Environmental Sciences: Find Articles
Article Search Engines
The following list contains multiple resources for finding journal articles on environmental topics. One of theses databases may fit you best, or you may need to search multiple databases for the best results.
- AGRICOLA This link opens in a new windowAGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) indexes materials owned and cataloged by the National Agriculture Library. Subjects covered include: animal and veterinary sciences, entomology, plant sciences, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems, agricultural economics, extension and education, food and nutrition, and earth and environmental sciences. AGRICOLA also maintains the Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) and so it is a good source for animal welfare and animal rights information. Formats include periodical articles, books, book chapters, reports, extension bulletins, computer software and audiovisual materials.
- Biological & Agricultural Index Plus This link opens in a new windowCovers agricultural research, biology, environmental science, genetics, horticulture, physiology, veterinary medicine, wildlife management and more. This database includes full text for over 100 journals dating back to 1997, indexing and abstracts of more than 380 publications dating back to 1983, and more than 200 podcasts from respected sources, including Boston's Museum of Science.
- BIOSIS Previews This link opens in a new windowProvides the most comprehensive coverage of worldwide literature in the life sciences. Indexes approximately papers from 5,500 life science journals and 1,500 international meetings; review articles, books, and monographs are also monitored for inclusion. The index includes areas of biology such as agriculture, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, ecology, genetics, immunology, medicine, microbiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, and zoology.
- Environment & Energy News This link opens in a new windowIncludes five databases that provide daily reports covering legal and political aspects of environmental issues.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new windowGood place to start for general articles, magazines, and newspaper articles on environmental issues (1975-today). Offers deep coverage in environmental aspects of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, and urban planning. Primary coverage is from 1975-present, with limited coverage from 1960.
- Geobase (Engineering Village) This link opens in a new windowProvides comprehensive bibliographic references to important journals in the fields of physical and human geography, geology, mineralogy, ecology and development studies. International in scope.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowOffers information covering all aspects of human impact on the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles include content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done on each level to minimize negative impact. Topics covered include global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. GreenFILE is multidisciplinary by nature and draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology.
- Nature This link opens in a new windowProvides full text search capabilities for the publications of the Nature Publishing Group ranging from the basic journal Nature to specific pharmaceutical, medical, ecological, biological titles.
- SciFinder This link opens in a new window
Users must create an account, providing your @miamioh.edu e-mail address, in order to use SciFinderN.
SciFinder-n provides access to journal articles, dissertations, abstracts, and patents in chemistry and biomedicine. Search for literature or for chemical records by research topic, author, chemical substance or reaction, document identifier, and company/organization name.
Also available within SciFinder are these other CAS products: ChemZent, CAS Analytical Methods, and CAS Formulus.
- Web of Science (Core Collection) This link opens in a new windowCovers more than 5,900 major journals across 150 scientific disciplines (1965-present). Provides access to cited references from indexed articles, linking older articles to current ones that have cited them.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a good resource, just keep in mind that not all journal articles can be found there. You will be able to link to some full text automatically. If you search from on campus, you will automatically see the Find It @ MiamiOH link. Try to get a hold of full text from that link, or ask me.
Search Tip: Use the Find It! Button
When you search a database for a "Full Text" item, you are only searching through that particular database for the document in full-text, and not our entire collection. An item may exist as a "Full Text" selection within a different database.
If you don't find an item as full-text in the database you're searching, use the "Find It" button to cross-search other databses for that same item. You may discover that we have electronic access to that material after all.
Using Journal Literature
Most indexes in environmental science will label at least two different types of research articles:
Primary article: A primary article will directly report the authors' research findings. The details of experiments they conducted will be reported. Most primary articles follow the "IMRAD" format familiar to students from writing lab reports: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Review article: This type of article will summarize the research that has been done in a certain research area. Reviews can be a good entry point into reading on a particular research topic, since some terms will be defined, and important experiments and results discussed. Web of Science is an excellent database for locating reviews.