Library Research in Marine Ecology
Prepared by Anne Turhollow for Biology 517
Spring 2001
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
- Proquest
- Off campus access requires current SDSU ID number
- Provides access to three databases:
- Research Library (Core and Modules) - articles from over 2000 magazines and journals in all disciplines
- Newstand - articles from 350 newspapers
- ABI Inform - comprehensive business magazine and journal index
- Indexes back to 1971 for some titles
- About 1400 titles have fulltext available; some back to 1986
- Biosis
Previews
- Off campus access requires current SDSU ID number
- 1998-to date
- Major index for the biological sciences
- Covers over 8,000 journals as well as conference proceedings and books
- Citations with abstracts
- Search by author, taxonomic classification, scientific name, and keywords
- Pre-1998 is found in print, Biological Abstracts, QH 301 B37 (1970-1997 in Reference, 1926-1969 in 5th Floor Periodical Stacks)
- Zoological Record
- Library workstations only
- 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)
- Applied
Science and Technology Abstracts
- Infodome workstations; off campus access requires current SDSU ID number
- 1984-to date
- Indexes magazines and journals in engineering and technology
- Citations with abstracts
- Pre-1984 is found in print, Applied Science and Technology Abstracts, T 1 I32 (1986-1997 in 1st Floor Periodicals, 1958-1985 in 5th Floor Periodicals) and Industrial Arts Index, 1914-1957 (Z 7913 I7Reference)
- ingenta
- Infodome; off campus access requires current SDSU ID number
- 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 emergency document delivery
- Specialized Indexes
- Created by scientists and librarians to cover a specialized topic in-depth
- Algal Journal Databases
- Bibliographies in Oceanography and Related Areas
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 (running under the Web of Knowledge software) covers 1999 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 1999 or later.
For earlier years, you will need to use the print version. 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.
The title of interest for the sciences is:
- Science Citation Index
- Q 158.5 S34 Reference
Locating Journal Articles
If you're lucky, the database you use will either link you directly to an electronic version of the article or at a minimum, let you know if SDSU has the journal.
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.
Follow these steps to locate a journal:
You may need at times to "unabbreviate" the journal title. Full titles can be found in
- Serial Sources for the Biosis Previews Database (Z 5321 B52 1994 Reference Table 12),
- List of Serials Indexed for Online Users (R 129 L66 1999 Reference Table 12),
- or try the online database, jake (Simon Fraser version).
Once you have found the complete journal title, type it into the PAC (our Library's catalog) using the SDSU Periodicals List.
If Your Journal Is Not Found:
- 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 $30 or under, you can order a copy for FAX delivery. For more information see the page on Article Delivery Service.
