Databases
Academic research relies heavily on the use of databases to identify key research in a particular subject area. Databases are produced by different commercial publishers and provide access to articles from scholarly journals, trade journals, magazines and newspapers. Databases also link to conference proceedings, book reviews and many other sources of information.
Databases differ in terms of their look and feel, but all databases have some common features. These include:
- One or more search boxes
- Ability to use Boolean connectors
- Options to limit searches by publication year or type of publication
- Ability to mark, save and export article citations
Viewing the Cornell Libraries' LibWizard tutorial on How to Use Search Terms is highly recommended before you begin your database searching.
You can also use the HELP links in each database to learn more about how to search for articles and how to filter results.
Accessing Cornell Libraries Databases
Cornell subscribes to over 700 databases.
They can be accessed directly from the Databases link on the Cornell University Libraries main website page.
Suggested Databases to Use for Animal Science
Databases on the Cornell Libraries' website are sorted by subject area. Those listed under the Science and Technology section will be most useful for research related to animal science. Explore these databases as you start your research.
- AGRICOLAProduced by the National Agricultural Library, AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) contains bibliographic records of materials acquired by the National Agricultural Library and cooperating institutions in agricultural and related sciences. Records come from the NAL Online Public Access Catalog and NAL's Article Citation Database. The catalog provides citations to books, serials, pamphlets, government documents, research reports, FAO and USDA publications, conference proceedings, and translations, patents, audiovisuals and technical reports. The article database provides citations to journal articles, book chapters, reports and reprints. Coverage includes: agricultural administration, laws and regulations, economics, education, training and extension, engineering and products; animal science; aquatic sciences; chemistry; energy as related to agriculture; entomology; feed science; food science and food products; forestry; general agriculture; geography, meteriology, climatology and history; home economics and human ecology; human nutrition; institutional food service; life sciences; natural resources management and environmental pollution; pesticides; plant diseases; plant science and production; rural sociology; soil science; veterinary medicine. Coverage from 1970 to the present.
- Environment IndexFormerly known as Environmental issues & policy index, Environmental Policy Index, and Environmental Knowledgebase Online. The Environment Index provides researchers with abstracts and indexing for over 1,000 titles covering environmental policy and studies. Updated monthly, with ongoing coverage for over 500 of those titles, the database contains citations for articles published since 1973. The database offers deep coverage of applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, environmental law, geography, marine and freshwater resources, public policy, social impacts, urban planning, and more. Additionally, an Environment Thesaurus and publication index are available for more precise, advanced searching.
- ScienceDirectA web database for research that contains abstracts, tables of contents, and full text of articles in the physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
- CAB AbstractsCAB Abstracts covers the significant research and development literature in the fields of agricultural engineering, applied economics and sociology, animal production, animal health, animal nutrition, aquaculture, biofuels, biosafety and bioterrorism, biotechnology, breeding, chemistry, climate change, crop science and grasslands, ecotourism, entomology, environmental science, food science and technology, forestry, genetics (molecular genetics, cytogenetics, population genetics, genomics), helminthology, horticultural science, human nutrition, invasive species, leisure and tourism (recreation), medicinal plants and pharmacology, microbiology, mycology, natural resources, land/water management, nematology, organic and sustainable agriculture, parasitology, plant pathology, plant protection, postharvest, protozoology, soil science, veterinary medicine, virology, waste management.
- Wildlife & Ecology studies WorldwideIndex to scientific and management literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians from journals, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations and other publications. Major topic areas include studies of individual species, habitat types, hunting, economics, wildlife behavior, management techniques, diseases, ecotourism, zoology, and taxonomy.
- Zoological RecordBibliographical references from more than 6,000 international journals, review annuals, monographs, meeting proceedings, books and reports, representing research in all major areas of zoology, including: behavior, ecology, evolution, genetics, habitat, nutrition, parasitology, reproduction, taxonomy, zoogeography.
- BIOSIS PreviewsIssued as a part of the ISI Web of Knowledge, the database covers original research reports and reviews in biological and biomedical areas. Coverage includes traditional areas of biology such as botany, zoology, and microbiology, as well as related fields such as biomedical, agriculture, pharmacology, and ecology. Also included are interdisciplinary fields such as medicine, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering, and biotechnology. The database covers content summaries, books, meeting abstracts, papers, and posters. BIOSIS also combines the content from Biological Abstracts and Biological Abstracts/RRM.
- Web of ScienceChoosing "All Databases" allows you to search an index of journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.