Biological Abstracts for the Life Sciences Catherine Dockerty and Sophie Wilcox February 2007

This session Biological Abstracts – overview Zoological Record – overview Access Searching and indexes Accessing the full text of papers Alerts Exporting records to RefWorks

Biological Abstracts Produced by the Thompson Corporation Covers journal articles only Coverage: Biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, medicine, pharmacology, zoology, agriculture, veterinary science, ecology, and genetics. 9.5 million+ records 350,000+ records added annually (90% including abstract) 3700+ journals worldwide Availability: 1926-1984 in print in Oxford (RSL). 1969- electronically in Oxford via OxLIP

Zoological Record Produced by the Thompson Corporation Abstracts of journal articles, books, conferences and meetings, reviews and electronic documents. Coverage: Zoology, ecology, physiology, taxonomy, evolution, morphology and nomenclature. Natural biology is and systematic zoological literature are covered extensively. Applied biological sciences are treated more selectively. 3.4 million+ records 72,000+ records added annually Availability: 1864- in print in Oxford (RSL). 1978- electronically in Oxford via OxLIP Humans are not covered but prehistoric humanoids are (eg Homo erectus). Domestic and experimental animals are not covered unless unusual or in the wild. Systematic zoological literature is covered exhaustively.

Access http://www.ox.ac.uk Electronic Library Resources OxLIP (Oxford Libraries Information Platform) WebSPIRS VPN (Virtual Private network) http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/oucs-service/ Follow the “Electronic Resources” link from http://www.ox.ac.uk/ OxLIP (Oxford Libraries Information Platform) OxLIP – gives access to all subscribed databases - needs software from http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/oxlip.html OxLIP on the Web – gives access to all subscribed databases EXCEPT some CD-ROMS. No software needed. Electronic Reference Library WinSPIRS and WebSPIRS To access outside the ox.ac.uk domain you need to use the Virtual Private Network http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/oucs-service/

Searching Basic search Advanced search Combining searches Other search options Citation search Index Thesaurus Possible searches: Anopheles darlingi (reintroduction of) Castor fiber (eurasian beaver) evolution AND animal welfare + dawkins as author coral reef bleaching thanatosis OR death feigning in insects clutch size of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) diet of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) tawny owl (Strix aluco) blind Mexican cave fish Thesaurus search – foraging, diet Restriction by field – habitat-management in DE

Basic search “elephant*” Limit to subject, title or author fields * = truncation symbol (eg to retrieve both singular and plural) Hints and examples Help and How do I …?

Change display Number of records Remove duplicate records when searching multiple databases Restrict to records with “TOUR Oxford Full Text” link Customise fields displayed Field labels Sorting options when fewer than 200 records retrieved

Limit Search To: Click on “More” Options include: Document type Language Publication year

Displaying records Complete record Navigate back to results list “Show all results” TOUR Oxford Full Text TDNet Open URL Resolver

Advanced search “wolf” in title (TI) OR “wolves” in title (TI) AND “rabies” in any field

Saving records Print Save Email

Combining searches “barn swallow*” then “Hirundo rustica” then “clutch size” Search History Combine “barn swallow*” and “Hirundo rustica” result sets using OR then Combine with “clutch size” results using AND

Other search types Citation search Index Thesaurus Journal name Broader and narrower terms Not always available when searching multiple databases

Alerts SDI (Selected Dissemination of Information) Search History Create SDI Personal user name is email address To delete or edit SDIs select SDI link at top of screen

Exporting records to RefWorks Account set-up and log in http://www.refworks.com/refworks Export to RefWorks option when saving marked records Select Complete records and either long or short field labels Save to file option In RefWorks, set Import Filter/Data Source to SilverPlatter WebSPIRS Set database to Biological Abstracts

Training and help WebSPIRS 5.1 guide http://www.ovid.com/site/pdf/WebSPIRSUserGuide.pdf WebSPIRS quick reference http://www.ovid.com/site/pdf/WebSPIRS5.1_QRC.pdf Online tutorials http://www.ovid.com/site/help/sp_tutorials.jsp?