Introduction

Scientific journals are the means by which scientists share their findings with others throughout the world. The majority of true scientific journals are refereed, meaning that scientists write up their findings and then send them to the journal editor, who in turn sends copies of the article to reviewers who are internationally known in that particular discipline. The reviewers make a decision as to whether the work is deemed publishable. If deemed publishable, the reviewers submit information regarding areas in need of change or state that the work is ready to be published as is.

Because subscriptions to scientific journals tend to be expensive, large holdings of journals tend to be restricted to larger, better financed universities and research institutions. The advent of the worldwide web and the ease by which electronic information can be transmitted throughout the world inexpensively has allowed for the development of electronic journals. These online journal are readily accessible, for the most part.

This activity allows students the opportunity to examine a number of online journal articles dealing with arthropod biology, ecology and/or arthropod interactions with man. It requires that the students perform this activity on the computer of a site that subscribes to an online service called "ScienceDirect."

Activity Instructions

1. Begin by examining your arthropod biology-related class materials and several arthropod-related web sites pertaining to areas of arthropod biology that you find particularly interesting.
2. Jotting down topics of interest and key words pertaining to those topics, as well as names of species that you find particularly interesting.
3. Once you have completed your list, open a new web browser page and enter "http://www.sciencedirect.com/ " into the address field of your browser. This will take you to Science Direct, the world's largest electronic collection of science, technology and medicine full text and bibliographic information.
4. Don't be concerned about using your own personal login, simply enter your search term or term combination into the "Quick Search" field of the page Then click on the "Go" button to the right of the "Quick Search" field .
5. If there are journal articles in your area of interest, they will be listed. Some will have abstracts, while others will be accessible in their entirety as web pages or as pdf files.
6. Check the articles of potential interest by clicking on the check boxes to the left of the articles of interest.
7. Take the time to look closely at a number of articles during your class period.
8. Use a second period to print, read and summarize a journal articles of your choosing. Be certain to have your teacher approve the article prior to printing and beginning your reading.
9. Write up your summary using the format designated by your instructor.