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Literature searches on the Worldwide Web
John Deen, DVM, PhD
John_Deen@ncsu.edu
Good databases of scientific abstracts are becoming increasingly available
over the Internet. For the most part they are proprietary services that
charge for access. However, Medline, a comprehensive medical database, has
recently been made available to use free at http://wwwindex.nlm.nih.gov/databases/freemedl.html
. Medline is also currently expanding the number of databases available
for searches. Currently, Medline searches the classical veterinary journals,
including such journals as JAVMA. It does not, however, search journals
that are normally classified as agricultural, such as the Journal of
Animal Science.
Agricola is still the most common agricultural database to search. However,
it is not free. It can be obtained from commercial vendors, such as Dialog
Select(R) (http://dialogselect.krinfo.com/).
Dialog Select(R) charges per record and for search time. Search
times will vary in duration, but rarely exceed 2-3 minutes. The cost will
vary, but accessing four to five selected abstracts should cost between
$3-$5. Other databases available from Dialog Select(R) include
CAB Abstracts and AGRIS International, dissertation abstracts, and intellectual
property and pharmaceutical information.
In most cases, the search processes themselves are self-explanatory.
Medline is in the process of updating its user interface to make the search
process easier. Once you obtain a record, you can print it and use it as
a source of further information. In some cases, you can order the full copy
of the article.
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