Prairies Research Guide 

For a detailed guide on constructing database searches, check out Tips for Searching Databases offered by the Biology Library.

In addition to searching general databases, you may want to try a database that is specialized for the sciences for more research-oriented articles on endangered species.

Here are some specialized databases to try:

Biological Abstracts (BIOSIS) (1969- )

Major database of the life sciences indexing over 6500 journals. The place to go if you are looking for scientific research articles about endangered species. A handout with suggested tips and strategies for searching Biological Abstracts is available at the Biology Library as well as online.

sample searches:

• do a subject search for Indiana bat or Myotis sodalis to find articles about Indiana bats
• do a subject search for endangered species and pollution to find articles about endangered species and pollution
• do a subject search for endangered species and illinois to find articles about endangered species of Illinois

Web of Science(1993- )

Identifies articles in science, social science, and arts and humanities, and the articles that cite them. Indexes the top journals in most academic fields, providing complete bibliographic information and full length author abstracts. Search for articles on a particular topic, or search for articles that have cited a known article. All of an article's references are listed and can be used to search for related articles with common citations. Composed of three databases that can be searched together or individually: Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index Expanded, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index Expanded. Sometimes refered to by the name Web of Knowledge.

sample searches:

• search endangered species and africa to find articles on endangered species in Africa
• search endangered species and pollution to find articles discussing the relationship between pollution and endangered species
• search conservation and evolution$ significant unit$ to find articles that discuss evolutionary processes and conservation of species.

If you don't find the kind of information you want in these databases, try searching Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management, Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide, or Zoological Record.

Check out Tips for Searching Databases for pointers on constructing searches.