Impact of a Library Instruction Session on Bibliographies of Organic Chemistry Students.

Abstract

Students in Chemistry 254: Organic Chemistry for Majors were required to write a paper about an organic name reaction. Before turning in this assignment, students had the option of attending a one-hour library instruction session covering SciFinder, sources for spectra, ACS Style, and print resources about organic name reactions. Twenty-five students attended library sessions while 28 did not. Bibliographies were collected and graded for all students. Comparisons were made between those students who attended the session and those who did not, on such criteria as use of scholarly sources, properly citing articles and spectra, and correct use of ACS Style. Students who attended an instruction session received 14% higher bibliography scores than those who did not. Other significant differences were found in students using scholarly sources, using and citing appropriate spectra, and citing the article in which the name reaction was originally published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]