BIT 495: Biotechnology Ethics
Finding Information on the Web
In some ways it is very easy to find information
on the web--almost anyone can search--just type in a couple of words
and you get 1,000 or more hits. But then it takes time to sort through
them, and they are not always useful.
There are ways to improve web searching that
help you get better results with more useful information--and spend
less time sorting through irrelevant web sites.
First, use a good search engine for searching.
One excellent search engine is Google (www.google.com). Other excellent
search engines, along with some helpful search information about each,
can be found at the UC Berkeley library web page: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SearchEngines.html.
Second, there are many useful "tricks"
that can be used to narrow and focus your search and obtain good results
from web search engines. Here are several web sites that describe these
tips. Try them and see if they help improve your searching:
Search
Engine Watch: Here is one of many articles with search tips. This
is an enormously useful site for learning more about search engines
and improving your web searches.
Recommended
Search Strategy. More from the UC Berkeley library. This is part
of a whole series on web searching.
Bare
Bones 101. This is a good, concise basic tutorial on searching the
web. Look especially at lessons 6, 7, and 8 for useful search tips.
From the University of South Carolina, Beaufort.
Evaluating Information
Collecting good information for papers and projects can be time consuming.
Thus, you want to be sure that the information you find is accurate
and reliable. To do this, you need to evaluate the information that
you find.
It is especially important to critically evaluate information that
you find on the web. This is because there are no quality controls on
the web--anyone can pretty much publish anything they want. In addition,
biotechnology is such a "hot" topic that it invites a great
deal of intense comment and discussion, both from individuals and from
organizations that have a specific agenda regarding biotechnology.
This page describes the importance of evaluating web information:
Why we
need to Evaluate what we find on the Internet (from Purdue).
Here are some good links describing how to evaluate web pages.
NCSU Libraries
LOBO Tutorial
A nice, concise overview of key things to look for in evaluating web
pages.
Evaluating
Web Pages (from Duke)
Evaluation Criteria
(New Mexico State University)
Five Criteria
for Evaluating Web Pages (a nice one page summary of key criteria,
from Cornell)
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Web Links and Other Resources for Biotechnology and
Ethics
Stem Cell Research and Cloning
Stem Cells: A Primer
Prepared by the National Institutes of Health. A basic overview of stem cells,
types and properties, potential uses.
Stem Cells: Scientific
Progress and Future Research Directions
Scientific report prepared by the National Institutes of Health, covers "cutting
edge research featuring stem cells." Chapters cover adult and embryonic
stem cells, stem cells in various conditions, safety issues, etc.
Stem Cells and the Future
of Regenerative Medicine
Book by the Committee on the Biological and Biomedical Applications of Stem
Cell Research, Board on Life Sciences, National Research Council, Board on Neuroscience
and Behavioral Health, Institute of Medicine.
Explores the biological, ethical, and funding questions related to the therapeutic
use of human, adult and embryonic, stem cells.
Human Cloning and Human
Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry
Prepared by The President's Council on Bioethics, July 2002
Online report, covers history, scientific background, ethics, and public policy.
Biotechnology,
Genetic Research, and Health Policy
A collection of articles published by the Institute for Philosophy and Public
Policy at the University of Maryland, School of Public Affairs.
Stem Cell
Research and Applications: Monitoring the Frontiers of Biomedical Research
A joint report prepared by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) and the Institute for a Civil Society. The study examined stem research
from many aspects with the goal of making recommendations for conducting stem
cell research. Includes scientific, moral, and ethical considerations.
AAAS Policy
Brief: Stem Cell Research (and Links)
AAAS Policy
Brief: Human Cloning (and Links)
These policy briefs provide summaries of the news, controversies, and legislation
around issues of stem cell research and human cloning. They include many links
to news, government, and other information resources.
Focus on Stem Cells (Nature)
A collection of links to articles and commentary published in the journal Nature.
The
First Human Cloned Embryo
A Scientific American article by the researchers who were first to clone human
embryos for therapeutic purposes. Told from a first person perspective, describing
what they did and why. Includes links and a bibliography.
Reproductive
Genetics Resource Center
Includes a variety of news clips, and links to resources on genetic engineering,
reproductive technology and related topics. Includes information aimed at health
care professionals and patients.
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Agricultural Biotechnology
Genetically Modified
Pest-Protected Plants: Science and Regulation
By the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Research Council,
National Academy of Sciences.
Published 2000, by the National Academies Press.
The National Academies aim to bring together recognized experts in a field
and to produce definitive and authoritative information.
The book is available online from the National Academy Press website and in
print in the NCSU Libraries, call number: SB123.57 .G48 2000.
Information Systems
for Biotechnology: A National Resource in Agbiotech Information
This project is hosted at Virginia Tech, and receives some funding from USDA,
but is an independent project that aims to "serve the agricultural and
environmental biotechnology community at large" and provide a "balanced
view of the potential benefits and concerns of this powerful technology."
The site includes a great deal of information , including the proceedings
of a workshop on "Ecological
Effects of Pest Resistance Genes in Managed Ecosystems."
Transgenic
Crops: An Introduction and Resource Guide
Created by a group of plant genetics researchers and instructors at Colorado
State. The goal of the site is to "provide balanced information and links
to other resources on the technology and issues surrounding transgenic crops."
Includes background information, updates on 'hot topics,' and a nice collection
of links to Agricultural
Biotechnology Web Sites.
Ethics & Professionalism in Science
Science
and Engineering Ethics
Journal, with full-text articles available electronically through the library,
or the link above.
Science, technology & human values.
BJ57 .N49, third floor. Print journal, available in the library.
On Being a Scientist:
Responsible Conduct in Research
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/obas/
Online booklet by National Academy Press.
Professional Ethics for Scientists
http://www.towson.edu/users/sweeting/ethics/ethicbib.htm
An extraordinarily extensive bibliography for a course at Towson University.
Includes books, articles, web sites, etc. with some annotations. Last updated
June 2000.
http://www.library.wustl.edu/subjects/generalsci/ethics.html
Extensive collection of links on science and ethics from the Washington University
Libraries
http://www.indiana.edu/~poynter/
Web site for the Poynter Center at Indiana University-Bloomington, an ethics
research center. Includes a big collection of links in ethics, ethics in research,
etc.
Ethical Issues in Research Involving Human Participants. Current Bibliographies
in Medicine 99-3.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/cbm/hum_exp.html
Over 4,000 listings published between January 1989 through November 1998.
Divided into numerous categories, including special populations and special
topics, and includes sections listing Bioethics journals and Bioethics databases
Science Ethics Bibliography
http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-ed/ethics/vinny/ethxbibl.html
Extensive bibliography, divided into many subtopics. Only goes through 1997,
no longer updated.
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