Finding Research Articles for Biology Courses Houston Cole Library Jacksonville State University 2007

Objectives Use the library’s online catalog to find journal titles Use the library’s databases to find scholarly research articles in Biological Sciences, Elsevier Science Direct, others

Is It a Scholarly Article? Where did you find it? Web or database search? Who is the publisher? Often a professional organization Is it peer-reviewed or refereed? Does it have an editorial board? Look in the front of the print journal to see Look for journal description or information online

Is It a Scholarly Article? Cont. IntroductionLiterature review MethodsResults DiscussionConclusion Does it have at least two of the following sections?

Where Do I Find Articles? Library Catalog-find journal titles Databases-find journal articles Serials Solutions-search by title or subject areas to see if the journal is available in electronic format in a database

Where Do I Find Articles,Cont. Full text articles may be found in library- subscribed databases (restricted access for registered users)restricted access Biological Sciences Elsevier Science Direct Wiley InterScience Life Science Journals Some general databases: Academic Search Premier, Expanded Academic ASAP

Where Do I Find Articles, Cont. Citation/abstract databases Biological Sciences Library subscribed database PubMed free from NIH, Web accessible When you find a citation, look for the full text of the article in the JSU catalog and/or databases

What's a Citation? What's an Abstract? Citations are information about the article, including author, article title, journal title, volume and issue numbers, and page numbers Abstracts are article summaries, often with outline of methodology, other components

Click Here for Catalog Access Find Journal Titles

Where Do I Find Articles, Cont. Limited reputable full text sources are available free on the Web, such as the sites below, although there may be a delay of up to one year before articles are on the site. PubMed Central BioMed Central (free, but requires registration) HighWire Press

Examples of Research Journals and Where to Find Them Ecology: Expanded Academic ASAP, InfoTrac American Journal of Botany: General Science Full Text Journal of Mammalogy: ASM Online Journals, Academic Search Premier, in print in the library

How Do I Find a Full-text Article? Check library's online catalog for the journal title to see if we subscribe Find electronic format with Serials Solutions Web sources, including PubMed Central, HighWire Press, BioMed Central Links from the database record to the catalog and Serials Solutions

Why can't I get access to the article text? Some databases may restrict access to current text online for six months to a year, so check available dates. See example entry below: Annual review of phytopathology ( ) from 01/01/1996 to 1 year ago in Academic Search Premier from 01/01/1997 to 1 year ago in Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Mega Edition This delay is called an embargo

Biological Sciences database Go to the library home page Click on Databases/Electronic Resources Choose Biological Sciences from title list Type a word or phrase in the search box, click the Search button

Click Databases/Electronic Resources

Type in term(s), click Search Biological Sciences search screen

Click on Full Text Linking for article. Biological Sciences result screen

Text of linked article in another database

Elsevier Science Direct Start at the library home page Click on Find Articles (Databases) Choose Elsevier Science Direct from Databases by Title, then click on GO In the search box, type one or more words or a phrase related to your topic

Type term(s), click Search button Science Direct search screen

Click for.pdf of article, opens with Adobe reader Science Direct results list

Image of article (pdf)

The Article Is Not in This Database. Now What? Serials Solutions is linked from the Library ’ s home page and "Find Articles" page. Check to see if the journal is available full-text in a database with Serials Solutions. If it is, you can click on a link to go to that database.

Searching Serials Solutions Type name of journal, click Search

Search Results for Ecology Click on a link to go to database

Access the Journal in Expanded Academic ASAP Database Click on "full-text" to go to article

Text of Article

Additional Resources Houston Cole Library Distance Education Services page Frequently Asked Questions

Contact: Paula Barnett Ellis Health and Sciences Librarian Office on Library's 9th Floor phone: Toll-free number for Library Reference Desk:

My hours Monday:3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch: Usually 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.