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Middlesex Campus Library

Middlesex Science

Why is scientific literature important?

  • Research and discovery in the laboratory or field is dependent on existing knowledge and literature.
  • New research may add to, substantiate, modify, refine or refute existing knowledge.
  • Discovery is only valuable when it becomes part of the literature and the body of scientific knowledge.

Search for Articles - Science

Find a Specific Online Title

Have an article citation but not sure how to find it?  Looking for a certain title for your class? Try looking up the journal or magazine in the database below, to see if the library subscribes to the full-text. 

>Full Text Journal Title Finder

Note: off-campus users will be prompted to login via myCommNet to access the journal or magazine.

If we do not subscribe to it, contact a librarian (mx-library@ctstate.edu) and order a copy through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Primary VS Secondary

primary vs secondary

Primary:

  • Is the title of the article a mouthful?
  • Are there multiple authors?
  • Do the authors list affiliations? (ex: university, gov’t agency)
  • Does the article document the results of one experiment?
  • Are there lots of graphs, charts, and data?
  • Is there an extensive list of references?

Secondary:

  • Does the article have a catchy title and fancy graphics?
  • Is the article written so the general public can understand it?
  • Does the article refer to other articles, studies & experiments?