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Database Basics

Databases are searching tools designed to help researchers FIND information, whereas OU Libraries is responsible for ACCESS to articles.  We subscribe to both databases (paying for the indexing that the databases do) and to journals (to pay for full text access).  Every database is different; if you don't see a full text in the database, look for OU Link to Article or take the article name or journal name back to the Libraries' catalog to search manually.

OU Link to Article will connect you to other full-text options or provide a link to Interlibrary Loan to obtain the article if we don't subscribe to it.  Need help using our full text options?  Try our full text tutorial to learn about the options for access or see our Interlibrary Loan video or handout.

The Lean Library browser extension can make accessing full text easier and will even direct you to Interlibrary Loan where needed.

Some databases cover only scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals, whereas others cover all types of materials.

Databases

Web of Science Searches

Start your research with Web of Science

  • Search peer-reviewed articles from all areas of science, including zoology and ecology
  • Find more articles by following links to cited references

Topic Search

Search for a specific article

Search for a specific article by specifying the author, title, or other citation information

Citation Tracking

If you find an article you like, you can find more like it by reading the articles it cites, and the articles that have cited it.

  • Times Cited links you to the articles that have cited this one. This will show you more recent articles that have built upon the one you just found.
  • Cited References links you to the articles that this article cited in its bibliography.