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A1.3 · Locate relevant print and electronic research sources

Learn to locate relevant print and electronic research sources through clear examples and targeted practice.

Ontario Grade 12 Biology

Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration

A practical guide to locating print and electronic sources for a focused biology question

A biology assignment may begin with a broad topic such as ecosystems, inheritance, or body systems. The first task is not to collect every fact about that topic. It is to locate sources that can help answer a particular question. A print source is information published on paper, such as a book or journal. An electronic source is information accessed digitally, such as an online article or database record. Both can be useful. The key is to search deliberately, check what each source covers, and record enough details to find it again. This lesson focuses on locating relevant sources, not on judging every aspect of their scientific quality.

What you will learn

Turn a biology topic into a focused search question.
Locate useful print and electronic research sources.
Use search terms and source details to decide whether a source is relevant to the question.
Keep a clear record of where a source was found.

1. Bridge from biology class: begin with a question

In earlier biology courses, you have studied living things at different scales. Inheritance focuses on how traits are passed on. Anatomy concerns body structures. Ecology examines relationships among organisms and their surroundings. These familiar areas can help you choose a starting point, but a broad topic is not yet a useful search plan.

Suppose your topic is pollinators. That word could lead to sources about many organisms, places, and questions. A focused question might ask how the loss of flowering plants affects the number of pollinator species in a particular habitat. You do not need to settle every detail before searching. You do need enough focus to recognize whether a source is likely to help.

A research source is a publication or information resource that you can consult for a question. A relevant source is one that has a clear connection to the question. It might address the same organism, biological process, place, or relationship. A source that merely contains the word “pollinator” may not be relevant if it discusses a different issue.

Start with a topic, then phrase a question that narrows it.
Relevance means a source helps address the question, not simply that it shares a keyword.
Use biology concepts you already know to identify useful terms.

2. Locate print and electronic sources

Print sources include textbooks, reference books, and printed scientific journals. To locate one, search a library catalogue by topic, title, author, or subject term. A catalogue record can show where a book is shelved and whether it is available. For a journal article, the library may provide a print issue or a record that identifies the journal, date, and pages.

Electronic sources include online library catalogues, article databases, digital books, and web pages. A database is an organized collection of records that can be searched. School or public libraries may provide access to databases. A search result can lead to an article record, an abstract, or the complete article. An abstract is a short summary of an article. It can help you decide whether to look for the full text.

Choose search terms from the main parts of your question. Try the organism or system, the process or relationship, and the setting if it matters. For example, searching “pollinators” alone may return a very wide range of material. Adding “flowering plant loss” and a habitat term can narrow the results. If a search gives too few results, remove one term or try a related word. If it gives too many, add a more specific term.

Search tools sometimes use subject terms: standard labels assigned to topics in a catalogue or database. A record about a topic may use a different word from the one you typed. Look at the subject terms on a useful result and try them in a new search. This is one way to find related sources without guessing every possible phrase.

Use more than one route when needed. A book may provide a broad introduction and vocabulary. A database search may locate articles about a narrower question. A library catalogue can help locate either print or digital holdings. The best route depends on what the question asks and what the library provides.

Print sources can be located through library catalogues and journal holdings.
Electronic sources can be located through catalogues, databases, and websites.
Combine specific search terms, then adjust them based on the results.
An abstract and subject terms can help identify promising records.

3. Check relevance before keeping a result

A search result is a lead, not an answer. Read its title and short description. If available, check the abstract, table of contents, or relevant section. Ask whether the source addresses the organism, process, setting, or relationship in your question. A source can still be useful if it covers only part of the question, but note which part it supports.

Check the date when it matters to your question. Some questions concern recent research, while others ask for general background. Check the format too: a book, an article, and a web page may serve different purposes. These checks help you locate sources that fit the task. They do not, by themselves, prove that a source is accurate or suitable for every claim.

Keep enough information to locate each source again. For a book, record its title, author, publication year, and library location or catalogue record. For an article, record its title, author, journal, date, and database or library link if available. For a web page, record its title, organization or author, date if shown, and web address. Follow your teacher’s required citation format when you prepare the final work.

A useful search process is iterative. Iterative means repeated, with changes based on what you learn. If a result is close but not quite right, identify what is missing. Change the search terms, use a subject term, or try another source type. Then review the new results against the same question.

Inspect the record or relevant part before deciding to keep a result.
Check whether the source matches the question’s topic and scope.
Record source details as soon as you find a promising item.
Finding relevance is an early step; it is not a full assessment of scientific quality.

4. A repeatable search routine

Write the question in one sentence. Underline or list its key ideas: the organism or system, the process, and any setting or comparison. Use those ideas to make a short set of search terms. Search a library catalogue or electronic database, then inspect the titles and records. Keep results that address at least one important part of the question, and note exactly which part. Adjust the terms if the results are too broad or too narrow.

This routine is a model for organizing a search, not a guarantee that every search will succeed. A database may not contain the item you need, and a catalogue may show a source that is not immediately available. Ask a librarian or teacher for help locating another route when access is a problem. Do not treat a search result’s position near the top as proof that it is the best match.

Question → key ideas → search terms → records to inspect → relevance decision.
Revise the search when the results do not fit.
Keep a source record so a useful item can be retrieved again.

