BSCI 223: General Microbiology

This page was developed as a guide for students taking General Microbiology BSCI 223. Please email the Biology librarian, Tom Harrod (tharrod@umd.edu), for further information. This page is designed to guide you to resources relevant to specific challenges addressed in this course.

BSCI 223 General Microbiology
Microbiology can provide insight in addressing global challenges introduced via case studies see:
Introductory Biology Courses: A Framework to Support Active Learning in Large Enrollment Introductory Science Courses.
Smith, A.C., Stewart, R., Shields, P., Hayes-Klosteridis, J., Robinson, P., and Yuan, R. (2005). Cell Biol. Educ. 4,143 -156.

General Information

• The Value of Various Resources: Identifying Scholarly, Primary Articles
• Citing Your Sources: Help With Citations
• Ethics - Avoiding Plagiarism: Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Readings For BSCI223 Assignment One:
Searching For Life In The Universe - The Elvis Probe

Resources for Assignment 1 Research:

• Microbiology and Microbial Taxonomy

Readings For BSCI 223 Assignment Two:
A Farmer's Dilemma - Three Major Issues

Resources for Assignment 2 Research:

• Journal and Newspaper Article Databases
• Electronic Journals
• Microbiology/Biotechnology - Organizations
• Biotechnology - Relevant Web Sites

Reading for BSCI 223 Assignment One:
Searching For Life In The Universe

Selected Reading For Assignment One

• Searching for Life in the Universe: Lessons from the Earth
  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
  December 2001, Volume 950
  Pages 241-258
  To access this article, go to the journal website linked above and click on "All Issues (1879-2008)", select 2001 and then volume 950 - then scroll down to the link for this article

Reference and Resources for Microbiology and Microbial Taxonomy

Note: The print versions for both the Bergey's Manuals and The Prokaryotes are currently located on the main floor of the White Memorial Chemistry Library on a low shelf between the public computer terminals and the print journals along the outside walls.

• Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, includes articles on bacterial genera with descriptions, isolation, and enrichment procedures, habitats, and physiology.
  LOCATION: White Memorial (Chemistry) Library, Reference Section
  CALL NUMBER: CHEM REF QR81.B46 1984

  Guide for using Bergey's Manual

• The Prokaryotes: a Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria: Ecophysiology, Isolation, Identification, Applications. Introductory essays and general chapters on such topics as life cycles and prokaryotic behavior. Chapters on genera and families are arranged phylogenetically. Information is included on taxonomic history, habitats, isolation, cultivation, identification, pathogenicity, and applications. References to additional sources provided.
  LOCATION: White Memorial (Chemistry) Library, Reference Section
  CALL NUMBER: CHEM REF QR72.5.P76 1991

• Prokaryotes. This links to an electronic version of title listed above.

• If you're having trouble using The Prokaryotes, check out this guide: Guide for Using The Prokaryotes
• American Type Tissue Culture Collection (ATCC). Information regarding all bacteria that are stored at this repository. A good resource for information regarding biosafety level of microbes

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Readings for BSCI 223Assignment Two:
A Farmer's Dilemma - Three Major Issues

Selected Readings for Assignment Two

• 100 Years of Bacillus thuringiensis: A Critical Scientific Assessment. 2002. By Eugene Nester, Linda S. Thomashow, Matthew Metz, and Milton Gordon.

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Resources for Assignment 2 Research:

