Course Topics	Assignments	Final Project & Presentation
Online Resources	Grading

Class:	T,R 1200, Wood 2708
Online practice sessions:	TBA
Prerequisites:	24 hours of Chemistry
Text:	Maizell, How to Find Chemical Information, 3rd edition

Instructor

Dr. John B. Miller Office Hours Office: Wood 3156, 387-2871 Lab: Haenicke 4450, 387-2951 M 1500-1600 W 1300-1400 R 1400-1500 or by appointment john.b.miller@wmich.edu

Course Topics:

Topic Reading Introduction Ch. 1-2 WMU Resources --- Search Strategies Ch. 3 Boolean Logic --- Primary Literature Ch 12.7-12.19 Current Awareness Ch. 4, 5 Review Literature Ch 12.1-12.2 Handbooks & Tables Ch 12.3-12.6 Physical & Spectral Data Ch. 15, 18 Abstracts & Indices Ch. 8 Chemical Abstracts Ch. 6 SciFinder Scholar  with hands-on practice Ch. 7 Other Online Databases Ch. 10.1-10.14, 10.16-10.18 Other Internet Resources Ch. 10.15 Specialized Resources Ch. 9, 14, 16, 17 Intellectual Property Ch. 13 Student Presentations

Six brief assignments will be given. The tasks involved will typically require locating a particular set of information or sources from the chemical literature. Where possible, these will be linked to the student's research interests.

The student will select a topic to search, as if preparing a research proposal or writing a comprehensive review. The topic should be broad enough to be interesting, but narrow enough to be finite. It should also make use of several (>5) different types of literature resources. The topic should be discussed with and approved by Dr. Miller by 25 October. To maximize the benefit of this exercise for the student, the topic should be related to ongoing or planned research, or similar work activity. The project will be completed by 22 November. A 2-3 page (at least) synopsis of the information found during the search will be prepared and handed in, as will a complete bibliography. A good format is to create a literature-based outline of the topics in the project. To be certain the student is on track, there will be an interim review of the search strategy, topic breadth, and search results about the middle of November.

Presentation
The student will give a brief presentation describing:

Why the search topic was selected

The sources used (and why)

What the most productive search technique(s) were, and why

How the search could have been improved

Online computer resources will be used extensively in this course. Most resources can be accessed via the World-Wide Web. You may use the class WebCT pages as a portal. A WMU unified account is required. Some resources may only be accessed from an on-campus IP address.

Computer facilities are available in the basement of the Bernhard Center, in the UCC labs. Dialup connections via the University modem pool (387-2040) may also be used (contact the UCS help desk for detailed information about dialup). Instruction in the basic use of these online resources will be provided as required.

Assignments	120 (6@20) points	60%
Student Presentations	20 points	10%
Final Project	60 points	30%
TOTAL	200 points

Current individual scores will be available on WebCT.

Late Work Policy
Late assignments and final projects will be assessed a penalty of 10% per week.
Assignments more than three weeks late will not be accepted.
Final projects more than two weeks late will not be accepted.

Absence Policy
Attendance in class is important, as material is often covered in lecture that is complementary to the text.

Academic Integrity
You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Graduate Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.