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RNR 4051 Wildlife Habitat Management: Databases

A course guide for RNR 4051 Wildlife Habitat Management

Introduction

LSU Libraries has almost 300 databases. The list below is just a small group of databases that should be able to help you. Not all of them are full-text searchable and not everything in them we have access too. Don't wait to start your paper in case you need to do an Interlibrary Loan for a paper. 

Why not just use Google Scholar? 

Google Scholar does not have the same limiting ability nor access to materials that our databases have. Google Scholar is also more likely to pull up papers that were published in predatory journals and material that is outdated. Stick with the library databases to find the best, most recent, and most relevant sources for your paper. 

Database Tips and Tricks

Just like shopping online, before you look at those search results, make sure you are filtering your results. Filtering allows you to limit the number of results based on things like date range, full-text access, and even resource type.

The filters will often reset when you do a new search so make sure you double-check them. 

I often tell students to not even look at the results without filtering first.

Language is 90% of the search. How we describe something changes depending on time, location, and field. If you aren't getting the results you want, try changing the search terms you are using. If it's a medical term, try searching MESH or if it is an animal, search the scientific name. Don't be afraid to pull out that thesaurus or even search in Google for related terms. 

It also helps if you search using quotes for search terms. Instead of climate change, try searching, "Climate Change". This tells the database to search not just the words, "climate" and "change" but the phrase, "climate change". 

Databases