How to Access the Full Text of an Article
"Get it at UC" Button
Most databases provide a description of articles and other resources to help you find what you need by searching through the indexed literature within their website. Included as part of the item record is the “Get it at UC” button. Clicking this button will direct you to a copy of the full text of the article.
Interlibrary Loan Request
If we do not own a journal or book, you can submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request to have the book or article (e)mailed to you for free from another UC library. Learn more about how to request books or articles.
Find Articles via Subject Databases
How to Choose a Database
In deciding which database(s) to use, it is helpful to note:
- Who: Who is authoring these publications? Are these scholarly, popular, or industry sources?
- What: What can I find in the database? (e.g. articles, conference proceedings, data)
- When: When does coverage begin? How well is historical literature covered? Does it include articles published in the last year?
- Where: What is the geographical scope of the coverage? Does that match your research interest?
NOTE: Your database comparison table distributed in the class (and also to be available from your Canvas class site) helps with locating the above criteria for four of the key databases for finding animal-related literature: BIOSIS Previews, Zoological Record, ASFA & Fish, Fisheries and Aquatic Biodiversity.
Recommended Subject Databases:
Use FishBase to help determine the scientific name of your organism or to explore a family of fishes to pick a particular species. Library literature databases for fish biology/conservation range from databases strictly about fish/aquatic animals (ASFA, Fish/Fisheries & Aquatic Biodiversity), to very broad databases which include ecological or animal behavior literature (BIOSIS Previews & PsycINFO), to specialized databases concerning wildlife (Zoological Record and Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide).
Searching for a fish species requires that one use both the common name and the scientific name. It is possible that the genus may have changed so keep in mind that the same animal may have a different genus name in the older literature.
For example, the best search for coho would be the following:
“Coho Salmon*” OR “Oncorhynchus kisutch*”
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FishBase: A Global Information System on Fishes This link opens in a new windowRelational database on fish from around the world including information on: taxonomy, synonym tables, average sizes and weights, environment, climate, importance, resilience, distribution, diagnosis, biology, Red list status, life history, reproduction, ecology, genetics, illustrations, photographs and much more. Developed at the WorldFish Center in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and many other partners, and with support from the European Commission (EC).
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Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) This link opens in a new windowEditorially-curated A&I resources in the fisheries, aquatic, and marine sciences. Sources include scholarly journals, dissertations, reports, conference proceedings, and grey literature in English and multiple other languages.
This database is produced in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations -
Fish, Fisheries & Aquatic Biodiversity Worldwide This link opens in a new windowMerged content from thirteen databases including records from the now ceased database Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture, & Fisheries Resources (ABAFR), and from FISHLIT, Aquatic Biology Citations (ABC), the Fishing Industry Research Index (FIRI), Fisheries Review, and a database from the Worldfish Center's Library. Database producer from South Africa -- excellent coverage of African publications.
[Coverage: 1971-present] -
BIOSIS Previews This link opens in a new windowBIOSIS Previews is a database for researching the biological sciences literature. Designed by biologists for keeping up with the literature across pure and applied life sciences including agriculture and medicine. Excellent features for searching by taxonomic categories and broad concept codes (subject categories). More than 27 million records in all life science areas, including agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, ecology, environmental biology, genetics, microbiology, plant biology, veterinary medicine & pharmacology, and zoology. Indexes over 6,000 journals, serials, books and book chapters, conference proceedings and patents.
[Coverage: 1926-present] -
APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowPublished by the American Psychological Associations and provides comprehensive indexing and abstracts of the international psychological literature from the 1800s to the present. Documents indexed include journals, articles, books, dissertations and more. 90% of the 3,000+ titles indexed in APA PsycInfo are peer-reviewed.
[Coverage: 1840-present] -
Zoological Record This link opens in a new windowPrimary database for wildlife researchers. The oldest continuing database of animal biology - designed to include all records of new species information and naming. Comprehensive coverage of zoology; including behavior, conservation and environmental science, ecology, evolution, genetics, habitat, marine and freshwater biology, nutrition, parasitology and disease, reproduction, taxonomy and systematics, veterinary studies, zoogeography and fossil records. Especially strong in new species reports and field studies.
[Coverage: 1864-Present] -
Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide This link opens in a new windowIndexes literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians; covering all aspects of wildlife and wildlife management. Database producer from South Africa with excellent coverage of African publications.
[Coverage: 1935-present, with some earlier dates]
General Databases
If your organism is endemic or a rare organism, consider using the following databases:
- Agricultural & Environmental Science database - has EIS/EIA - Environmental Impact Statements or Environmental Impact Assessments which get to U.S. local information about an organism
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database - often unique research on an endemic organism is conducted by graduate students from universities
- Web of Science Core Collection - if you found only a FEW journal articles about your organism, consider pasting the title of each article in to WoS Core Collection to see if anyone has cited each paper or to at least see a linkable bibliography from that article
In addition, government agency publications are essential for finding local information on an organism. Make sure to look at the Government Publication Collections page of this Course Guide. Also keep in mind that each state in the U.S. will have a Fish & Wildlife or Fish & Game agency which may have a digital library of state publications from that agency.
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Agricultural & Environmental Science Database This link opens in a new windowCovers environmental science topics from disciplines such as atmospheric science, biology, biotechnology, ecology, engineering, and microbiology, agricultural research including agricultural economics, animal and veterinary sciences, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems, food and human nutrition, forestry, and plant sciences. It includes Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Digests and all the records from the National Agricultural Library's AGRICOLA database.
[Coverage: 1960-present] -
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I This link opens in a new windowFull-text access to dissertations published after 1977, and citations and abstracts for earlier dissertations and theses. The official offsite dissertations repository for the U.S. Library of Congress. Contains every title in the UMI Dissertation Abstracts database. Access to works by UC campus authors is free for UC affiliates.
[Coverage: 1861-present] -
Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new windowWeb of Science Core Collection enables searching of top-cited peer-reviewed content across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities with "cited reference" search capabilities. "It is a curated collection of over 20,000 peer-reviewed, high-quality scholarly journals published worldwide (including Open Access journals) in over 250 science, social sciences, and humanities disciplines. Conference proceedings and book data are also available." There is also access to Journal Citation Reports which provide impact metrics like the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and Eigenfactor Scoring. Web of Science also has article, author and institutional citation indices. Includes EndNote Basic online citation management tool.
[Coverage: 1900-present]
Identify Peer-Reviewed Articles
A peer-reviewed source is an article that has been reviewed by several other experts in the field before being published in order to ensure its quality. This 2 minute video describes the peer review process.
How do I Know if an Article is Peer-Reviewed?
Look for limits/filters
Many databases allow you to specify that you want to search only in “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” sources.
Visit the journal’s webpage
Search online for your journal’s title. Sections like “about this journal” or “editorial policies” generally mention whether the journal is peer-reviewed/refereed.
Check a directory
Use the Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory to find key information about a journal, including whether it has a peer-review process.