Resources for biological sciences at University of Cape Town

1. BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2013
Database resources for Biological Sciences
PRESENTED BY JEN EIDELMAN
UCT LIBRARIES
2013
E-mail: jen.eidelman@uct.ac.za
Telephone: 021 650 2773
Please contact me for individual and/or group
research consultations or for any library queries.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

2. BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2013
Database resources
 Where do I find the Databases?
 Access from the library page: http://www.lib.uct.ac.za
 Search & Find
Databases
A-Z
 OR
 Research Help
SUBJECT GUIDE
Zoology or Botany
Click on the tab: Databases – finding articles in journals
 http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/zoology-databases
 http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/botany-databases
 SCOPUS / WEB OF SCIENCE / WATERS & OCEANS WORLDWIDE
 Keeping up to date : Current Awareness; Alerting services
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/sci-tech-uptodate

3. WHERE TO START? - Subject Guide
On the Library Web Page:
http://www.lib.uct.ac.za
This is where you will find a link to your Subject Guide:

4. LINK TO SUBJECT GUIDES
These are your library guides:
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/botany
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/zoology

5. Databases for Zoology

6. Databases for Botany

7. Database searching
Remember to think carefully about your search
terms and use the following search operators
(Boolean operators) to limit and refine your
search:
•
•
•
AND to find records containing all terms
OR to find records containing any of the terms
NOT to exclude records containing certain words from your search

8. Databases: SCOPUS
You do not have to sign in to use these databases, but if you register you can
create your own profile, save searches and create alerts.

9. Databases: SCOPUS
• Search for articles using search terms in the search boxes
• Add more search boxes if you like
• Change the date range if you want to limit your search

10. Databases: SCOPUS
• 29 documents found
• Refine results on left of page
• Read the full text or click on SFX to see availability at UCT
• Save your search (search can be re-run in ‘Settings’)
• Set Alert

11. Databases: SCOPUS – SFX explained
The SFX screen will tell you
if the article is available in
full text or not.
It also tells you in which
database the article is
indexed.
In this case it is available
from DOAJ and from
PubMed Central.
Click on the GO button to
get the full text.

12. Databases: SCOPUS
• Set a search Alert to your
mailbox

13. Databases: SCOPUS
• Find saved searches in ‘Settings’
• Manage Alerts etc.

14. Databases: SCOPUS
• Export selected article(s) to a
Bibliographic Manager e.g. RefWorks

15. Databases: SCOPUS
• Exports bibliographic details to
RefWorks

16. Databases: SCOPUS
• Find an author

17. Databases: SCOPUS
• Click on the hyperlink to view documents

18. Databases: SCOPUS
• Find more help using the
tutorials offered in the
Scopus Database

19. Databases: SCOPUS

20. Databases: Web of Science
Choose
‘topic’ from
the drop
down menu
list
Limit the dates of the articles

21. Databases: Web of Science
Click on ‘Sign in’ to register to
create your own profile.
Save searches and create alerts
here.

22. Databases: Web of Science

23. Databases: Web of Science
Click on the
SFX button.
This tells you the
availability of the
article.

24. Databases: Web of Science
Note that the full text of the
article is available from 2
databases:
SpringerLink and
SwetsWise.
Click on either of the GO
buttons to get the pdf

26. Databases: Web of Science
Refine
your
results

27. Databases: Web of Science
Send the bibliographic details of an
article to RefWorks

28. Databases: Web of Science
Get more help
here

29. Get more help
here

30. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
Click on ‘Sign in’ to register .

31. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
If you create a personalised account you
can save searches , create alerts and more.

32. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
You are logged in to your account – see the
‘MY’ banner on the EBSCOHost logo.
Choose ‘Advanced Search’ to start

33. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
Search tips:
• Use the OR operator to broaden your
search and to find similar concepts
• The use of truncation:
Truncation is represented by an asterisk (*).
To use truncation, enter the root of a search
term and replace the ending with an *.
EBSCOhost finds all forms of that word.
For example, type comput* to find the words
computer or computing.

34. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
You can refine your search here.
Use the slide ruler to choose the date range and
then click ‘Update’
Check the box for different types of material

35. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
There is a drop-down menu of the different search
fields. For example you can search by ‘Taxonomic
names’

36. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
Click on the HELP button for more
information about this database and to get
help with searching.

38. Databases:
Waters and Oceans Worldwide - EBSCOHOST
There are many databases hosted on the EBSCO
platform. Click on ‘Choose Database’ to see a list
of all the databases.

39. Databases:
EBSCOHOST
You may choose
to search in any of
these databases
by checking the
box and then click
OK.

40. http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/sci-tech-uptodate

41. Thank you!
Jen.Eidelman@uct.ac.za