Phys 361/661 & SCB 701

Biophysics seminar

Meets: Tuesday 12-1 pm, Olin 107

Schedule and syllabus for this class, Spring 2010

• Reading a scientific paper is not like reading a novel. Important aspects include reading for understanding and reading to critically evaluate the science. There are different approaches to reading a scientific paper--try different ones to see what works for you. Here are several internet resources describing different approaches to reading a scientific paper:
  • "How to read a scientific research paper," student guide by Ann McNeal, Hampshire College
  • "How to read a scientific paper," John Little and Roy Parker, University of Arizona
  • "How to read primary literature" faculty guide by Ann McNeal, Hampshire College

Releated Topics:

• A reference book in the library on how to write a thesis: "How to write a successful science thesis: The concise guide for students" William E. Russey, Hans F. Ebel, Claus Bliefert. Call #LB2369 .R87 2006
• Places you might search to find scientific articles:
  • Web of Science: A compilation of journal articles that provides broad coverage of many journals. Can be searched by author, keywords, and other features. For most searches, you may want to limit your search to Science Citation Index.
  • PubMed: A compilation developed by the National Institutes of Health allows you to search by keywords, authors, or other items. Most journals indexed in PubMed are biologically related. Many physics-only journals are not referenced in this database.

The library has set up a guide page with resources for this class: http://guides.zsr.wfu.edu/biophysics