1. Biological Abstracts for the Life Sciences
Catherine Dockerty
and
Sophie Wilcox
February 2007

2. This session Biological Abstracts – overview
Zoological Record – overview
Access
Searching and indexes
Accessing the full text of papers
Alerts
Exporting records to RefWorks

3. Biological Abstracts Produced by the Thompson Corporation
Covers journal articles only
Coverage: Biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, medicine, pharmacology, zoology, agriculture, veterinary science, ecology, and genetics.
9.5 million+ records
350,000+ records added annually (90% including abstract)
3700+ journals worldwide
Availability: in print in Oxford (RSL) electronically in Oxford via OxLIP

4. Zoological Record Produced by the Thompson Corporation
Abstracts of journal articles, books, conferences and meetings, reviews and electronic documents.
Coverage: Zoology, ecology, physiology, taxonomy, evolution, morphology and nomenclature. Natural biology is and systematic zoological literature are covered extensively. Applied biological sciences are treated more selectively.
3.4 million+ records
72,000+ records added annually
Availability: in print in Oxford (RSL) electronically in Oxford via OxLIP
Humans are not covered but prehistoric humanoids are (eg Homo erectus). Domestic and experimental animals are not covered unless unusual or in the wild. Systematic zoological literature is covered exhaustively.

5. Access http://www.ox.ac.uk Electronic Library Resources
OxLIP (Oxford Libraries Information Platform)
WebSPIRS
VPN (Virtual Private network)
Follow the “Electronic Resources” link from
OxLIP (Oxford Libraries Information Platform)
OxLIP – gives access to all subscribed databases - needs software from
OxLIP on the Web – gives access to all subscribed databases EXCEPT some CD-ROMS. No software needed.
Electronic Reference Library
WinSPIRS and WebSPIRS
To access outside the ox.ac.uk domain you need to use the Virtual Private Network

6. Searching Basic search Advanced search Combining searches
Other search options
Citation search
Index
Thesaurus
Possible searches:
Anopheles darlingi
(reintroduction of) Castor fiber (eurasian beaver)
evolution AND animal welfare + dawkins as author
coral reef bleaching
thanatosis OR death feigning in insects
clutch size of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica)
diet of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)
tawny owl (Strix aluco)
blind Mexican cave fish
Thesaurus search – foraging, diet
Restriction by field – habitat-management in DE

7. Basic search “elephant*” Limit to subject, title or author fields
* = truncation symbol (eg to retrieve both singular and plural)
Hints and examples
Help and How do I …?

8. Change display Number of records Remove duplicate records
when searching multiple databases
Restrict to records with “TOUR Oxford Full Text” link
Customise fields displayed
Field labels
Sorting options
when fewer than 200 records retrieved

9. Limit Search To: Click on “More” Options include: Document type
Language
Publication year

10. Displaying records Complete record Navigate back to results list
“Show all results”
TOUR Oxford Full Text
TDNet Open URL Resolver

11. Advanced search “wolf” in title (TI) OR “wolves” in title (TI) AND
“rabies” in any field

12. Saving records
Print
Save

13. Combining searches “barn swallow*” then “Hirundo rustica” then
“clutch size”
Search History
Combine “barn swallow*” and “Hirundo rustica” result sets using OR then
Combine with “clutch size” results using AND

14. Other search types Citation search Index Thesaurus Journal name
Broader and narrower terms
Not always available when searching multiple databases

15. Alerts SDI (Selected Dissemination of Information) Search History
Create SDI
Personal user name is address
To delete or edit SDIs select SDI link at top of screen

16. Exporting records to RefWorks
Account set-up and log in
Export to RefWorks option when saving marked records
Select Complete records and either long or short field labels
Save to file option
In RefWorks, set Import Filter/Data Source to SilverPlatter WebSPIRS
Set database to Biological Abstracts

17. Training and help
WebSPIRS 5.1 guide
WebSPIRS quick reference
Online tutorials