Chemistry Research

• Consider what type of information you need and where you might find it.
• Break your topic into key concepts and identify terms for each concept. Start with fewer words. Less yields more.
• Don't be too narrow in your search, especially initially.
• While it is possible to find sources on international or local topics, the strength of many of our academic databases is coverage of US national topics.
• Use Boolean connectors like AND, OR, and NOT to connect keywords. Many databases search the words as a phrase otherwise.
• In general, avoid using prepositions like "in," "of," and "on."
• Truncation characters such as an * (asterisk) can expand your search by retrieving various forms of a word, e.g., comput* retrieves computer, computers, computing, computation, etc.
• Look at the subject terms or descriptors that are used for articles that appear relevant. Try other searches using those terms.
• In the sciences and social sciences, when starting a journal article search on a topic, consider adding systematic review or meta-analysis, or literature review in your search.
• Consult a librarian or your faculty member for additional related terms.
• Think about which individuals or groups of people or organizations are associated with your topic. These might be additional terms to search.

• Look at subject terms applied to relevant articles. Did you find additional articles by searching these subject headings?
• Which terms or search strategies yielded the best results?
• Look at the abstract. Are there additional keyword terms you might search?
• How long is the article?
• In which journal or periodical was this article published? What is the journal's or magazine's reputation? How do you know?
• When was the article published? What time period does the research or article cover?
• Who is the author of the article? What are the author's credentials? What qualifies the author as an expert?
• What sources are cited in this article?
• How will this source advance the research project?
• See Evaluate Information for more criteria.

Examples of References generated in ACS (American Chemical Society) format from Zotero:

    (1) Lamprecht, C.; Graus, M.; Striednig, M.; Stichaner, M.; Karl, T. Decoupling of Urban CO2 and Air Pollutant Emission Reductions during the European SARS-CoV-2 Lockdown. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 2021, 21 (4), 3091–3102. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3091-2021. 

    (2) Shi, T.; Sridhar, D.; Zeng, L.; Chen, A. Recent Advances in Catalyst Design for the Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Methane to Value-Added Products. Electrochemistry Communications 2022, 135, 107220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2022.107220. 

More examples of ACS formatted References can be found in ACS publications, such as ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Also see The ACS Style Guide.