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Annotated Database List

Off-Campus Access Instructions

This alphabetical list describes and provides access to databases that are used frequently by faculty, staff, and students in the biological sciences. KEY SITE designates the most frequently used of these. A more complete list of science and engineering databases is available.

Academic Search Premier from EBSCO
Agricola (1970+)
Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology Abstracts (1993+)
ASFA 1:Biological Sciences and Living Resources (1971+)
ASFA 2: Ocean Technology and Non-Living Resources (1971+)
ASFA 3: Aquatic Pollution & Environmental Quality (1990+)
ASFA Aquaculture Abstracts (1984+)
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (1971+)
ASFA Marine Biotechnology Abstracts (1989+)
Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B) (1982+)
Biocatalysis in MDL and Accelrys Academic Packages (Chemical Supplier and Reaction Databases) (client-server)
Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database
BIOSIS at LANL (1969+) KEY SITE
BIOSTER in MDL and Accelrys Academic Packages (Chemical Supplier and Reaction Databases) (client-server)
CAB Direct (1973+) KEY SITE
CCOHS: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Chemical Abstracts Online via SciFinder Scholar (client-server)
Chemical Abstracts Reaction Search Service (CASREACT) via SciFinder Scholar (client-server) (1985+)
CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects)
CSA Illumina
Dissertation Abstracts (Dissertations) (1881+) available from ProQuest
Environmental Engineering Abstracts (1990+)
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Databases
FlashPoint to search BIOSIS (1969+)
GeoRef (1755+) from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
Industrial & Applied Microbiology Abstracts (Microbiology A) (1982+)
INSPEC (1969+) physics, electrical engineering, etc.
JCR: Journal Citation Reports (1997+)
Medline available from PubMed KEY SITE
MSDS & FTSS (French version) Material Safety Data Sheets from CCOHS
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) from Stanford Environmental and Health Safety
Pollution Abstracts (1981+)
PubMed KEY SITE
RTECS Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances from CCOHS
SciFinder Scholar (client-server) for searching Chemical Abstracts Online
SciSearch ( 1945+) KEY SITE
Toxicology Abstracts (1982+)
Water Resources Abstracts (1967+)
Web of Science's version of the citation databases KEY SITE
Zoological Record Plus (1978+) KEY SITE

Annotations:

Academic Search Premier from EBSCO

Academic Search Premier is a multidisciplinary database that includes scholarly journals as well as newspapers and popular magazines.  It indexes well over 8,000 journal titles, including more than 4,700 full text journals. Most of the journals covered in Academic Search Premier are peer-reviewed. Subject coverage spans biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion & theology, sociology, and many other disciplines. The database is updated daily.

Agricola(1970+)
Produced by the National Agricultural Library, Agricola indexes over 2.5 million items.  The database covers journal articles, monographs, theses, patents, software, audio-visual materials, and technical reports related to agriculture in many languages.  Indexing starts with 1979.

Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology Abstracts (1993+)
This database, produced by CSA, covers literature related to agricultural products involving both plants and animals, new applications across the food industry, and wide-ranging environmental developments. Plant genome studies are examined in detail. Other topics include patents, new product approvals, fermentation, soil microorganisms, bioremediation, transgenic plants and animals, breeding techniques, biopesticides, food production and safety tests, treatment and disposal of wastes, biochemical applications in water treatment, and industrial hygiene. The database is updated bimonthly.

ASFA 1:Biological Sciences and Living Resources (1971+)
ASFA 1, a subset of CSA Illumina database services, contains over 600,000 records.  It provides extensive coverage of basic and applied research as well as laboratory studies on aquatic organisms. All aspects of marine, freshwater, and brackish water organisms and environments are covered, including information on biology and ecology of aquatic organisms, exploitation of living resources, and related legal, policy, and socioeconomic issues. The database focuses on the literature of fisheries, covering the latest fishing methods, statistics, aquaculture, food technology, productivity, conservation, and marketing. This database is updated monthly.

ASFA 2: Ocean Technology and Non-Living Resources(1971+)
Produced by CSA, ASFA 2 contains more than 200,000 records. Its coverage spans the literature of oceanography, including physical, descriptive, dynamic, chemical, geological, and biological aspects. ASFA 2 also covers limnology, ocean engineering, and studies of specific marine resources. In addition, the database examines crucial current issues from international policy and legislation to meteorology and climatology to technology and engineering.

ASFA 3: Aquatic Pollution & Environmental Quality(1990+)
ASFA3, produced by CSA, covers the literature of research and policy on the contamination of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and estuaries, and information that addresses the increasing global concern over the consequences of marine and aquatic pollution. The database is updated monthly.

ASFA Aquaculture Abstracts(1984+)
The Aquaculture Abstracts, compiled by CSA, is a specialized database that focuses on studies related to improving and augmenting aquatic yields.  It provides comprehensive information on cultivating marine, freshwater, and brackish-water species. The database offers international perspectives on the science, practice, management, and economics of aquaculture, with references from related disciplines.  It features information on instruments, technological developments, culturing techniques, and new methods of husbandry. The database is updated bimonthly.

ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts(1971+)
A subset of CSA Illumina database services, ASFA is a premier reference in the field of aquatic resources. It collects information from over 5,000 serial publications, books, reports, conference proceedings, translations and limited distribution literature. The database is updated monthly.

ASFA Marine Biotechnology Abstracts(1989+)
ASFA Marine Biotechnology Abstracts, assembled by CSA, houses over 20,000 records.  It indexes literature on molecular biology and molecular genetics applied specifically to marine and aquatic organisms. The database also features the coverage of United States patents. This database is updated quarterly.

Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B) (1982+)
This medically-oriented index by CSA provides access to the literature on basic and clinical bacteriology.  Topics covered include biochemistry, genetics, immunology, vaccinations, diseases of man and animals. The database is updated monthly.

Biocatalysis in MDL and Accelrys Academic Packages (Chemical Supplier and Reaction Databases) (client-server)
Biocatalysis focuses on chemical synthesis using biocatalysts, including pure enzymes, whole cells, catalytic antibodies and enzyme analogues.

Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database
Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database, created by the University of Minnesota, provides coverage of microbial biocatalytic reactions and biodegradation pathways primarily for xenobiotic and chemical compounds. It is searchable by compound, enzyme, microorganism, pathway, chemical formula, chemical structure, CA Registry number, or EC number.

BIOSIS at LANL (1969+) KEY SITE
This bibliographic database, available through SearchPlus, allows users to search BIOSIS alone or to search BIOSIS, INSPEC and the ISI citation indexes simultaneously. Updated weekly, BIOSIS indexes approximately 6,500 journals and 2,000 meeting abstracts, as well as book chapters and other materials. Subject coverage includes biological and biomedical sciences, botany, biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, medicine, public health, radiation biology, ecology and the environment. SearchPlus also offers Alerts, providing weekly email notification of new articles on a topic or by an author of interest.

BIOSTER in MDL and Accelrys Academic Packages (Chemical Supplier and Reaction Databases) (client-server)
BIOSTER is a compilation of bio-analogous molecule pairs (including drugs, agrochemicals and enzyme inhibitors), selected from primary literature references. It gives the researcher access to information on thousands of reagents, solutes, reactions, and their products, as well as the properties of the molecules involved. The database provides keywords indicating the mode of action and cross-referenced information to the papers in which each active compound is reported.

CAB Direct (1973+) KEY SITE
CAB Direct, with over four million records, covers research and development literature in the fields of agriculture, applied life sciences, forestry, human health, human nutrition, animal health, and the management and conservation of natural resources. The database is updated quarterly.

CCOHS: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
This database search system, provided by Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, includes MSDS plus CHEMINFO, FTSS, HSELINE, OSHLINE with NIOSHTIC, and RTECS, as well as the free resources CHEMINDEX, INCHEM and facility reports. The database serves as a guide to educate users about environmental and occupational health and safety.

Chemical Abstracts Online via SciFinder Scholar (client-server)
Chemical Abstracts Online, searchable through the SciFinder Scholar client-server software package, indexes the world's chemistry-related literature. The database covers journal articles, patents, and other literature in biomedical sciences, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, agricultural science, and other fields. It is updated daily.

Chemical Abstracts Reaction Search Service (CASREACT) via SciFinder Scholar (client-server) (1985+)
CASREACT contains information on reactions of organic substances, including organometallics and biomolecules. It covers single- and multi-step reaction information for reactants, products, reagents, solvents, and catalysis.

CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects)
CRISP covers federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. Users can search for scientific concepts, emerging trends and techniques, or specific projects or investigators. The database also serves as the gateway to interactive searching of award information.

CSA Illumina
CSA Illumina provides access to more than 100 full-text and bibliographic databases published by CSA and its publisher partners. Its subject coverage spans disciplines of Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technology.

Dissertation Abstracts (Dissertations) (1881+) available from ProQuest
Dissertation Abstracts, produced by ProQuest, provides subject, title, and author access to dissertations accepted at American accredited institutions since 1881 and master theses since 1962. The full text of dissertations published since 1997 is available. Free links are provided to the full text of dissertations completed at Stanford University.

Environmental Engineering Abstracts (1990+)
Environmental Engineering Abstracts covers the world literature pertaining to technological and engineering aspects of air and water quality, environmental safety, and energy production. Updated monthly, it includes more than 700 indexed primary journals and 2,500 relevant monographs and conference proceedings.

Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Databases
This database collection, produced by CSA, has 13 subfiles that can be searched individually or as a single database. It offers abstracts for the worldwide literature covering the environmental sciences, including air, land, water and noise pollution, bacteriology, ecology, toxicology, risk assessment, environmental biotechnology and engineering, waste management, water resources, policies and regulations, and U.S. federal environmental impact statements.

FlashPoint to search BIOSIS (1969+)
FlashPoint integrates BIOSIS (1969+), the citation databases (Arts & Humanities (1975+), Social Science(1973+), and SciSearch (1945+)), Engineering Index (1969+), INSPEC (1969+), MathSciNet (1940+), and PubMed (1966+) in one search.

