Research Guides: Plant and Soil Sciences Guide: Research Databases

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.

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 and More- Try These Databases First

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," with over 60 million records.
- 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.
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.

Find Articles and More - Other Databases

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.
Garden, Landscape and Horticulture Literature Index
This database is a resource for articles about gardens and plants designed for gardening enthusiasts, professionals, and students of horticulture and of garden. Topics include horticulture, botany, garden and landscape design & history, ecology, plant and garden conservation, garden management, and horticultural therapy.
GeoRef
The premier database from the American Geological institute, this resource provides indexing and abstracting for all areas in the geosciences.
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 nearly 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. For more effective searches, click on Advanced Search.
- Agricola
- Biological Abstracts*
- Medline
- Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide
* Results from this database may not be included if limit on simultaneous users has been reached.

General 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.