Chemical Literature Project
Winter 2013
Your Mission
Your mission is to choose a chemical topic of current scientific interest,
do a complete literature search on that topic, prepare a document detailing what
you learned about the topic and present the information to the class. Your topic
must be approved by the instructor.
How Do I Find a Topic?
There are a number of ways to go about finding a topic.
- peruse a review journal such as Accounts of Chemical Research
which is among the holdings of the WOU Library
- look through recent editions of a chemical news magazine such as Chemical
& Engineering News
- look through past issues of magazines such as Scientific American,
Discover or Science News
- view websites such as Molecule
of the Month
- newspapers and other popular magazines may also present an interesting topic
of current concern
What Am I Required to Do?
You must carry out an extensive literature search
on your topic. You will base your project on a paper from the primary literature. It must be a peer-reviewed research publication. You must use Chem Abstracts in your literature search. You must
utilize the primary chemical literature in developing your project and have
references that include papers published in the last 15 years in peer-reviewed
journals. You may use information from the World Wide Web as long as you can
determine if the source is scientifically sound. However "popular" websites may not provide a bulk of your resources.
How Do I Present My Research?
- Your written presentation will be in the form
of a webpage.
- The class will view your webpage as you give
a short formal presentation of your topic.
- You will prepare a written abstract and outline for the class
Here are some materials you may find useful in working on your project. Check
back as new materials may be added from time to time.
