Biology 315 - Biological Evolution
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
210 Bessey
Research Tips
(URL: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~adinkelm/Biology_315_2007.htm)
Homepage: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~adinkelm/homepage.html
Parks
Library Resources
1. Books
- Grzimek's Animal
Life Encyclopedia, available in print and online! The print edition
is in Reference. To access the online version, do a title search in the
catalog and select the entry that includes [electronic resource] behind
the title. (Note:
This is part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.)
- Birds of North
America Online - listed under "Indexes & Abstracts."
- Handbook of
the Birds of the World - multi-volume set
- Darwin's Fishes
: An Encyclopedia of Ichthyology, Ecology, and Evolution
- Encyclopedia
of Evolution (2 volumes). Useful if you need background
information related to evolutionary theories or processes.
- Evolution of
the Insects
- Handbook of
Bird Biology
2. Article
Databases
- There are numerous databases
which will be useful for locating articles related to your topic. They are
listed under "Collections - Indexes and Abstracts."
- Biological and Agricultural
Index - good starting point for research, much smaller than Biosis Previews.
Coverage: 1983-present
- Biosis Previews
- Part of the Web of Knowledge. Main biological and life sciences database.
This is a large (15 million citations) database. Consider using "Limits"
to narrow your searches (e.g. English language, articles). Coverage: 1980-present
- Fish & Fisheries
Worldwide - covers all aspects of ichthyology and fisheries, and related
aspects of aquaculture. Coverage: 1972-present
- Zoological Record
- comprehensive index to the zoological literature. Coverage: 1864-present
- Wildlife and Ecology
Studies Worldwide - covers wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Coverage: 1935-present
- CAB Abstracts
- covers agricultural sciences, animal sciences, biotechnology and molecular
biology, entomology, environmental sciences, genetics and breeding, microbiology,
parasitology, and plant sciences. International in scope. Coverage 1910-present
- AGRICOLA - covers
agricultural sciences. Coverage: 1970-present
- Evolution in Current
Events Assignment - identifying a publication from the mainstream media (e.g.
Time, Newsweek, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Times). Suggested
indexes:
- Academic OneFile
- indexes popular magazines and newspapers
- Lexis-Nexis Academic
- indexes newspapers
- Access World News
- indexes newspapers
3. Search Tips
- Consider how truncation
will affect the search. Include synonyms in your search when appropriate.
- Consider searching for
a review article on your topic. Some databases offer "Review" as
a limit.
- Is full-text available?
Look for the "Get it@ISU" button in the database. Also, check the
library catalog (Serial title search) and the e-Journals & e-Books list
to determine whether or not the Library has access to the journal.
4. Web of Science (part
of the Web of Knowledge)
5. Searching
the Web
- Scirus (http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/)
- "Scirus is the most comprehensive science-specific search engine on
the Internet. Driven by the latest search engine technology, Scirus searches
over 200 million science-specific Web pages." Scirus now includes links
to digitized theses and dissertations.
- Google Scholar
(http://scholar.google.com/) - This
points you to reliable sources, but the updates to the database can be infrequent.
6. Off-campus Access to
Databases and e-Journals
7. Interlibrary Loan
- Consider using Interlibrary
Loan to obtain journal articles or books not owned by the Library.
- It is fast! Because of
the increased availability of articles in electronic format, articles may
arrive within days.
- Submit all requests via
the online form: (http://www.lib.iastate.edu/isu-bin/ILL)
- This service is free!
Questions?
Please don't hesitate to
contact me if you have questions about locating resources.
Andrea Dinkelman, Science
& Technology Librarian
adinkelm@iastate.edu
Last updated 10/02/07.