The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information

Scientific conference papers have traditionally been a relatively quick and important source of information for the biologist. These papers are also a vital part of the scientific process and a way to spread, evaluate, and refine scientific knowledge. Information from conference papers can be suppl...

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Main Authors: Gary Mason Church, Brian B. Carpenter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta Library 2000-11-01
Series:Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship
Online Access:https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/istl/index.php/istl/article/view/1823
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author Gary Mason Church
Brian B. Carpenter
author_facet Gary Mason Church
Brian B. Carpenter
author_sort Gary Mason Church
collection DOAJ
description Scientific conference papers have traditionally been a relatively quick and important source of information for the biologist. These papers are also a vital part of the scientific process and a way to spread, evaluate, and refine scientific knowledge. Information from conference papers can be supplemented with information from patents. Patent information comprises an important part of the biological literature, especially that dealing with biotechnology and genomics. For a variety of reasons, however, biologists do not generally consult information in patents relevant to their interests. The purpose of this article is to suggest a method to increase biologists' awareness and use of patents. In general, the method introduces patents to undergraduate biology students. Our primary goal is to teach students how to understand patents and obtain useful information from them that enhances or broadens their knowledge of and education in science. Instructional objectives pertain to background information about patents, the primary kinds of patents, the purpose of patents, the main components of patents, and how to compare these components with those of scientific conference papers. Instruction is based upon models designed by Robert Gagné (1965, 1985) and Madeline Hunter (1982). We also include review questions that will cover the instructional objectives.
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spelling doaj-art-c37e3750a88444c1b4f795da46a75a9f2025-08-20T03:09:13ZengUniversity of Alberta LibraryIssues in Science and Technology Librarianship1092-12062000-11-012810.29173/istl1823The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological InformationGary Mason Church0Brian B. Carpenter1Texas A&M University LibrariesTexas A&M University Libraries Scientific conference papers have traditionally been a relatively quick and important source of information for the biologist. These papers are also a vital part of the scientific process and a way to spread, evaluate, and refine scientific knowledge. Information from conference papers can be supplemented with information from patents. Patent information comprises an important part of the biological literature, especially that dealing with biotechnology and genomics. For a variety of reasons, however, biologists do not generally consult information in patents relevant to their interests. The purpose of this article is to suggest a method to increase biologists' awareness and use of patents. In general, the method introduces patents to undergraduate biology students. Our primary goal is to teach students how to understand patents and obtain useful information from them that enhances or broadens their knowledge of and education in science. Instructional objectives pertain to background information about patents, the primary kinds of patents, the purpose of patents, the main components of patents, and how to compare these components with those of scientific conference papers. Instruction is based upon models designed by Robert Gagné (1965, 1985) and Madeline Hunter (1982). We also include review questions that will cover the instructional objectives. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/istl/index.php/istl/article/view/1823
spellingShingle Gary Mason Church
Brian B. Carpenter
The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship
title The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
title_full The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
title_fullStr The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
title_full_unstemmed The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
title_short The Life in Inventions: Patents as Sources of Biological Information
title_sort life in inventions patents as sources of biological information
url https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/istl/index.php/istl/article/view/1823
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