Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno
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Agricultural Sciences & Technology Subject Guide Course Guides Home

Food, Society, and Environment
Information Resources for Plant Science 105
Spring 2008

Contents:

Evaluating Information Resources
Finding Newspaper Articles
Finding Books
Finding Journal Articles
    · Full-Text Journal Collections
Government Web Sites
Scholarly and Science Web Search Engines
Need More Help?

Evaluating Information Resources

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals Cornell University Library

Evaluating Web Sites A Northwest Vista College Library Tutorial
Brief outline of criteria.

Evaluating Web Pages UC Berkeley Libraries
Longer description of a process that starts with looking at search results, investigates the page contents, and then looks beyond the page for information about it or its author(s).
· Web Page Evaluation Checklist

Evaluating Scholarly Content Online UC Berkeley Online Tutorial
Includes a section on Google Scholar.

Finding Newspaper Articles

Proquest Newsstand
Off-campus connection requires login.
· Use *   for alternate word endings
  e.g. genetic* retrieves genetic, genetics, genetically, etc.

LexisNexis Academic for News articles:
Off-campus connection requires login.
· Click on the News tab in the upper left menu bar.
· Use ! for alternate word endings
Finding Books

How to Request Books and Journals Stored Off-Campus
Most books and all bound journals are stored off-campus. You can request specific items be delivered to the library via the library catalog.

Library Catalog
Search the library catalog to find books, journals, and other material in the Madden Library.
Finding Journal Articles
The Library might have the articles and books you find through these indexes that are not full-text:
Journal Articles
    · Follow the Madden ArtlcleLink that appears in the 1st two databases listed below.
    · If Madden ArticleLink doesn't find it, check the title of the journal in the library catalog.
Books
    · If the MaddenArticleLink doesn't work, check the book title in the library catalog
    · If you don't find a government publication in the catalog, ask at the Maps & Government Information desk on the 2nd floor.
If the Library doesn't have it
    · Request the item via our Interlibrary Loan service.

Academic Search Premier
Off-campus connection requires login.
Index to news magazines and scholarly journals in a wide variety of subjects.
· Use and between search terms unless you want to search a phrase
· Use *   for alternate word endings
  e.g. child* and obesity and nutrition
· Limit your search to the scholarly journals by checking the box: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals

Agricola   1970-
Off-campus connection requires login.
Covers material acquired by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and cooperating institutions in the agricultural and related sciences. Citations are primarily to journal articles and book chapters, but include other type of resources.
· Use and between search terms unless you want to search a phrase
· Use *   for alternate word endings
e.g., micropropagat* retrieves micropropagated, micropropagation etc.

CAB Abstracts. (1973-   )
Off-campus connection requires login.
Subscription is limited to 2 simultaneous users.
Provides international coverage of agriculture, forestry, and allied life and applied sciences. Contains citations to journal articles, books, conference papers, and reports in the fields of agriculture; animal and veterinary sciences; environmental sciences; human health, food and nutrition; leisure and tourism; microbiology and parasitology; and plant sciences.
· Use and between search terms unless you want to search a phrase
· Use * for alternate word endings

Biological Abstracts . (1969-   )
Off-campus connection requires login.
Citations with abstracts to worldwide biological and medical literature.
· Use * for alternate word endings

More Databases and Article Indexes
By Subject
Alphabetical List
Full-Text Journal Collections
The indexing databases above should include citations and links to most of the content in these full-text journal databases.
Wiley Interscience
Off-campus connection requires login.
You can restrict you searches to just journal articles, and to the Life Sciences.

ScienceDirect Elsevier
Off-campus connection requires login.
You can restrict your searches to just journal articles, and to the Agricultural and Biological Sciences.

JSTOR Journal Collection Scholarly Journal Archive
Off-campus connection requires login.
Browse or search full text of journals in the collection. In Advanced Search, you can focus your search on a discipline or specific journals.

Springer LINK
Off-campus connection requires login.
Government Web Sites

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports:
CRS provides nonpartisan analytical research for Congress.
· Reports on Environmental and Related Topics posted by the National Library for the Environment
· CRS Reports posted by the National Agricultural Law Center

Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture
"ERS research focuses on policies of government agencies and international organizations regarding agricultural production and income, agriculture and the environment, the rural economy, food consumption, and trade. Policy analysis encompasses economic impacts, costs, and benefits of policies that are proposed or enacted."
· Briefing Rooms

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

National Agricultural Library
Select a subject catagory on the left of the screen for lists of selected resources.

U.S.Department of Energy climate change, alternative energy
· The Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Scholarly and Science Web Search Engines

Science.gov
A unified search of the government’s vast stores of scientific and technical information., Science.gov allows users to search the surface web as well as the deep web, where traditional search engines cannot go. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 16 U.S. government science organizations within 12 Federal agencies.

Scirus.com Science Specific Search Engine
In the Advanced Search you can restrict your results by type of resource and subject (Agricultural and Biological Sciences)

Google Scholar
Peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
1. Click on Scholar Preferences
2. Type fresno in the Library Links box.
3. Select California State University, Fresno - Article Link: Full Text.
4. Click on Save Preferences.
Need More Help?

I am your Agricultural Sciences & Technology librarian. Feel free to email me: carol_doyle@csufresno.edu. However, since I am not always here to answer quickly:
    · Ask a librarian at the 1st floor reference desk, 278-2174.
    · IM or email a question: Ask A Librarian
Revised 24 January 2008        
Depository Logo Send comments to Carol Doyle
Agricultural Sciences & Technology Librarian
and Head, Maps & Government Information 		California Bear Flag
The Madden Library is a selective federal and California depository.