CHEM3322: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry

Assess the Scope of Your Topic (Quantitative Evaluation)

Make sure the number of results you use matches the purpose of your literature search. A thesis or dissertation literature review is based on a comprehensive search of multiple databases. For a short paper, a smaller list of highly targeted references is more appropriate.

• If your searches return too many results, identify a subset of the topic as the focus of your assignment
• If you are not finding enough literature to support your work, use a broader or less specific approach to your topic

Evaluating "Quality"

Use database citation search features to see if a paper is cited by other authors. Ideally, you can find articles which get cited, in newer journal articles written by

• Authors from other labs and institutions
• Experts on the broad or parent topic(s) of the article