Library guides: Environmental Science: Journal articles & databases

Databases

EBSCOhost databases This link opens in a new window
Comprises various databases covering a range of disciplines. Select to search in Academic Search Premier, GreenFILE or other databases relevant to your research.
InfoRMIT This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database, provides some full text articles covering various topics in current affairs, environment, and law. Particularly useful for topics pertaining to Australia and Australians.
Note: click 'Our collections' to limit your search to a particular database.
ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Provides a range of mainly full text databases, is international in scope and useful for all science subjects.
Taylor and Francis This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database, including earth, physical, environmental & agricultural sciences.
Web of Science - all databases This link opens in a new window
Searches across all Web of Science subscribed content, including Core Collection, Current Contents Connect and MEDLINE.
AGRICOLA This link opens in a new window
Produced by the National Agricultural Library (US), contains abstracts of journal articles, as well as records about books and other materials encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines.

Database search skills

Research Ready - Database search skills
A very useful module that will help you to find resources using the databases.

Open access journals

Free full text journals available online:

Peer reviewed or scholarly?

You may be required to find peer-reviewed journal articles. Here are some tips for finding out if an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal:

There are 4 ways to check for peer-reviewed status:

does the database allow you to restrict your search to peer reviewed publications (like Ebsco)
does the database offer a way to check by clicking the journal title, or a browse title link (like APA-FT)
search a specialised database such as Ulrichsweb or Serials Directory for the journal title. In Ulrichsweb you are hoping to see a little black and white striped referee shirt , in Serials Directory you are hoping for a statement: "Peer Reviewed: Yes".
search the web for the home page of the journal. Look for an information for authors/contributors page. Does it tell authors that their work will be subject to a peer-reviewed process.

Also remember to check that your article is scholarly and not just an opinion or commentary piece that happens to be in a peer-reviewed publication. Some good indicators:

the author gives their academic qualifications/affiliations with a university
often there is an abstract
substantial document - longer than 2 pages
list of references at the end.

Research Ready - Scholarly vs non-scholarly sources

This module that explains the difference between Scholarly and non-Scholarly resources.

Research Ready - Evaluating resources

A short module showing how to evaluate resources using the CRAAP test

Google scholar

Change your settings so that Find it @ SCU links automatically appear within Google Scholar in your search results:

Click the three horizontal lines (top left) then go to Settings (the cog at the bottom of the list)
Click Library links
Type in Southern Cross University and click the search button
Tick Southern Cross University - Find it @ SCU

If you use EndNote, under Bibliography Manager, select EndNote.
Click Save.

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