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Course Guides
Animal Biology Lab (ABI 50A)

2012 Fall

Bob Kimsey — rbkimsey@ucdavis.edu

Use the resources on this guide to find relevant sources for your scientific report.

Librarian Subject Specialist

Ruth Gustafson
ragustafson@lib.ucdavis.edu — (530) 752‑1883 — Biological/Agricultural Sciences Reference Department (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/bioag/)

Librarian Subject Specialist for: General Biology; Animal Science; Avian Science; Entomology (including Bee Biology and Pollination); Environmental Science & Policy; Environmental Toxicology; Evolution and Ecology; Forensic Science; Nematology; and Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology

Need assistance? Ruth Gustafson will have office hours Mon/Wed/Fri 11am-noon starting October 1st through December 7th (exceptions Friday November 2nd & 9th; Monday, November 12th; and Wednesday, November 14th).

SUNDAY Reference -- Available at 1st floor Shields, November 25th, 1-5pm

On This Page

Research Help

BioAg Consultation Desk (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/bioag/)
Located on the 3rd Floor of Shields Library. Ask for assistance at this Reference desk or you may email bioagquestions@lib.ucdavis.edu
Date: Monday-Friday 1-5pm (530) 752-9781
Library Research Aids: How Do I...? Guides (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/instruc/research/guides/)
These guides include Choose a Research Topic, 5 Steps to Better Library Research, Find a Book, and more.

Evaluate Your Sources

Accuracy
Does the author cite references to support her/his thesis? Are the references also from credible sources?
Author
Who produced the information? What can you find about the author's credentials?
Objectivity
Is the content presented as fact or speculation? What is the source's purpose?
Timeframe
When was the source written/created? Is the information still relevant?

Definitions

Abstract
A brief summary of the main points in a book, article or other work.
Bibliography
A list of works cited at the end of an article, book or other information source.
Catalog
A list of records that represent the holdings of a library.
Database
An organized, searchable collection of information, often related to a specific subject area. One of the primary tools for locating articles by topic. Most databases available through the library are licensed resources with access restrictions.
Peer Review
A process through which manuscripts submitted to a journal are evaluated for quality by one or more subject experts in addition to the editor before being accepted for publication.
Scholarly Journal
A publication containing articles that have undergone peer review, a process through which manuscripts submitted to a journal are evaluated for quality by one or more subject experts in addition to the editor before being accepted for publication.

Connect From Off-Campus

VPN (virtual private network) (https://vpn.lib.ucdavis.edu/dana-na/auth/url_default/welcome.cgi)
Use the VPN to connect to library databases and online journal subscriptions from off campus.
Related:
  • VPN video (http://www.screencast.com/users/m_browne/folders/Jing/media/c61baf91-8bef-45d8-985c-74ec53fc140e)

Taxonomy Resources

FishBase: A Global Information System on Fishes (http://fishbase.org/search.php)
Relational database on fish from around the world including information on: taxonomy, synonym tables, average sizes and weights, environment, climate, importance, resilience, distribution, diagnosis, biology, Red list status, life history, reproduction, ecology, genetics, illustrations, photographs and much more. Developed at the WorldFish Center in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and many other partners, and with support from the European Commission (EC).

Search For Books

The UCD Libraries selectively buy materials on writing in the sciences. Browsable subject headings that bring up these types of publications include: Communication in the environmental sciences; Environmental literature -- Authorship ; Ecology -- Authorship; Natural history literature -- Authorship; Communication of technical information; Report writing ; Technical writing
Harvest UC Davis Catalog (http://harvest.lib.ucdavis.edu)
Harvest is the UCD library online catalog of the collections of all five UC Davis General Libraries. It does not include the holdings of the Law Library. If you log in (My Account) using your library card number and PIN, you can renew books online, and request items that have been checked out to another borrower, or are in storage.
Understanding the Call Numbers (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/bioag/instruction/understanding-call-numbers-02-25-04.pdf)PDF
Author: Library Instruction Services, Shields Library
Library of Congress Classification is used for all of the UCD libraries except the health sciences libraries (which use NLM -- National Library of Medicine -- classification). Learn about how books are arranged in the UCD libraries with the following guide.
Date: 2004

Subject Guides

Subject Guides (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/research/subjects/)
Use the Subject Guides to identify additional databases to search for information on your topic.

UC-eLinks

UC-eLinks (http://www.cdlib.org/services/info_services/instruct/ucelinks_guide.html)
Brought to you by UC libraries! UC-eLinks helps to link to *choices* to find the item(s) you are interested in. UC-eLinks appears in most library literature or subject databases and provides a consistent way of getting to online articles (if licensed) or to information about which print issues of a journal we own. If we do not own a journal or book, you can use the UC-eLinks service to REQUEST that the item be sent to you for free from another UC library -- often using Web delivery if the item is an article or book chapter.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Databases

A process through which manuscripts submitted to a journal are evaluated for quality -- by one or more subject experts in addition to the editor -- before being accepted for publication.

