Science Direct contains over 2,000 journals. The Frederick Douglass Library has access to over 500 full-text journals covering the most recent 10 years (i.e. from 1996 to the 2006.) You may access Science Direct from the database link on the Library’s homepage by using either the Alphabetical listing or the subject areas of Agriculture, Health & Medicine, Life Sciences, or Physical Sciences. You may also access Science Direct from off-campus via Research Port.
| Viewing the Search Results | Article Not Available? | |
| Journals List | Logging in to Science Direct | My Profile |
There are several types of searches available in Science Direct. They include Quick Search or you may use the Search tab to search All Sources, Journals, Books**, Abstract Databases, or Scirus.
Quick Search allows you to search only the full-text journals. It searches within all fields.
The Search tab allows you to search all sources, or narrow your search to journals, books**, abstract databases, or Scirus. You may then use the default search of “Abstract, Title, Keywords” or choose a specific field such as author, journal name/book title, title, keywords, abstract, references, ISSN, affiliation, or full text.
**Note: Books are not included in our Science Direct subscription.
Scirus Search
The Scirus search tab allows you to search on the web for scientific information on the Internet. You may limit your search to specific words, phrases, or a combination thereof. You may also limit the results to web articles, web pages, patents, and conferences. Scirus allows you to complete a search of all subjects categories or narrow your search to one of twenty-four subject categories which range from Agriculture and Biological Sciences to Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine. If you wish to select multiple subjects, simply hold down the “CTRL” key and select the topics you wish to search.
To improve your Scirus search, try the following strategies:
Use buzzwords or scientific jargon.
Choose search term which are directly related to your search.
Include alternative words/vocabulary.
Use the "+" sign in front of a word to indicate it must appear in the results.
Use a "-" (minus sign) to exclude certain words from your search.
Be sure your search is specific.
Your Scirus search results may be saved for future use or emailed. In addition, Scirus suggests additional words and/or phrases which may help to narrow your search. To visit one of the web pages in your results, simply click on the link.
Abstract Databases
The Abstract Databases search is limited to databases which are included in the Frederick Douglass Library electronic collection. In this case, an Abstract Databases search uses Medline You may search for all information or limit your search to clinical trials, editorials, letters, meta-analysis, practice guidelines, randomized control trials, or reviews. You may further limit you search by the gender of the participants and/or the population (human or animal).
When your results are received, click on the abstract button to use “Find It” to look for the full-text article in other Frederick Douglass Library databases.
When your search is
complete the results page will show the number of articles found, your search
string, and your citations. You may view the search results as a citation,
citations and partial abstracts, or as full abstracts with citations. To
determine if the article is available in full text click on either 
or 
.
If a screen appears asking for your user name and password the article is not available in full text. In addition, if you are logged in using your Science Direct user name and password and the article is not available in full-text, you will see a screen which says “This article “plus the name of the journal” is not available in your institution’s subscription. To request the article via Inter-Library Loan click on the “Abstract” link and use the “Find It” button.
To obtain a list of the journals available in full-text click on the “Journal” tab. Journals may be viewed alphabetically by title, subject or publisher. Science Direct uses a color coded system to indicate if the journal is included in the subscription. A green icon means the journal is available in full-text from 1995 to the present. A yellow icon indicates the title is available in full-text as a complimentary subscription. A white icon indicates that the journal is not included in our subscription.
Registering and logging in to Science Direct allows you to complete several actions which are not available to unregistered users. You may:
Save favorite journals and receive an alert whenever a new issue becomes available
Save searches for later use
Create topic alerts which email you whenever new articles are available on that topic
Create citation alerts to notify you when an article is cited in another source
From the Journal Screen
1. Add journals to you Science Direct “Favorites”
2. Create an alert which will send you an email every time a new issue of the journal becomes available.
From the Search Screen
1. Save the search and rerun it at a later date.
2. Create a Search Alert which will send you an email whenever new articles matching your search are added to Science Direct.
3. Edit a search you previously created
1. From the profile page you may add or remove journals from your favorites.
2. Add or remove alerts including topic alerts, volume/issue alerts, and citation alerts.
3. You may also modify your personal details including subject areas of interest, number of search results per page, and the format of the emails sent for your various alerts and searches.
4. Change your password
AKD/ScienceDirect/June 13, 2005