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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Tips for Searching Databases
Search syntax
- Search for a phrase using quotation marks, e.g. "community forestry"
- Combine search terms with OR to expand a search, e.g. governance OR management
- Combine search terms with AND to narrow a search, e.g. "community forestry" AND governance
- Search variations of a word using truncation, e.g. forest* to search forest, forests, forestry
- Put it altogether using search boxes or parentheses, e.g. "community forest*" AND (governance OR management)
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).