Journal and Newspaper Article Databases

• Academic Search Premier Indexing and abstracts for over 3000 general, humanities, social science and science journals. Full text of articles for over 1000 of these journals.
• Agricola, Primary research database for argiculture and related sciences. Covers agricultural literature and allied disciplines including animal and veterinary sciences, entomology, plant sciences, forestry, aquaculture, farming, farming economics, and environmental sciences.
• Biological & Medical Sciences Provides access to scholarly articles covering a wide range of biological and biomedical topics.
• Biosis Previews, Covers biology, botany, microbiology, zoology and related fields. Indexing covers interdisciplinary fields such as bioengineering, biophysics, and biotechnology. Contains citations and summaries of articles from 5,500 journals, notes, letters, technical data reports, reviews and a selection of U.S. patents.
• CAB Abstracts Abstracts of articles from the Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI). Coverage of agricultual subdisciplines includes animal and poultry science, crop science, agricultural engineering, human and animal nutrition, forestry and veterinary medicine.
• Lexis Nexis Academic, Comprehensive source for full text news and transcripts from the United States and international sources. Select business, medical, or legal research for special research topics.
• PubMed, Comprehensive database for medical research. More than 5,000 medical journals and basic science journals related to medicine.
• ScienceDirect, Full-text articles from more than 1,200 scientific, technical, medical, and social science research journals.
• Web of Science, (Science Citation Expanded) Life sciences and medicine are covered. This is the only database for finding what papers have cited other papers.

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Electronic Journals - Selected List

• International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
• Nature
• Nature Biotechnology
• Science

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Microbiology/Biotechnology - Organizations

• American Society for Microbiology, is a society of individuals interested in the microbiological sciences. The science includes the study of bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, mycoplasma, fungi, algae, and protozoa. Members are scientists and health professionals. Pages include links for the public to Microbe World listing current issues in microbiology and a weekly news digest. A page on Critical Issues Colloquia provides written summaries by scientists on issues of critical relevance to microbiology.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a United States governmental agency whose mission is to protect human health and protect the natural environment. The page includes a database made available to the public for the first time in mid-November 2003. The database provides access to more than 4,000 scientific and technical documents such as technical studies and risk assessments from across the agency. Types of information available from the database include abstracts of projects and peer reviews, contacts for additional information on a project or subject, and electronic links to reports and related research. This database can be searched by keyword or by nine science topics such as ecological assessment tools or environmental justice. The site provides access to microbiology related information that has been developed or managed by the EPA including methods related to bacteria, viruses, and protozoans on the EPA Microbiology Home Page.
• Food and Drug Administration, is a United States governmental agency whose mission is to protect consumers and promote public health. The site contains a searchable database and links to "hot topics" and issues in the news.
• World Health Organization (WHO), is the United Nations specialized agency for health established in 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The main tasks of the World Health Assembly are to approve the WHO program and the budget for the following biennium and to decide major policy questions. An index of WHO sites is available.
• World Health Organization studies (WHO) on the use of Biotechnology, includes a collection of information on the use of Biotechnology and genetically modified (gm) agriculture. Links from this page provide WHO statements on other topics related to food safety and microbiological risks.
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a United States governmental department comprised of seven agencies. Agencies missions serve to inform the public, agricultural workers, and others about food, nutrition, rural development, and the environment. Pages link to information on marketing, regulatory programs, research, education, and economics. These pages are browsable by subject. A search box is also provided.

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Biotechnology - Relevant Web Sites

• Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI), is a coalition of six biotechnology companies and two trade organizations. It was founded in 2000. Web site contains stories about benefits and safety of agricultural and food biotechnology. A list of publications and links to related sites is included. Written for consumers, farmers, journalists, teachers, and students.
• Greenpeace Genetically Modified Organisms - Current Information, Current news on the threat of genetically modified organisms to the environment. Greenpeace holds the position that scientific information is insufficient to release genetically engineered organisms into the environment. The organization opposes patents on all plants, animals, and genetic information. Greenpeace is an international non-profit organization spanning 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Pages contain news, multimedia, and links to related sites.
• Greenpeace Archives on Genetic Engineering, Pages contain earlier news stories on topics supporting Greenpeace's position on genetically modified organisms. Details above.
• Harvest of Fear, A PBS Nova Frontline special report on the debates over genetically modified (GM) food crops. Included are interviews with scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology.
• International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA),is an international non-profit organization dedicated to using agricultural biotechnologies to aid developing countries alleviate hunger. Pages contain statements on mission and approaches to reaching organizational goals. Links to projects, activities, regional centers,and ISAAA Knowledge Center are provided.
• Monsanto Biotech Knowledge Center, created by Monsanto a for profit corporation and provider of agricultural products and solutions. The corporation develops innovation in plant biotechnology, genomics and breeding. Pages provide links to news, technical reports, and documents on the use of agricultural biotechnology. Included are sections on basics of biotechnology, a library, and a searchable glossary.

