Birmingham-Southern College
Charles Andrew Rush Learning Center & N.E. Miles Library
ES
150 -- Introduction to Environmental Studies
Library Research Tips
Start from the Library homepage
at http://www.bsc.edu/bsclibrary
To find books on your topic:
· Use
the Library Catalog to find books available in the BSC Library
·
Use WorldCat (under
Indexes & Databases) to
find books available worldwide
To see an explanation of
the differences between primary and secondary literature in science:
Read "Primary and
secondary literature in Biology"
To
find journal articles on your topic:
Use
the following databases, which are specific to the biological sciences.
All
are listed under
Indexes & Databases. Note: BasicBIOSIS and GEOBASE are
password-protected.
See Reference Staff for password.
General Science Full Text (1984- ) - includes primary and secondary literature, some full-text
BasicBIOSIS (1996- ) covers 375 core life science journals
GEOBASE (1980- ) covers over 2000 journals, as well as books & reports in geography, geology and ecology
AGRICOLA (1970- ) includes material acquired by the National Agricultural Library
Wiley InterScience (1998-) covers biological, earth, and other sciences --all full-text article
JSTOR contains the full-text of several scientific journals not indexed in BasicBIOSIS. (Note: JSTOR is not a current issues database. There is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the content available in JSTOR.)
BioOne (2000- ) includes the full text of high-impact bioscience journals. Sponsored in part by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
HighWire Library of Science and Medicine (1948- ) enables keyword searching of over 350 science journals (plus Medline)
To
see if a journal or magazine is available full-text electronically, in print, or
on microfilm
at BSC:
Always consult
Periodicals @
BSC, a comprehensive list of journals and magazines available in all
formats.
·
Current
issues of journals are in alphabetical order on the Main Floor.
·
Back
issues are in alphabetical order on the Ground Floor, either bound or on
microfilm (consult Periodicals @
BSC)
·
Full-text
articles from many journals are available - see Periodicals @
BSC. Be sure to verify the dates.
To find websites on your topic:
The Search Engine Guide, identifies websites focused on science topics such as science.gov, Scirus (www.scirus.com) or the Biology Browser (http://www.biologybrowser.com).
Before you rely on material found in these sites, evaluate what you have found! Guidelines are available at http://panther.bsc.edu/~libref/evalweb.htm
When in doubt, consult your professor.
To
see if a local library has the journal you need:
Use WorldCat (under
Indexes & Databases) to
find journals in other libraries, or consult the library catalog of your
choice under Other Libraries.
If
the book or journal you need is not available locally:
Use
Interlibrary Loan service (order forms are under
Library Request Forms)
If you have any questions or need assistance:
Please ask at the reference desk or email your question to libref@bsc.edu