SciFinder Scholar. Introduction to Searching SciFinder Scholar. Presented by

Transcription

1 Introduction to Searching SciFinder Scholar Presented by Regina Bendig Science Liaison Librarian H.G. Thode Library of Science & Engineering McMaster University ext September 26, 2008

2 OUTLINE 1. What is SciFinder Scholar a. By Molecular Formula b. By Author c. By Topic 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation b. Obtaining articles

3 1. What is SciFinder Scholar SciFinder Scholar is the major English language bibliographic database covering all aspects of chemistry and chemical engineering. It indexes articles published internationally in journals and conference proceedings and also includes references to book chapters, patents, dissertations, etc. Over 1,800 key chemical journals are indexed cover to cover since Over 9500 journals are monitored. Goes back to 1907 and is updated daily.

4 1. What is SciFinder Scholar (cont d) Citations to journal articles and patents are available from Full-text linking is available to journals McMaster Libraries subscribe to. Includes Medline from 1950, a bibliographic database covering medicine and related areas. Please note: there is a limited number of simultaneous accesses to this database for which McMaster Libraries pay an annual subscription fee. Please remember to LOG-OFF. To access it outside the library, see the following link: num=243

5 From computer stations in the Thode Library click on: Start Program SciFinder Scholar Enter your MACID username and your password.

6 a. By Molecular Formula Click on Explore.

7 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) Click on Molecular Formula.

8 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) Enter formula in search box and click OK. Hill order is not required, but in case no results are found, search by Hill order or search under Research Topic. Example: (CF 3 ) 3 BCO type: C4F9BO Example: As 11 Te 3- type: As11Te Example: FSO 3 F type: F2SO3 or: F2O3S Ignore the ion charge when searching by molecular formula.

9 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) Click on the box with the references and click on Get References.

10 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) You can select all references by clicking on OK.

11 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) Select References associated with for a particular aspect, such as the crystal structure. Then click on OK.

12 a. By Molecular Formula (cont d) Click the microscope for full bibliographic information or the paper icon for the full-text of the article. If article is not available full-text, you have to search MORRIS, the McMaster Libraries catalogue, under the title of the journal (not title of article), name of conference proceedings or other kind of source material.

13 b. By Author Click on Explore and then on Author Name.

14 b. By Author (cont d) Enter last name in the first search box provided and initial or first name in the search box below. Note: If you are certain of the correct spelling of the last name, you may want to uncheck the box Look for alternative spelling of the last name. You can search only one name at a time. Click on OK.

15 b. By Author (cont d) Click all boxes to ensure you retrieve all the various occurrence of the author s name, including variations in initials. Depending on the publication, the author may have used only one initial, two or his/her full first name. You may retrieve records that may not be relevant, but this search will be comprehensive. Click on Get References.

16 b. By Author (cont d) Note the number of references retrieved at the bottom of the screen. To narrow the search enter a second name by clicking on Analyze/Refine.

17 b. By Author (cont d) Click on Refine.

18 b. By Author (cont d) Click on Author Name.

19 b. By Author (cont d) Enter the second author, including first full name or initial. Click on OK.

20 b. By Author (cont d) Click on the microscope icon for full bibliographic information or on the paper icon for the full text of the article.

21 c. By Topic Click on Explore and then on Research Topic.

22 c. By Topic (cont d) Enter your topic in the search box. If appropriate, use preposition, conjunction, etc., to express relationships. Words spelled differently or variations of words (e.g., design, designs, designed, etc.) will be checked automatically. Synonyms should be entered in parentheses, separated by commas. Up to three synonyms can be searched. Click on OK.

23 c. By Topic (cont d) Records are displayed in order of closeness of terms searched. Select references by clicking on the box next to the results. Click on Get References.

24 c. By Topic (cont d) Total number of records is displayed at the bottom. You can click on Remove Duplicates to eliminate the records that occur more than once. The Analyze/Refine option is useful for narrowing large results.

25 c. By Topic (cont d) The new number of records (if any) is displayed below. Click on the microscope icon for full bibliographic information or the paper icon for full text of article.

26 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation Names of authors who wrote the article. Last name first, followed by first name and/or initial; different authors names are separated by a semicolon.

27 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) The title of the journal in which the article appeared.

28 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Year of the journal (publication year)

29 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Volume number, followed by issue number

30 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Pages of article

31 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Unique identifiers of journal: CODEN represents a very brief abbreviation of the journal title; ISSN is the International Standard Serial Number identifying the journal.

32 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Volume number followed by abstract number for the print version (Chemical Abstracts) of SciFinder Scholar

33 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information a. Elements of a bibliographic citation (cont d) Accession number: year when article was added to database, followed by a sequential number

34 3. How to Obtain Retrieved Information b. Obtaining Articles If an article is not available electronically, check the Library s online catalogue to see if the journal is available in print. Remember to search by the title of the journal, name of conference, etc., and not by the title of the article. If the journal is not available from the Library, you can order a copy of the article through interlibrary loan: RACER You will receive an when the article has arrived. There is no cost to request a photocopy of a journal article. This concludes the session.