GeoRef (1755+) from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
GeoRef, published by the American Geological Institute, provides access to geoscience literature with references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports, and theses since 1755, including references to all publications of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Industrial & Applied Microbiology Abstracts (Microbiology A) (1982+)
As a subset of CSA Illumina database services, this database provides access to significant findings and practical applications in agricultural, food and beverage, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. The database covers the areas of fermentation, microbial degradation, food microbiology, microbial toxins, plant disease, forestry, soil microorganisms, mineral microbiology, hydrocarbons, microbial resistance, and antimicrobial agents.

INSPEC (1969+) physics, electrical engineering, etc.
INSPEC, integrated into SearchPlus, is a citation database for the world's literature on all aspects of physics, electronics, and computing. Updated weekly, it covers aeronautics, astronomy, computer science, engineering, environment, mathematics, nuclear science & technology, physics, technical reference, and transportation.

JCR: Journal Citation Reports (1997+)
Journal Citation Reports is a comprehensive and unique resource that allows the user to evaluate and compare journals using citation data drawn from over 7,500 scholarly and technical journals from more than 3,300 publishers in over 60 countries. It presents Impact Factors and other measures for comparison of journals.

Medline KEY SITE available from PubMed, and from EBSCO, OCLC, Ovid, and NLM Gateway
Medline, produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and made available through PubMed, provides access to the literature of basic biomedical research and the clinical sciences, including nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, allied health, and pre-clinical sciences. This database also covers life sciences, including aspects of biology, environmental science, marine biology, plant and animal science as well as biophysics and chemistry.  The database covers literature from 1966 to the present.

MSDS & FTSS (French version) Material Safety Data Sheets from CCOHS
MSDS & FTSS is provided by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).  The database provides access to more than 200,000 current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), in English and French, directly from suppliers and manufacturers.

MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) from Stanford Environmental and Health Safety
MSDS is an electronic Material Safety Data Sheet service offered by Stanford Environmental and Health Safety. Users can conduct advanced MSDS searches in a database containing 780,000 Material Safety Data Sheets.

Pollution Abstracts (1981+)
Pollution Abstracts, a subset of CSA Illumina database services, combines information on scientific research and government policies in a single resource. The database covers literature on the atmosphere, emissions, mathematical models, effects on people and animals, and environmental action in response to global pollution issues.

PubMed KEY SITE
PubMed, maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), contains MEDLINE records and additional records in the basic biomedical sciences. Initially oriented towards molecular biology and genetics, the database now includes journal records, monographic records, and journal records from OLDMEDLINE.

RTECS Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances from CCOHS
RTECS contains critical toxicological information, with citations on over 160,000 chemical substances from more than 2,500 sources.  It provides search access to over 400,000 chemical names and synonyms and over 120,000 unique CAS Registry Numbers found in RTECS. The database is also available in French and Spanish.

SciFinder Scholar (client-server) for searching Chemical Abstracts Online
SciFinder Scholar offers a client interface for searching Chemical Abstracts Online for academic users. The database comprehensively covers the journal and patent literature in chemistry. Chemical Abstracts Online indexes chemistry-related articles in journals covering agriculture, biology and life sciences, engineering, and medical sciences.

SciSearch ( 1900+) KEY SITE
SciSearch, the web version of Science Citation Index, covers 1900 to the present and is updated weekly. The database indexes over 6,000 serials covering engineering, technology, physical sciences, agriculture, environmental sciences, clinical medicine, the life sciences and other scientific and technical disciplines. An important feature of SciSearch is the ability to perform cited reference searching to find recent articles that cite an earlier work.

Toxicology Abstracts (1982+)
Toxicology Abstracts, produced by CSA, covers issues from social poisons and substance abuse to natural toxins, and from legislation and recommended standards to environmental issues.  It includes literature on pharmaceuticals, foods, agro-chemicals, household products, industrial chemicals, metals, toxins, polycyclic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, and radiation. The database is updated monthly.

Water Resources Abstracts (1967+)
Water Resources Abstracts, once produced by the United States Geological Survey, is now a subset of CSA Illumina database services. It provides summaries of the world's technical and scientific literature on water-related topics covering the characteristics, conservation, control, pollution, treatment, use and management of water resources. The database has also broadened its scope to include more materials published outside the U.S.A. This database is updated monthly.

Web of Science's version of the citation databases KEY SITE
The Web of Science service includes three core component databases: the expanded version of Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index by the Institute for Scientific Information.  The Science Citation Index provides access to current and retrospective bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references found in the world's leading scholarly science and technical journals covering over 100 disciplines.  An important feature of SciSearch is the ability to perform cited reference searching to find recent articles that cite an earlier work.

Zoological Record Plus (1978+) KEY SITE
Zoological Record Plus, produced by Thomson Scientific, provides extensive coverage of the world's zoological and animal science literature, covering topics from biochemistry to veterinary medicine. The database has long been recognized as the "unofficial register" for taxonomy and systematics. An online thesaurus of 10,000 controlled terms arranged in hierarchies is built into the search system. This database is updated monthly.