Skip to Main Content

FW 255: Field Sampling

Library Assignment Outcomes

After completing this assignment, you should be able to do the following:

  • Find a species account for your study animal.
  • Choose keywords that will help you find articles relevant to your potential field research project.
  • Use fisheries and wildlife databases to find peer-reviewed research articles.
  • Obtain full-text journal articles through OSU Libraries and via Inter-Library Loan. 
  • Cite sources correctly both in-text and in a Reference/Literature cited section.
  • Critically read and examine journal and non-journal sources relevant to your project.
  • Apply the above skills to read and incorporate knowledge from 3 or more articles to further develop your project idea.

Start in on Task 1 and complete all four tasks described on this page.

 

Task 1: Finding A Species Account

Your first task is to find and read the species account of your chosen animal to gather details about its habitat, needs, and patterns.

Go to the left-hand menu or click here for Task 1.

Task 2: Using Databases for Research

In Task 2, you will brainstorm keywords based on your species name and your research question. You will practice searching with keywords in two databases and will select peer-reviewed articles to read and cite.    

Go to the left-hand menu or click here for Task 2.

Task 3: Incorporating Background Knowledge

Task 3 introduces academic journal format and citation guidelines and asks you to create citations for three articles in JWM format. 

Go to the left-hand menu or click here for Task 3. 

Task 4: Reading Critically and Evaluating Sources

Finally, Task 4 introduces instances when you might need to use non-peer-reviewed articles. You will practice evaluating sources and finding reliable information on sampling techniques. 

Go to the left-hand menu or click here for Task 4.