of the literature have increased dramatically with the Internet, online research databases, and online articles, but these developments have not changed the fact that searching the literature is difficult for students to understand and eventually master.…”

“…Educators have worked to integrate the literature into various courses through the use of laboratories and literature-based paper assignments ,,,, . In addition, some chemistry departments teach complete courses for upper-level students on using the chemical literature ,,,,,− ,,, . Although literature education has been reported at all levels, introductory , , organic ,, , and upper-level undergraduates ,,,,− , as well as graduate students, it takes place mostly at the upper-level undergraduate and graduate levels.…”