Mammalogy

Search Strategies

1. Know your words!

Know both the common and scientific names for your mammal
e.g. white-tailed deer or Odocoileus virginianus
As you search – look for additional synonyms and word variants
e.g. diet, diets, dietary, food, foods, feed, feeding, forage, foraging, graze, grazing, grazing, browse, browsing, eat, eating, nutrition, nutritious, nutrients, calories, caloric

2. Techniques
(WARNING! – These techniques work in most databases – but not in Google or Google Scholar)

Try using the “*” to find all possible endings for a word
e.g. diet*
finds diet, diets, dietary, dieting dieted

e.g. nutr*
finds nutrition, nutritious, nutrients, nutritional

Use quotes to search for phrases
e.g. “black rat”, “striped squirrel”
otherwise your search might find black bears and wood rats, or striped skunks and red squirrels
Group similar terms together – separated by “OR” and enclosed in parentheses
e.g. (feeding OR grazing OR foraging OR browsing)
Use “AND” to find sources that include all concepts
e.g. “striped squirrel” AND foraging
e.g. “black rat” AND nutr*
e.g. (“Red Wolf” OR “Canis Rufus”) AND (diet* OR feed* OR nutr*)

3. Use Advanced Search.

4. Search in the Abstract or Title or use Subject Headings.

5. Choose the best databases.

6. Choose the best online sources.

7. Ask Librarians [2] for Advice -They’re Brilliant!!!

Finding Articles

Watch for References and Bibliographies! If you find a great article look at the reference list of this article to find more articles.

Panther Prowler [3]

The following databases can also be searched simultaneously using Panther Prowler (Note - choose the “Biology” category, then type and search)

Databases for Locating Research Articles:

AGRICOLA (National Agricultural LIbrary) [4]
Biological Abstracts [5]
[6]
DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals [7]
[8]
Google Scholar [9] (choose "Search Google Scholar [10]" from the library website to enable the Find it! @ UNI software)
HighWire Press [11] (use "More Search Options")
JSTOR [12] (check "Biological Sciences" option towards bottom of JSTOR page)
[13]
PMC (PubMed Central) [14] (full text)
PubMed [15] (this route to PubMed [15] will enable the Find it! @ UNI software)
ScienceDirect [16] (try "Advanced Search" - right side of ScienceDirect page)
[17]
SpringerLink [18] (try "Advanced Search")
Web of Science [19] (track citations/references - sort by most frequently cited)
Wiley Online Library [20] (try "Advanced Search")

Google Scholar
[9]

Google Scholar is best used for locating other articles found in a reference list or bibliography … and … for locating articles that cite a particular article.

e.g. If the article “Spatial dynamics of sympatric canids: Modeling the impact of coyotes on red wolf recovery” by James D. Roth, Dennis L. Murray and Todd D. Steury is a good one … look at the bibliography for more articles … there you will find many more articles including – “Pedigree-based assignment tests for reversing coyote (Canis latrans) introgression into the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) population”

… To find this article go to Google Scholar, cut and paste the title “Pedigree-based assignment tests for reversing coyote (Canis latrans) introgression into the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) population” into the Google Scholar search box and search, then click on FindIt@UNI! to access the article or to request the article via interlibrary loan.

To find other articles that cite the article “Pedigree-based assignment tests for reversing coyote (Canis latrans) introgression into the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) population” … go to Google Scholar, cut and paste the title “Pedigree-based assignment tests for reversing coyote (Canis latrans) introgression into the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) population” into the Google search box and search, then click on “Cited by 17” … use the FindIt@UNI! to access the article or to request the article via interlibrary loan.

Off Campus?
To activate the FindIt@UNI! in Google Scholar:

Go to Google Scholar
click on "Scholar Preferences"
type "Northern Iowa" in the Library Links"
put a check mark in all “Northern Iowa” option boxes
click on "Save Preferences"

Tips

Use quotes when searching a phrase e.g. “canis rufus”

If you find too many results using Google Scholar try a title search using the <intitle:> command e.g. intitle:“canis rufus”

You can view the most recent five years of research by clicking on “Recent Articles” (in the green bar above your search results)

Consider using Advanced Search

Remember Google Scholar is BIG … but simple … and therefore difficult to control. You may want to try searching some of the individual databases above.

More help [2] on locating articles.

Finding Books

UNISTAR

To locate books owned by the Rod Library use UNISTAR Advanced Library Catalog Search [21]

However it is often difficult to find an entire book devoted to just one species. So you might try -

Book Chapter Search

Go to OhioLink [22] -
Choose Advanced Search
Search by common or scientific name
Find book title
Open a different browser and go to UNISTAR [21]
Check the BOOK title in UNISTAR to see if UNI has this book, and to get the call number.
If not – request the book via interlibrary loan [23]
(allow at least 2 weeks for delivery)

Full Text Search for Books

Go to Google Book [24]
Search by common or scientific name
After getting search results - limit to "Preview and full view"
Click on book title of interest.
Click on “Find this book in a library”
(located in the left hand column of the page)
If the book is available from “University of Northern Iowa” – click on this link to get the call number.
If not – request the book via interlibrary loan [25]
(allow at least 2 weeks for delivery)

Call Numbers … or … How do I find my book in the library [26].

Interlibrary Loan

About Interlibrary Loan [27] (overview)

Interlibrary Loan for Articles [28]

Interlibrary Loan for Books [29]

Tips

For articles – try typing the title - “in quotes” – into Google Scholar [30]. If a FindIt!@UNI box appears, click on this. If Interlibrary Loan is an option, click on this. This method will fill out most of the form automatically, a real time saver!
Always type three zeros before your six-digit ID number in the ID Number box.
e.g.
- Last Name:Smith
- ID Number:000945207

You may need to wait at least two weeks for delivery (especially for books) – so start your research ASAP!

Encyclopedias & References

Mammalian Species [31] (online)
available via JSTOR [31]
* In JSTOR - click on "Browse"
* Ctrl-F (find) "Mammalian Species"
* Click on "Mammalian Species"

Mammalian Species [1] is also available at - http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/msiaccounts.html [1]

Mammalian Species is also available in print - UNI Reference QL700 .A48

Beacham's Guide to Endangered Species of North America [32] (online)
UNI Reference QH77 .N56 B43 2001 (print)

Common names of mammals of the world
UNI Reference QL708 .W45 2000

Encyclopedia of mammals
UNI Reference QL703 .E53 2001 (3 volumes)

Encyclopedia of mammals
UNI Reference QL701.2 .E53 1998

Encyclopedia of marine mammals
UNI Reference QL713.2 .E53 2002

Grzimek's encyclopedia of mammals
UNI Reference QL701 .G7913 1990 (5 volumes)

Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference
UNI Reference QL708 .M35 2005 (2 volumes)

Orders and families of recent mammals of the world
UNI Reference QL703 .O73 1984

Smithsonian book of North American mammals
UNI Reference QL715 .S55 1999

Walker's bats of the world
UNI Reference QL737.C5 N69 1994