Bethune College Lecture Series
Power Searching in
Web of Science and Biological
Abstracts
Ilo-Katryn Maimets, Science Librarian
Steacie Science and Engineering Library
[email protected] Ext.33927
Topics for today
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
Library Homepage/Catalogue
Accessing Research Guides
Formulating a Search Strategy
Databases:
a.  Web of Science
b.  Biological Abstracts
5.  RefWorks for managing References
Getting Around the Library
BookMark!
Library Home Page: http://www.library.yorku.ca
–  Locate Subject Research Guides, Reserves, and more
Steacie Science and Engineering Library :
http://www.library.yorku.ca/web/steacie
Subject Research Guides:
http://researchguides.library.yorku.ca/
–  Find Articles in Subject-specific Databases
–  Find RefWorks and citation information
–  Find Writing resources in your subject area
–  Locate your subject librarian for help with research!
http://www.library.yorku.ca/web/steacie
www.library.yorku.ca
http://researchguides.library.yorku.ca/
Research Guides: Biology
Library Catalogue
Advanced Search Features
Selecting subject headings:
Herbivores >> Ecology
Will search for all items with that
subject heading
RefWorks in 1-2-3 Easy Steps:
http://www.library.yorku.ca/refworks
Web-based reference management tool
1.  Create your own account and folders for courses/
projects/lab reports
2.  Download/import references from
–  Library Catalogue
–  Databases (Bio Abs, WofS, etc)
–  Websites using RefGrab-It
3.  Insert references from RefWorks into Word while
writing papers using Write-N-Cite
–  Format in-text citations AND bibliographies in the style you
select with Refworks!
Research Question
•  Turning your topic into a Research Question
–  Helps to narrow it to a manageable scope
–  Allows you to identify a problem that can guide your
searching
•  Topic: coevolution of plants and insects
•  Broader Question: How do plants protect
themselves chemically against insects?
•  More Specific Question: is caffeine a deterrent
to herbivorous insects?
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
2. 
Identify synonyms or related terms for your keywords.
3. 
The truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
Plant* = plant OR plants
4. 
Use OR to group all synonyms for 1 concept inside round
brackets
(chemical protect* OR chemical defense*)
5. 
AND to combine different concepts:
Plant* AND (chemical protect* OR chemical defense*) AND
invertebrate*
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
2. 
Identify synonyms or related terms for your keywords.
3. 
The truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
Plant* = plant OR plants
4. 
Use OR to group all synonyms for 1 concept inside round
brackets
(chemical protect* OR chemical defense*)
5. 
AND to combine different concepts:
Plant* AND (chemical protect* OR chemical defense*) AND
insect*
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
2. 
Identify synonyms, alternate spellings or related terms for your
keywords.
3. 
The truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
plant OR plants
A.  Plant*
plant –= plants
4. 
Use
OR to group
all synonyms
for 1 concept
inside–round
B. 
protection
–
protecting
–
defense
–
defence
defend
brackets
(chemical –protect*
OR chemical
defense*)
C.  chemical
chemicals
– chemically
5. 
AND
to combine
different concepts:
D. 
insect
– insects
Plant* AND (chemical protect* OR chemical defense*) AND
insect*
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
3. 
Replace variant endings with the truncation symbol *
4. 
The truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
Plant* = plant OR plants
5. 
A.  plant* = plant -- plants
Use
OR to group all synonyms for 1 concept inside round
brackets
B.  protect* = protect – protects – protection
(chemical protect* OR chemical defense*)
defen* = defense – defence – defending
6. 
AND
to combine
different
concepts:
C.  chemical*
= chemical
– chemicals
– chemically
Plant* AND (chemical protect* OR chemical defense*) AND
D.  insect* = insect – insects
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
4. 
Use OR to group the synonyms for each concept inside round
brackets (brackets are only needed if there are more than one)
3. 
A.  plant*
The
truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
= plant
plants
B. Plant*
(protect*
OROR
defen*)
4. 
Use OR to group all synonyms for 1 concept inside round
C.  chemical*
brackets
(chemical protect* OR chemical defense*)
D.  insect*
5. 
AND to combine different concepts:
Plant* AND (chemical protect* OR chemical defense*)
Keyword Searching
Constructing a Search Strategy
1. 
Write out your research topic or question and note the core
concepts (nouns):
How do plants protect themselves chemically
against insects?
5. 
Use AND to combine different concepts:
Plant* AND (protect* OR defen*) AND chemical* AND insect*
2.  Identify synonyms or related terms for your keywords.
3. 
This search “string” can be used to find articles in
The truncation symbol * picks up words with variant endings
most databases
Plant* = plant OR plants
4. 
Use OR to group all synonyms for 1 concept inside round
brackets
(chemical protect* OR chemical defend*)
Web of Science
•  An interdisciplinary database where you can
opt to search only the science databases:
–  Science Citation Index
–  Science Conference Proceedings Citation
Index
•  Links to many full text journals
•  It is known for its depth of indexing as it
covers research literature from 1898-present
Biological Abstracts
•  Biological Abstracts is the leading
abstracting and indexing reference
database for life sciences and biomedical
information.
–  Indexes much of the Life Sciences information
published since 1926.
–  Is international in scope
–  Links to many full-text journals
–  It has been integrated to a large degree into
WoS but it still indexes a much larger number
of biology journals than WoS
Web of Science
WoS Refine Results and Find it @York
WoS Export Results to RefWorks
Select Save to RefWorks:
N.B. make sure you import the Full Record in Step 2
Scopus
•  An interdisciplinary, international database that
covers the life sciences, health sciences, physical
science and social sciences and humanities.
•  Particularly good for searching for specific authors
and their affiliations
•  Does not have citations dating back as far as Web
of Science, but is broader in scope
•  Special features include tabs that link to:
–  Websites compiled by Scirus Science Search Engine
–  Patents
Scopus search
Plant* AND (protect* OR defen*) AND chemical* AND insect* AND herbiv*
QUESTIONS??