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Finding Research Articles

• As the term is used in the sciences, a RESEARCH ARTICLE is one which presents primary, scholarly information (these terms will be defined below). It is important to understand what it is that makes this type of article the fundamental way by which scientists share the results of their work. The discussion below will help you to distinguish various types of periodical literature.
• Here is a guide to show you the common parts of a scholarly article and to explain the importance of each. Please note however that not all articles will have these parts in the same place, nor will they call them by the same name - however each of these elements should be present in a research article.
• Another critical concept to understand is "Peer Review", which refers to the process whereby research articles are read by several researchers who work in the field that is the subject of the article. These "peers" critique the article in terms of:
  • the appropriateness of the experimental methods used
  • whether or not the conclusion(s) given necessarily follow from the data presented
  • the novelty of the work presented
  • etc.
  If these "peers" determine that an article is worthy of publication they will so advise the editor of the publication to which the article has been submitted. Oftentimes however these reviewers will suggest new experiments, alternate conclusions, and so forth which must be addressed by the author(s) of the article. In this way, articles go through a rigorous and iterative evaluation process before they are published. It is important to understand what peer-review is, as all research articles will undergo this process - this is one of ways by which the credibility of an article is established.

• The following information is adapted from the library's "Identifying Periodical Types" guide - click there for more information.

SCHOLARLY literature:

• contains the results of experiments performed in research labs
• is written by/for those with some knowledge in a particular field of study - a certain level of familiarity with the subject is assumed
• gives the professional affiliation of the researcher in order to establish his/her credentials in their field
• is extensively referenced - authors must cite the work of others as it pertains to their own work
• is reviewed by peers � other scientists with expertise in the area of science included in the article

POPULAR literature:

• may be written by experts in a given field or by professional writers
• is written for a lay audience
• does not usually contain references

Additionally, it is important to understand the difference between PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and TERTIARY sources.

PRIMARY literature:

• contains an "experimental methods" section
• recounts experiments that have been been performed by the authors of the articles themselves
• contains "raw data" compiled by the authors which will usually be presented in tables or charts
• attempts to address a specific hypothesis
• has references which give pertinent background information for the hypothesis being addressed in the paper
• is peer reviewed (see above)

SECONDARY literature:

• often takes the form of a review article
• contains a summary of experiments performed by the author as well as other researchers
• may contain tables and figures, but usually not as many as a primary source
• is a good place to go to learn about a topic with which one is unfamiliar
• has references which give a history of the research that has been done in a specific area of study
• is peer reviewed (see above)

TERTIARY literature:

• is often comprised of compilations of primary and secondary literature
• is a good place to go to learn basic principles and facts about a particular field of study
• can become outdated as information usually takes a while to find it's way from a primary source to a tertiary source
• includes: almanacs, encyclopedias, text books, manuals, dictionaries, etc.

For more information, check out this guide to the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary literature

If you are not sure whether the article you have is peer-reviewed or not, go to Ulrich's, type in the name of the journal where you found the article and look for the little referee's jersey next to the journal's title - this indicates that it is refereed which is another name for peer-reviewed
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Help with Citations

EndNote Web - citation management software, this program will allow you to download citation information from our article databases and automatically create bibliographies in a variety of styles - to register for an account, simply go to the article database 'Web of Science' in Research Port and click on 'My EndNote Web' on the top of the screen. If you need help with this software, contact Tom Harrod (tharrod@umd.edu or 5-7253). Citation Systems and Style Manuals - a series of guides which will help you to cite materials in any of the common styles.

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