Research Guides: Library Resources for Extension: Research Resources

Find Books

MSU Libraries Online Catalog
- Searches the collections of MSU Libraries as well as other area libraries
- Useful for finding material that provide a good overview of your research topic
WorldCat
- Provides access to the catalog records of libraries throughout the world.
- Books found on WorldCat that are not owned by the MSU Libraries can be obtained via InterLibrary Loan.
- Access is limited to 5 simultaneous users.

Find articles from magazines and trade journals

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window

For articles from magazines and trade journals, try the following databases.

Unless otherwise indicated, you must be a current MSU faculty member, staff member, or student to access the resources below.

Business Source Complete
Includes articles on agribusiness and agricultural economics.

Find research articles, technical reports, and other research materials

Listed below are databases that you may find useful for agriculture-related research. For a complete listing of all of MSU Libraries' online indexes and databases, click here.

If the MSU Libraries does not provide access to a journal article or other item that you need, you may order it through Interlibrary Loan.

Unless otherwise indicated, you must be a current MSU faculty member, staff member, or student to access the resources below.

AGRICOLA
Indexes USDA publications, core journals in agricultural and related sciences, and items acquired by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and cooperating institutions. Primary coverage is back to 1970, with some coverage back to the early 1900s.
Business Source Complete
Provides abstracting and indexing for over a thousand journals and full text for nearly 930 journals covering business, management, economics, finance, banking, accounting, and much more. Coverage back to the 1920s
CAB Abstracts
Provides extensive coverage of journals in agriculture, forest resources, veterinary medicine, and related sciences.
- This EBSCO version provides coverage back to 1990.
- Access is limited to 4 simultaneous users.
Discovery
This tool allows researchers to search across all EBSCO databases and the library's online catalog through one search interface. Among these databases are the following:
- Agricola
- Biological Abstracts*
- CAB Abstracts*
- Medline
- Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide
* Results from these databases may not be included if limit on simultaneous users has been reached.
Dissertations & Theses (Proquest)
- Database of theses and dissertations from throughout the US and some foreign institutions.
- Most theses and dissertations from 1997 (and some older ones) are available as PDF files.
- If full text text is not available, you may be able to get the document through Interlibrary Loan.
- To search MSU's electronic theses and dissertations, search the MSU ETD Database.
Environment Complete
This database provides coverage of all areas related to the environment, including forest resources, with some coveage back to the back to the 1960s and beyond.
Google Scholar
Indexes the websites of commercial publishers, governments, universities, and other organizations.
- Remember, for a good literature review, Google Scholar should be seen as a supplement rather than a substitute for other library databases.
- For the most effective access to the full text, be sure to read the Google Scholar Tips in this guide.
PubMed
World's largest medical database, with records to articles back to the 1940s and coverage of topics such as animal physiology and veterinary medicine.
- Accessing PubMed through this link will allow you to view "Find It" links, which help you find the full text.
- The National Library of Medicine offers numerous PubMed tutorials.
- To search PubMed content using a different search interface, try Medline via EBSCO.
Scopus
This multidisciplinary database is "the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature."
- Over 70 million records of journal articles, conference papers, and more
- Good coverage of all areas of STEM, as well as scocial sciences, engineering, and business.
- Provides nearly 100% coverage of Medline and Compendex
- Offers sophisticated tools to track, analyze and visualize research
Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide
"... the world’s largest index to literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians."
- Over 2.5 million records, primarily for peer-reviewed journal articles
- Coverage from 1935.

Citation Management Software

Learn about programs that allow you to organize your references, format them in a style of your choice, and insert them into a Word document.

Access MSU Libraries' Books

For Extension & Experiment Station Faculty & Staff who work away from the main campus, the Libraries will deliver books to you for free (you are just responsible for returning them).

Use the Online Catalog to find books the library owns.
Use the the Place Hold link to request the book you need.

This is a FREE service for off-campus Extension Service and MAFES personnel. However, to avoid being charged, you must indicate in your ILLiad profile that your Site is "Extension Service" or "Experiment Station".

Access Articles in the Libraries' Print Journals

It is easy to get PDFs of articles in the Libraries' print collections,

1. Log into Interlibrary Loan.

2. Choose the Article link under New Request.

3. Enter the information about the article.

4. For Copy Service, selct "Yes"

Materials not at MSU

Interlibrary Loan

How do I get an article or book that is not available electronically or in print at MSU Libraries?

Check the Online Catalog to confirm that the library does not have the book you need or doesn't provide access to the journal in which the article appears.
Use the Interlibrary Loan option of ILLiad to request that MSU Libraries get the item from another library for you. The service is usually free.

Google Scholar Tips

Google Scholar is a freely available resource, but most publishers do not provide free access to the full text of their journals. The following steps can help you to find the full text articles to which the MSU Libraries subscribe:

When off-campus, first log into the MSU Virtual Private Network before clicking on a database.
This will give you the same access off-campus as on-campus and will help to ensure that you can access all of the journals that the library subscribes to.
Use the link to Google Scholar that is on the library’s website.
Click on the title of the article result in Google Scholar
If the library has paid for the content, you may be able to access it directly. Also, the article may come up if the author has posted it to their website (especially for federal employees). Links to author-posted versions may also appear next to article title.
Click on “Find It@MSState Libraries”
This will pull up the “Find It” screen that you see when searching other databases, such as CAB Abstracts.
Search the article title in the Discovery database and click on any full text link or the "Find It" button.