Research Guides: Poultry Science Research Guide: Research Databases

Find Books, Theses, and Dissertations

Books often provide a more systematic overview of a research topic than is usually found in articles. Theses and dissertations usually have helpful literature reviews that are more detailed than most articles.

MSU Libraries Online Catalog
- Searches the collections of MSU Libraries as well as other libraries in the area
- Books located in the Circulating Collection can be checked out.
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 requested through InterLibrary Loan.
- Access is limited to 5 simultaneous users.
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.

Find Articles, Conference Papers, and More

Listed below are databases that you may find useful for Poultry Science 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.

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.
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
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.
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. Note that CAB Abstracts is not included in Discovery.
- Agricola
- Biological Abstracts*
- Medline
- Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide
* Results from these databases may not be included if limit on simultaneous users has been reached.

Other Research Databases

The following are additional databases that may be useful for for poultry science research. To get more help with research or find more databases, contact your Research Services Librarian!

If the MSU Libraries don't have the article you need in print or electronically, order it through Interlibrary Loan.

You must be a current MSU faculty/staff member or student to access these resources.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This multidisciplinary database provides access to scholarly and popular publications for all fields of study. Coverage for many journals goes back to the 1970s or further.

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.
ASABE Technical Library
- Provides online access to the standards of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
- Also provides access to other ASABE publications.
Biological Abstracts
This database provides abstracts to journal articles covering all aspects of the life sciences, including the environmental sciences.
- This EBSCO version provides coverage back to 1990.
- Access is limited to 5 simultaneous users.
Business Source Complete
Provides abstracting and indexing for over a thousand journals and full text for nearly 4,000 journals covering business, management, economics, finance, banking, accounting, and much more. Coverage back to the 1920s and beyond.
JSTOR
"JSTOR currently includes more than 2,000 academic journals, dating back to the first volume ever published ..." The library subscribes to part of JSTOR. Here are some tips for geeting the most out of this resource:
- For the most comprehensive results, change "Content I Can Access" to "All Content".
- In the results list, if you cannot access the full text of an item, click on the Find It button.
- Find It will help you see if the article is available electronically in another database or in the library's print collection.
- Use Interlibrary Loan to request items not in the library's online or print collections.

Search Tips

Search Connectors
- AND : narrows the search by finding records with both terms
- OR : broadens the search by finding records with either term
- NOT : narrows the search by finding records with 1st term but not 2nd
Truncation
- Using the asterisk (*) to stand in for all word endings

e.g. forest* for forest, forests, forestry, forester, etc.

Searching by Phrase
- Place an exact phrase in quotes
Subject Terms
- Special indexing terms that may differ from one database to another
- Found in each record and also on the left by clicking on “Subjects”
- Once subject terms for a database have been identified, can change search fields from “Select a Field” to “SU Subjects” (exact wording can vary by database)
Limit by Year
- Can be done on the initial search screen or (in EBSCO databases) by using the slider on the right in the results
Sort by Relevance
- This is the default in EBSCO databases, but not in Scopus. In Scopus you can change sorting on the results page.

How to Find the Full Text of an Article

When searching a database:

1. If you don't find a link to the full-text in the database, use the Find It button to search all MSU databases for the full-text.

2. If we don't have the full-text online, click on the link provided to see if the MSU Library owns a print copy. This will search the Online Catalog for the journal.

3. Examine any holdings statements to determine if we have the volume and issue that the article appears in.

4. If we don't have the article online OR in print, use Interlibrary Loan to get it from another library.

When you just have a citation:

1. Copy and paste the name of the article title into the library's Discovery database.

2. Follow the steps above to determine if the library has the article you need.

Note:

Many authors, especially federal government employees, post versions of their articles online. So you may be able to find what you need through a Google or Google Scholar search.