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Ethanol: Home

Read an Overview

To gain an understanding of ethanol, read an overview first!

Choosing the Right Keywords

It is important to use the right keywords to find the right articles to suit your needs. The better you get at manipulating keywords and language, the more effective your search will be.

You can start by trying a broad search on ethanol.

Or you can be more specific by adding a term:

corn

switchgrass

sugar cane

sawdust

production

alternative

Or you can try using one of the following terms:

renewable fuel standards

alternative fuels

biofuels

Finding Articles in Databases

The following databases will be most helpful for your research on nanoparticles.  Remember, you may need to be flexible and adjust your search terms based on what you find.  If you are not finding what you need in one database, try another.  If you can't find anything in any of the recommended databases, please see Ms. Voss for assistance.

Tips for Choosing the Right Article

1.Be flexible.  If your first attempt at searching does not bring you results, be flexible with your words.  Try new keywords.  If the first database you try does not bring you results, try another.  

2. Use the subject headings available on Results pages to help you explore topics.

3. Scan through the titles and go beyond the first page of results to find an article that may answer your questions AND that appeals to you.  This gets easier with practice.

4. Choose an article that answers your research questions. 

5. Choose an article that is lengthy enough to offer substantive information about your topic.  If the article is only a paragraph long, chances are that it won't offer you very much information.

6. Avoid articles that are too scholarly.  Many academic articles are written for professors, researchers, and graduate students and use very technical language.  If you can't understand the content, move on.  Gale databases allow you to choose a "Basic" or "Intermediate" reading level in your advanced search; use this function!

7. Once you find an article that answers your research questions, archive it--email it to yourself, print it, or download it so you don't forget where you found it.

Subject Guide

Books in our Library

We have a solid collection of books with information on ethanol and alternative fuels. Check the cart of books to browse the possibilities.  Sometimes reading a section in a book is less overwhelming than trying to find an article in a database!