Library Research for Marine Invertebrates
Prepared by Anne Turhollow for Biology 515
Fall 2005
Searching for Information in Journals
Indexes or periodical databases allow you to create a custom list of articles on your topic. You will usually need to search more than one index to find all the articles you need. The traditional indexes take you backwards in time. Citation indexes allow you to trace an article or book forward in time. Once you identified an article as existing, you will then have to track it down.
Indexes to Journal Articles
You can search Zoo Record, Biosis Previews and Web of Science simultaneously on the Web of Knowledge platform.
- Zoological Record
- 1993-to date
- Covers all aspects of zoology. Indexes journal articles, books, government and society reports from around the world. Best place to start if you are looking for information on an animal
- Pre-1993 is found in print, Zoological Record, QL 1 Z64 (1970-1994 in Reference, 1865-1969 in 5th Floor Periodical Stacks)
- Biosis Previews via Web of Knowledge
- 1969-to date
- Major index for the biological sciences; covers over 8,000 journals as well as conference proceedings and books
- Look for "Find Full Text" to connect to online full text, the PAC (for print information), or Interlibrary Loan
- Search by author, taxonomic classification, scientific name, and keywords
- Pre-1970 is found in print, Biological Abstracts, QH 301 B37 (1926-1969 in 5th Floor Periodical Stacks)
- JSTOR
- A fulltext electronic archive of the preeminent journals of many fields including ecology and basic science
- Coverage of the journals begins with the first volume published and goes up to the last three to five years
- Searchable by author, keywords, and journal
- Ingenta
- 1989 to date
- Indexes the tables of content from over 14,000 journals in all disciplines
- Search by author, title keywords, or journal title
- Faculty and grad students can use for document delivery
- A similar database but with our Find Full Text links is Article First.
Using Citation Indexes
Web of Science is a unique tool that allows you to perform a "Cited Ref Search" and trace a key article or book forward in time. The SDSU version covers 1973 to the present. This means that while you can do a "Cited Ref Search" for material published at any time, the results will only show you citing articles published in 1973 or later. You can also search for current publications by author or keyword. This database also has the journal linking software; look for the "Find Full Text" button.
For earlier years, you will need to use the print version, Science Citation Index (Q 158.5 S34 Reference). Each year or range of years consists of four sections:
- Citation Index - the section where you look an older article and find the articles that have cited it during the year or years covered.
- Source Index - the section that gives a complete citation for the new articles listed in the Citation Index.
- Corporate Index - where the new articles are indexed by the primary author's institution.
- Permuterm Subject Index - a keyword index of the titles of the new articles.
In addition to Web of Science, some of the publisher's journal databases also provide this feature internally to their own publications. These include Elsevier's ScienceDirect and Highwire Press.
Searching Tips
| Search Type | Phrase/Adjacency | Truncation | Wildcard | Connectors | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | keystone species | gastropod* finds gastropods or gastropoda | wom#n finds woman or women | To broaden or narrow your search | Standard restrictions (usually done with checkboxes. etc.) |
| Interface/Database | |||||
| Ovid/Biosis | phrase enter as is; ADJ# (# equals a number; ADJ4) words should occur within that distance | $ | ? (must have at least 2 characters to left) |
AND OR NOT |
Language Year Taxonomic classification Organ system |
| JSTOR Basic | phrase enter as is; NEAR10 or NEAR25 | None | None; + at end of word for plural searching |
AND OR |
Journal sets Year Document type |
| JSTOR Advanced | all search terms in quotes | None | + at end of word for plural searching |
AND OR ANDNOT |
Journal sets Year Document type |
| Ingenta | no phrase or adjacency searching | * | None |
AND OR NOT |
Year |
| Web of Knowledge / Biosis, Web of Science, Zoological Record | phrase enter as is; SAME for same sentence | * |
? - zero or one character (at least one character to left) * - zero or more characters (must have at least three characters to left) |
AND OR NOT |
Database Year Language Taxonomic classification Document type |
Locating Journal Articles
Most of our databases now link you directly to an electronic version of the article or at a minimum, let you know if SDSU has the journal in print.
However if you are working from a list of citations, journal article citations can be identified by the fact that they end with volume and page numbers.
Ciferri, O. 1999. Microbial degradation of paintings. Appl. Environ.
Microbiol. 65:879-885.
Grosholz, E. D., and Ruiz, G. M., 1995, Spread and potential impact of
the recently introduced European green crab, Carcinus maenas, in central
California.: Marine Biology, v. 122, p. 239-247.
Use the Citation Linker to see if SDSU has the article either electronically or in print.
Can't Find Your Journal?
- Check your spelling.
- If you did not wait until the last minute, fill out an Inter-Library Loan (ILL) request.
This will take about one to two weeks. A copy of the article will be
mailed to your home or office. The service is free for students, faculty,
and staff of SDSU.
- If there is not enough time:
Undergrads: repeat your search at UCSD. If UCSD has the journal, you will need to drive over and make a copy of the article.
Graduate students: search Ingenta and if the article is available and costs $50 or under, you can order a copy for FAX or perhaps e-mail delivery. For more information see the page on Article Delivery Service.
