Finding Information
While scientific study takes time, using a scientific database
shouldn't. Science Resource Center is your library's
source for a fast, accurate alternative to the randomness of the
Internet. This intuitive resource is bolstered by a variety of functions
designed to enhance the search process and deliver seamless operation
to help maximize research.
Searching
Science follows a set of ordered rules. Unfortunately, science
research is much less ordered, often following whims, guesses
and sometimes even blind luck. Science Resource Center
adapts to the needs of your patrons by delivering the flexibility
of search options that help them find the results they need —
in the way they prefer to do research. Science Resource
Center offers them five search options as starting points
for research:
Basic Search
More than 90 subject-specific search terms — from anatomy
to zoology— are listed on the home page for fast retrieval.
Users may also opt to enter their own search terms and choose
one of the following formats:
- Subject
- Keyword
- Full-text
Subject searches will yield the most targeted results.
For a more specific search, the following options are available:
Advanced Search
Enter up to three search terms by source, author, title/headline,
full-text, subject, keyword or document number; then narrow your
results with your choice of Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).
Your search can be narrowed to a specific date or range of dates;
you can also choose the type of document — academic journal,
biography, experiment, image, topic overview and more. Additional
refinements include content level, peer-reviewed journals and
documents with images.
Publication Search
Science Resource Center includes 300 full-text
science-related magazines and academic journals as well as full-text of The New York Times and USA Today.
Backfiles to 1980 are provided, when available. To find all articles
from specific periodicals, choose Publication Search. Users can
conduct a search by periodical title and review all articles within
an issue.
Person Search
Behind every scientific breakthrough are the men and women whose
achievements set them apart. Ideal for cross-curricular needs,
the Science Resource Center Person
Search connects you with more than 8,000 relevant biographies.
You may search by name; or focus your results by such parameters
as occupation, nationality, ethnicity, gender, birth/death year,
and birth/death place. This flexibility allows you to easily identify
both often-studied and more obscure figures in the sciences.
Search History
In the heat of research, it's sometimes easy to forget the path
you took to find results. Science Resource Center's
Search History allows you to mark and save past searches for quick
reference.
Search Results
Superior indexing and a vast controlled vocabulary aid searchers
in quickly locating relevant information without the aggravation
of hunting for one exact search term.
Tabbed results organize articles by content type:
- Reference
- Magazines
- Academic journals
- Newspapers
- Multimedia
- Web sites
This format allows users to focus on the information presented,
rather than wade through typical Web-generated hit lists.
And the results generated from a Science Resource Center
search appear with helpful links to related subjects. A basic
search of "DNA," for instance, cross-references related
subjects such as DNA cloning, DNA fingerprinting, DNA profiling
and more — ideal for the researcher looking for topical assistance
in mapping out a paper, project or presentation.
Also, where applicable, results will be presented with downloadable
images from our collaboration with Google.
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