Finding Journal Articles
You can search for your topic using Summon. You may wish to limit your search to Scholarly & Peer Review.
You can also search one of these specialized databases to find journal articles and even grey literature (e.g. conference proceedings, government and NGO reports, theses & dissertations). They offer more functionality than Summon.
- Agricultural & Environmental Science Database (AESD) This link opens in a new windowThe Agricultural & Environmental Science database (AESD) facilitates in-depth research and comprehensive literature reviews across the earth, atmospheric & aquatic sciences. Includes Agricola.
- ASFA - Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts is an internationally known bibliographic database for aquatic sciences and fisheries.
- CABI Digital Library This link opens in a new windowArticles, ebooks, and data sheets on agriculture, animal health, crop protection, forestry, global health, human nutrition, horticulture, and natural resources management. Includes Cab Abstracts & Global Health databases.
- Compendex Engineering Village This link opens in a new windowPremier engineering database, covering the core literature of the engineering field, including related specialties and technologies.
- EconLit This link opens in a new windowCore literature on global economics /American Economic Association Use for: researching scholarly topics in economics, business and public management.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowWorld's largest academic search engine providing free searching to a full range of scholarly literature (ie. peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, pre-prints, abstracts, technical reports).
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowApproximately 300,000 articles on green issues, including green building, global warming, etc.
- Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary database of journal articles and conference proceedings, used for citation analysis of research. Includes access to EndNote Basic, a web-based version of EndNote.
Search Worksheet
Before diving into your search, it's a good idea to spend a few minutes thinking about how you're going to search. This worksheet will help you identify the key concepts and databases, and create a search strategy using key techniques to build your search.
- Forestry Research Search Strategy DocumentationThis worksheet can help you develop your research question using PICO, translate it into an effective literature search, and track what you find.
Tips for Searching Databases
Search syntax
- Search for a phrase using quotation marks, e.g. "climate change"
- Combine search terms with OR to expand a search, e.g. "climate change" OR "global warming"
- Combine search terms with AND to narrow a search, e.g. "climate change" AND adaptation
- Use NEAR to find search terms within a few words of each other, e.g. climate NEAR/3 change
- Search variations of a word using truncation, e.g. adapt* to search adapt, adapts, adapting, adaptation
- Put it altogether using search boxes or parentheses, e.g. ("climate change" OR "global warming") AND adapt*
Filters and sorting in Web of Science Core Collection
- Review articles can provide a good overview of a topic. Filter by Document Type to "Review".
- Sort by Times Cited so you don't miss key articles in a field.
- Use Citation Chaining to search forwards (e.g. Times Cited) or backwards (an article's bibliography).