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CHEM 151 (Roberts)

Welcome to the Library

Librarians are here to assist with research!

Recommended Databases

Keyword Development

Is there chemical evidence of the Carlsbad desalination plant affecting nearby seawater?

  • Chemical evidence: chemistry, testing, sampling, salinity, ions, pH, alkalinity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, sulfate
  • Carlsbad desalination plant: Agua Hedionda Lagoon, desalination brine, ecological impact, biological impact, long-term impact, regulations, California Coastal Commission, Pacific Ocean
  • Seawater: marine, ocean, coastal, brackish, runoff, contamination, pollution, marine organisms, phytoplankton, algae, seaweed, fish, mammals

Advanced Search Techniques

Boolean Operators (AND, OR) combine keywords for better results.

  • “Quotation marks” searches words side by side ("desalination brine")
  • AND searches all terms (desalination AND pacific)
  • OR finds either term; useful for synonyms (sampling OR testing) or when either term will do (potassium OR magnesium)
  • When using OR in a complex search, place OR search terms in parentheses (potassium OR magnesium) AND "desalination brine" 

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly articles are written for experts, by experts in a specific field who share their original research. 

Scholarly articles go through the peer review process and often include:

  • Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results sections
  • Technical language 
  • In-Text citations and Bibliography
  • Tables, charts, and graphs

Primary Scholarly or Empirical Articles

An empirical article reports original research based on direct observation or experimentation. Typically, they:

  • Share results of original research conducted by the authors
  • Include sections like Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion
  • Provide tables, charts, and graphs
  • Explain how the study was conducted, including data collection and analysis

Recommended Books