BIOL 1004 FYE: Selecting a Database

Remember to look for the Get VText icon:

If that doesn't work, don't hesitate to contact your librarian for help accessing the full text of an article.

And if you're using Google Scholar, add Virginia Tech under "Library links" in settings and look for the "Get VText2" link next to articles.

Virginia Tech's University Libraries gives you access to nearly 1,000 databases.  How do you know where to start?  Try out the 3 options below:

- Tips for databases: PubMed Help | Web of Science Help. The Tutorials page of this guide includes some additional support for using databases.

- The Creating a Keyword Search page of this guide has tips for searching in databases like PubMed, Web of Science, and others.

- Do you need to identify 'peer reviewed' articles for a project or course assignment? View the 3 minute tutorial on the Tutorials page to find out more about what it means for an article to be peer reviewed.

For more suggestions to locate Biological Sciences research literature, try the Biological Sciences Subject Guide, or contact your librarian for recommendations.

People page - on the Virginia Tech Department of Biological Sciences

Biology and related Research Literature - Search research literature databases for articles on current research or innovations by biologists, microbiologists, geneticists, or other biology-related career roles.

Learn more about Biological Sciences faculty areas of research by looking up their publications, or searching for them as an author in one of the databases listed, such as: Library Discovery Search, PubMed, or Web of Science. Google Scholar is another option to try.

• Library Discovery Search via the main basic search bar on the  University Libraries home page, or via the Advanced Search option. Discovery Search allows you to conduct a Google-like search of most of our library resources - both online and print. While it's not a disciplinary database, like the others below, it can help you gain a broad overview of a particular research topic or question.