Worked example

Example 1: Narrow a broad topic

A student is assigned the topic of ecosystems and wants to locate sources about how a change in one part of an ecosystem relates to another. What question and search terms could make the search more focused?

Choose a specific relationship
The topic is too wide to guide a targeted search. The student chooses a relationship that can be described clearly: whether reduced flowering plants are linked to fewer pollinators in a particular habitat.
Build search terms
The terms name the organisms or resources and the relationship. Adding the habitat can narrow the search further. The student should use only a habitat that fits the assignment.
Review the results
A result about pollinator numbers and flowering plants may be relevant. A result that only describes how to plant a garden may share a term but not address the chosen relationship. The student checks the record or relevant section before keeping it.

Answer: A focused question could ask how reduced flowering plants relate to pollinator numbers in a named habitat. Search terms could include “pollinators,” “flowering plants,” and the habitat. The student should revise the terms if the records do not address that relationship.

Check: The question gives the search a clear relationship to look for. Relevance is checked by inspecting what each result actually covers.

Worked example

Example 2: Choose a route to a source

A student needs background on a body system and also wants to find a source about a narrower question within it. Which source-finding routes could help?

Locate background information
The student can search the library catalogue for a biology textbook or reference book. The catalogue can show whether a print copy or digital version is available.
Search for a narrower source
The student can search an electronic article database using terms from the focused question. If the database shows an abstract, the student can read it to decide whether the article is worth locating.
Use both routes when helpful
The book may help clarify the topic and its vocabulary, while the database may identify an article about the narrower question. Each source must still be checked for its connection to the assignment.

Answer: Use the library catalogue to locate a book for background, and an electronic database to search for a source on the narrower question. Either route may provide print or digital access, depending on the library’s holdings.

Check: The source type and search route are chosen to fit the task. The student should not assume that a search result is relevant without checking its content.

Worked example

Example 3: Decide whether a result fits

A student asks how a named habitat’s loss of flowering plants relates to pollinator numbers. One result is about pollinator populations in a different habitat. Another is about flowering plants in the named habitat but says nothing about pollinators. How should the student use these results?

Compare each result with the question
The first result matches the pollinator part but not the named habitat. The second matches the habitat and plant part but not pollinators. Neither result, as described, directly addresses the full relationship.
Keep only the useful contribution
Either source may help with one part of the question if the assignment allows supporting background. The student should record what each source covers and avoid presenting either as direct evidence for the full relationship.
Search again with a combined focus
The student can search using terms for pollinators, flowering plants, and the named habitat. If results remain limited, the student can try related subject terms or ask a librarian for help locating sources.

Answer: Treat both results as partial matches, not as direct answers to the whole question. Search again using terms that connect pollinators, flowering plants, and the named habitat, and record the limits of any source kept.

Check: The student distinguishes a source about one part of the question from a source that addresses the relationship being investigated.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Keeping a result because its title contains the topic keyword.

Correction: Read the record or relevant section and check whether it helps with the actual question.

Using only a broad search term and stopping after the first search.

Correction: Combine specific terms, inspect the results, and revise the search when needed.

Assuming that a source is suitable just because it appears in a database.

Correction: A database helps locate records. Check each result’s scope and connection to the task.

Waiting until the end to record where a source came from.

Correction: Record identifying details when you find the source so you can locate it again.

Lesson summary

Begin with a focused biology question rather than a broad topic alone.
Use library catalogues to locate print and digital holdings, and databases or websites to locate electronic sources.
Choose and adjust search terms based on the results.
Check what a source actually covers before deciding whether it is relevant.
Record source details so useful material can be found again.

Check your understanding

Question 1

A search result contains the word “inheritance,” but it discusses a topic unrelated to your question about a particular trait. What is the best next step?

Keep it because the keyword matches.
Inspect the record or relevant section and keep it only if it helps with the question.
Assume it is relevant because it appeared in a search.
Stop searching because one result is enough.

Show answer and explanation

Inspect the record or relevant section and keep it only if it helps with the question.

A shared keyword is not enough. Check the source’s actual scope and connection to the question.

Question 2

Which action is most useful when an electronic search returns too many broad results?

Add a more specific term from the question.
Remove all search terms.
Choose the first result without inspecting it.
Switch to an unrelated biology topic.

Show answer and explanation

Add a more specific term from the question.

Adding a specific term can narrow the results toward the question.

Question 3

Why should you record a source’s identifying details when you find it?

So you can locate the source again and identify what you used.
So the search engine will rank it higher.
So the source automatically becomes relevant.
So you do not need to read its contents.

Show answer and explanation

So you can locate the source again and identify what you used.

Recording details makes the source retrievable. It does not replace checking the source.

Key terms

Print source: Information published on paper, such as a book or printed journal.
Electronic source: Information accessed in digital form, such as an online article or database record.
Database: An organized collection of records that can be searched.
Abstract: A short summary of an article.
Subject term: A standard topic label used in a catalogue or database.
Relevant source: A source with content that helps address the question being investigated.

Continue through SBI4U

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About this lesson and its review

Published by DoAssignment. This reviewed lesson follows Ontario Grade 12 Biology (SBI4U), expectation A1.3. It is a study resource, not an official curriculum publication.

Before publication, content is checked for structure, mathematical or chemical notation, calculations, course boundaries, and readability. Errors can still occur, so corrections are welcomed.

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