All ProQuest databases (such as ASFA, ESPM and PsycINFO) enable you to narrow your result sets to just "Peer-Reviewed" journals. For journals retrieved from other databases, use the online Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to locate your journal. To the left of your title, look for a vertical black/white symbol depicting a referee jersey and thus noting the publication is "Refereed".

Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (http://www.ulrichsweb.com/) [Restricted] VPN
The standard source for information on virtually every active and ceased periodical, annual, irregular publication, and monographic series published throughout the world (plus thousands of newspapers). Indicates whether a publication is a refereed (peer-reviewed) title.

Search For Articles

These subject databases may be demonstrated or discussed at the library session.
Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) [via ProQuest] (http://search.proquest.com/asfa/advanced) [Restricted] VPN
New Interface 8/7/12 (from CSA Illumina to ProQuest): UCD's *most* important database on the biology, ecology, technology and management of marine, freshwater, and brackish water environments and organisms. Database consists of the following subfiles: ASFA 1: Biological Sciences and Living Resources; ASFA 2: Ocean Technology, Policy and Non-Living Resources; ASFA 3: Aquatic Pollution and Environmental Quality; ASFA Aquaculture Abstracts; and ASFA Marine Biotechnology Abstracts.
Coverage: varies by subfile; 1971-present;earlier for selected core titles
Related:
BIOSIS Previews [via Web of Knowledge] (http://isiknowledge.com/BIOSIS) [Restricted] VPN

NEW interface loaded July 17, 2011 -- result retrievals will be larger due to search design changes.

More than 22 million records in all life science areas, including agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, ecology, environmental sciences, genetics, microbiology, plant biology, veterinary medicine & pharmacology, and zoology. Indexes over 6000 journals, serials, books and book chapters, conference proceedings and patents.

Coverage: 1926-present
Related:
Zoological Record [via ProQuest] (http://search.proquest.com/zoologicalrecord/advanced) [Restricted] VPN
WILDLIFE. New Interface 8/7/12 (from CSA Illumina to ProQuest): Comprehensive coverage of zoology; including behavior, conservation and environmental science, ecology, evolution, genetics, habitat, marine and freshwater biology, nutrition, parasitology and disease, reproduction, taxonomy and systematics, veterinary studies, zoogeography and fossil records. Especially strong in new species reports and field studies. Backfile for 1864-1977 added April 2007.
Coverage: 1864-present [1864-1977 backfile added]
Related:
Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management (ESPM) [via ProQuest] (http://www.csa.com/htbin/dbrng.cgi?username=davis&access=davis856&db=envclust-set-c&db=eisft-set-c&adv=1) [Restricted] VPN
New Interface 8/7/12 (from CSA Illumina to ProQuest): Major areas of coverage include aquatic pollution, bacteriology, ecology, energy resources, environmental biotechnology & engineering, environmental impact statements, hazardous waste, industrial hygiene, microbiology, and risk assessment. Separately searchable subfiles include: ASFA 3: Aquatic Pollution and Environmental Quality; Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B); Ecology Abstracts; Environmental Engineering Abstracts; Health and Safety Science Abstracts; Industrial and Applied Microbiology Abstracts (Microbiology A); Pollution Abstracts; Risk Abstracts; Sustainability Science Abstracts; Toxicology Abstracts; and Water Resources Abstracts. EIS: Full Text and Digests of Environmental Impact Statements is combined for cross-searching with ESPM.
Coverage: 1967-present (varies by subfile)
Related:
PsycINFO [via Proquest] (http://search.proquest.com/psycinfo/advanced) [Restricted] VPN
PsycINFO is a department of the American Psychological Association (APA). It provides citations to articles in professional journals, conference proceedings, books, reports, dissertations and even important internet sites in psychology and related disciplines, most with abstracts and some citations. (Psychinfo is the incorrect spelling.)
Coverage: 1840-present
Related:

Journal Ranking

Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports is a comprehensive tool for assessing the importance of research journals in disciplines and subdisciplines including medical specialties. NOTE that review journals tend to be listed as top ranked titles, taking space away from original research titles, so use with caution.
Journal Citation Reports (JCR) (http://uclibs.org/PID/36787) [Restricted] VPN

Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by Thomson Reuters with each yearly data analysis being completed in the following year. The most recent edition is always published in the summer following the year analyzed. Journal Citation Reports can show you the most frequently cited journals in a field, the highest impact journals in a field, and the largest journals in a field. JCR Science Edition contains data from over 7,300 journals in science and technology. JCR Social Sciences Edition contains data from over 2,200 journals in the social sciences. NOTE: For disciplines that have longer timespans for citation, consider sorting for ranking by using the newer 5-year Impact Factor.

Coverage: 2007-2011
Date: 2011
Related: