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STEM Talent Opportunity Priority (TOP)—Program Research in Involved Science and Math (PRISM): Home

A library guide for MDC students participating in PRISM, a grant-funded program supporting original undergraduate research projects.

The word Welcome in hand-drawn signature typeface

This guide is designed for Miami Dade College students participating in PRISM (Program Research in Involved Science and Math). Below you'll find useful research tools and services; information on STEM careers; resources relating to astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and other STEM-related fields; and information about the MDC library, including how to access its resources.

Librarians

Each MDC Librarian acts as a liaison to one or more academic disciplines. Here are your library liaisons for STEM:

BIOLOGY:
Tiffany Walker
North Campus
305-237-1471
twalker4@mdc.edu

CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS:
Kim Hughes
West Campus
305-237-4815
khughes1@mdc.edu

ENGINEERING:
Alia Shields
Kendall Campus
305-237-2072
ashields@mdc.edu

MATHEMATICS:
Jenny Saxton
Kendall Campus
(305) 237-2075
jsaxton@mdc.edu

If you choose a career in science, and in particular in original research, nothing less than an enduring passion for your subject will last the remainder of your career, and life.

 

— E D W A R D  O.  W I L S O N



   PRISM WORKSHOP TOPICS

APPLIED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SOURCE offers a diverse array of full-text and indexed content covering the full spectrum of the applied sciences and computing disciplines—from acoustics to aeronautics, neural networks to nuclear engineering. (EBSCO) Log on to Applied Science & Technology Source.

ACADEMIC ONEFILE contains peer-reviewed, full-text articles for academic libraries from the world's leading journals. A comprehensive resource that covers the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, technology, literature, and many other subjects. (Gale) Log on to Academic OneFile.

ACADEMIC SEARCH COMPLETE supports high-level research in the key areas of academic study by providing journals, periodicals, reports, books and more. (EBSCO) Log on to Academic Search Complete.

COMPUTER DATABASE provides access to leading business and technical publications in the computer, telecommunications, and electronics industries. The database includes more than 600 journals and periodicals, providing information on computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications, and the application of technology. (Gale) Log on to Computer Database.

GOOGLE SCHOLAR is a version of Google that focuses on scholarly materials such as articles and books from academic publishers. Accessing Google Scholar through this customized link enables you to see which of your search results are freely available in MDC’s library databases.

JSTOR provides access to more than 10 million academic journal articles, books, book chapters, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. (JSTOR) Log on to JSTOR.

HEALTH AND MEDICINE (formerly Health Reference Center Academic) contains up-to-date information on the complete range of health care topics. Contains more than 2,500 embargo-free, full-text periodicals, reference books, pamphlets, and hundreds of videos demonstrating medical procedures and live surgeries. (Gale) Log on to Health and Medicine.

HEALTH SOURCE: CONSUMER EDITION provides access to full-text consumer health magazines and reference books. It also includes searchable full text for current health pamphlets. (EBSCO) Log on to Health Source: Consumer Edition.

GENERAL SCIENCE FULL TEXT provides full-text articles from a wide range of publications — from specialized to general interest periodicals—covering science-related questions, topics and subjects. (EBSCO) Log on to General Science Full Text.

MEDLINE WITH FULL TEXT provides full-text for many of the most-used biomedical and health journals indexed in MEDLINE. Many journals are available with no embargo, allowing doctors, nurses, health professionals and researchers to access to the information as soon as it is published. (EBSCO) Log on to MEDLINE with Full Text.

PUBMED comprises more than 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. (U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health) Log on to PubMed.

SAGE is the world's 5th largest journals publisher. SAGE's portfolio includes more than 1000 journals spanning the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology, and Medicine, and more than 400 are published on behalf of learned societies and institutions. (SAGE Publishing) Log on to SAGE Journals.

SCIENCE is an editorially independent, multidisciplinary, weekly peer-reviewed journal [that] ranks as the world's most prestigious scientific journal. (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Log on to Science (AAAS).

SPRINGER E-JOURNAL COLLECTION includes more than 2,500 English-language and close to 200 German-language journals. Springer is also home to the largest portfolio of open access journals, including the journals from BioMed Central and the SpringerOpen portfolio. (Springer) Log on to the Springer eJournal Collection.

LAB NOTEBOOKS AS SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION: INVESTIGATING DEVELOPMENT FROM UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TO GRADUATE RESEARCH


KEEPING A LAB NOTEBOOK: BASIC PRINCIPLES AND BEST PRACTICES

GUIDE TO KEEPING A LAB NOTEBOOK

KEEPING A LABORATORY NOTEBOOK

KEEPING A LAB NOTEBOOK: BASIC PRINCIPLES AND BEST PRACTICES

ADVICE ON DESIGNING SCIENTIFIC POSTERS

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

CAIN PROJECT: A GUIDE TO DESIGNING A POSTER

HOW TO . . . CREATE A POSTER PRESENTATION

HOW TO DO AN EFFECTIVE POSTER PRESENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE

HOW TO PREPARE A POSTER FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PRACTICE USE AT CONFERENCES AND IN THE WORKPLACE

DESIGNING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH POSTERS—PURDUE UNIVERSITY—ONLINE WRITING LAB (OWL)


HOW TO PRESENT A POSTER

POSTER PRESENTATION BASICS

STUDENT RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTING TIPS

TIPS FOR MAKING A BETTER RESEARCH POSTER

Research Tips

ONLINE RESEARCH: TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE SEARCH STRATEGIES


SEARCHING DATABASES


Citation Resources

CITATION TOOLS  

In most databases, you can find APA-formatted citations under headings like "Tools" and "Page Tools." Check out the Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide to learn more about APA style.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM  

Learn more about MLA citation and APA citation formats to protect yourself against plagiarism. In most databases, you can find MLA- and APA-formatted citations under headings like "Tools" and "Page Tools." Finally, check out Purdue OWL's guide to avoiding plagiarism, as well as this Yale guide to Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism.

Library Resources

LOGIN INFORMATION

If prompted for a login, enter your MDC username and password.


LIBRARY CATALOG

Use the MDC Library Catalog to search for print books, eBooks, audiobooks, articles, and audio-visual materials.


UBORROW

UBorrow allows MDC students, staff, and faculty to borrow materials from any Florida public university or college library. Search the statewide catalog.


WORLD CAT

Search WorldCat, the world's largest network of library content and services.


INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Need something from another library? Visit the inter-campus and inter-library loan page to learn how to place a request.

DIGITAL MAGAZINES

Flipster is a free, digital-magazine service that gives MDC users access to magazines on any computer or device. The Flipster collection includes wide-ranging content that may be of interest to STEM students.

Need Help?


REFERENCE DESK NUMBERS

Give us a call—we look forward to being of assistance.
North Campus:
305-237-1183
Kendall Campus:
305-237-2292
305-237-2077
Wolfson Campus:
305-237-3451
305-237-4087
Medical Campus:
305-237-4129
Homestead Campus:
305-237-5053
Padron Campus:
305-237-6236
Hialeah Campus:
305-237-8722
West Campus:
305-237-8931
Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center:
305-237-1905


ASK A LIBRARIAN

Text, email, or start a chat with the Ask a Librarian service between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.


Career Resources

STEM OCCUPATIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE   

IEEE JOB SEARCH   

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH CAREER VIDEOS   

This LibGuide was designed and created by Michael Moore and is maintained by Jenny Saxton. User suggestions and comments are welcome.

The icons used in this LibGuide were produced by Icons8 and are used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license. Hand-drawn signature typeface, Tuesday Night, by Font Forestry.