Library Guides: ASC321 Research Skills Guide: Use Journal Databases

Key databases for Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Databases index peer review journal articles, conference proceedings and book chapters. They can be multidisciplinary or subject specific. Library journal databases will either provide the full-text for an article or will link you through Primo to the full-text of the article.

Useful databases to search for Animal and Veterinary Science include

CAB Abstracts (1910 to present) This link opens in a new window
A bibliographic database produced by CAB International (CABI), available on the Ovid platform in various date packages. This one is the full package, with coverage back to 1910. Covers agriculture; animal & vet sciences; environmental sciences; health, food, and nutrition; leisure & tourism; microbiology & parasitology; and plant sciences. Includes some material in full-text.
Originally a citation-only database, the database now includes full-text content which was previously only available through a separate subscription. There are tens of thousands of full-text documents available including journal articles, reports, and conference papers. To display results that are directly available in full-text in this database, you need to use the limiter for Ovid Full Text Available, which you can get by clicking on the button for Additional Limits.

The Ovid search interface for CAB Abstracts includes a "Map term to subject heading" tick-box, which you can use to check for and search by authorised subject headings.

Updating is weekly.

You can access the other CAB Abstracts packages from the Ovid databases menu.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
A multi-subject abstract and citation database of research literature. Known for its citation-tracking and bibliometric features.
Scopus is an abstract and citation database of research literature which offers coverage of more than 22,000 journals, and more than 150,000 books, from more than 5,000 publishers. There are nearly 70 million records and 1.4 billion cited references. Most records date since 1996 but Scopus has recently added records dated from 1970 - 1995.

Scopus does not in itself include the full-text of articles, but many records in a results list will have a View at publisher link. If that link doesn't work, use the Find it link to search for the full article via Primo Search.

Subject coverage includes:
* Life Sciences
* Health Sciences
* Physical Sciences
* Social Sciences & Humanities.

Scopus has a number of specialised features relating to bibliometrics which are mainly used by higher degree researchers. But one feature that might have wider application is the ability to use the View Cited By function to find articles that cite your selected articles(s). You can also sort your results list by citation count.

A note on access for academic/research staff: If you are academic/research staff and require access to your Charles Sturt researcher profile, please use this link - https://www.scopus.com - and sign in using the "Access through your Institution" option. Type Charles Sturt University into the search box and follow the prompts.

Journal Database Search Strategies

When you go into a journal database you will notice that many of them feature multiple search boxes that are stacked one above the other in rows.

While they may look intimidating, they can make your search process easier.

Think of each row as a train of thought. For example, use a new row for each element of your topic. An example search might be:

1st search row: "animal care"
2nd search row: vet* OR provider
3rd search row: "compassion fatigue"

You'll notice we have used some search tips in the search above. Check out the Plan your search page for a listing of these tips.

Tip: If you want to learn more about how to maximise your search using search strategies, contact the Library. We can assist you in creating an effective search strategy.

Understanding databases

Need some help with understanding how to use databases? See our Database Help Guide.

Searching in a database

Which Databases should I choose?

The Library databases section on the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Library Resource Guide provides a list of relevant journals and databases.

Visit the Animal and Vet Sciences Journal Databases listing for all potentially useful databases in your area. Note that you don't have to use every database for every assignment - but nor should you restrict your search to one database only.

Don't forget, you can also use Primo Search and Google Scholar to locate journal articles.