Core Electronic Resources

e-Library (http://www.lib.iastate.edu/home.html)

The online catalog is the main source of information for learning what the Library owns or provides access to, including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, microfilm, electronic and print indexes & abstracts, cd-roms, music cd’s, videos, dvds, websites, and everything else.

WorldCat

A collection of library catalogs around the world. Search WorldCat when you need to know about items available on a particular subject, regardless of whether the ISU Library owns them. (Of course, to learn what has been published within journals, you’ll need to search appropriate indexes & abstracts that cover that specific topic.) Use the ISU Library’s Interlibrary Loan service to acquire items you locate in WorldCat that are not owned by ISU. Access WorldCat via the following URL: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/othlib/otherlibs.html

Dissertation Abstracts

This is your best choice when you need to know who else has written about your potential dissertation topic. You can also search this database by institution and faculty advisor. You can use the ISU Library’s Interlibrary Loan service to acquire items you locate in Dissertation Abstracts, if the dissertations were not done at ISU. You can arrange to purchase a dissertation if you wish. Access via the following URL: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/db/dissab.html

Web of Knowledge

This important and unique database provides access to the Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Using citation indexes, you can learn who has cited a particular author’s work – including your own. This can help you learn about the community of publishing researchers and scholars who are working on a particular research idea. You can also trace a research idea back in time, to learn more about how it developed.. Web of Knowledge also provides access to Current Contents Connect, Journal Citation Reports, which lets you identify the most prestigious journals in your field, Essential Science Indicators, and a Table of Contents alert system that helps you keep current with new developments and articles in your field. Access via the following URL: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/db/websci.html

Indexes and Abstracts (Online Databases)

A complete listing of the online databases can be found at the following URL: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/db/indexabst_name.html

In the left-hand sidebar, you can click on databases by broad subject category. Agriculture and Life Sciences and Science, Technology, and Food Science are the most applicable categories.

The indexes most applicable to your areas of interest include: PubMed, Biosis Previews, SciFinder Scholar, CAB Abstracts, and the Web of Science.

There are also e-Resources by Subject guides in the e-library: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/collections/eresourc/guides.html

The following guide provides a listing of sources for:

• Genetics, Development, & Cell Biology

Other guides of interest include:

• Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology on the Web
• Chemistry Resources on the Web
• Veterinary Medicine Resources on the Web

While there is not a separate guide for Toxicology, these are a few sources which may be of interest:

• TOXNET (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/) - TOXNET is a "cluster of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas." Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine.
• Society of Toxicology (http://www.toxicology.org/) - "The Society of Toxicology is the leading global force in advancing science to enhance human, animal, and environmental health."
• National Toxicology Program (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/)

• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (http://www.setac.org/)

August 2005