Welcome to the class page for BIOL/CHEM/PHYS 4700. This page provides resources and instructions to help you with your library research and class assignments.

I'm Erin O'Toole, the subject librarian for life and physical sciences, and I'm always available to answer your questions about the Libraries. Please see my contact information at the right of the page. I hope to meet all of you over the semester.

Need help? Then use the Libraries' Ask Us service. Get help from real people face-to-face, by phone, or by email.

Reference Sources, such as encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries, are a good place to start your research because they provide:

• background on a topic 
• historical research
• potential keywords for your catalog and database searches

Books in both print and electronic format provide:

• in-depth coverage of a topic, broad in scope and usually historical
• information that is two to three years old by the publication date
• indexes where you can check if the book contains your topic

Articles in both print and electronic format provide: 

• the most current source of peer-reviewed information
• focused research, narrow in scope
• literature reviews

Websites must be evaluated for credibility, authority and accuracy before using and provide:

• the most current information on a topic (but not necessarily peer-reviewed)
• obscure, hard-to-find information