Find Journal Articles

• Begin at the MU Libraries' Gateway.  Click on Find a Database and then click on the subject area, Science and Technology.
  
• Choose the subject areas Biochemistry or Plant Sciences.  Select one of the databases from the list and follow instructions on how to conduct a search.  Every database has a slightly different interface, but all have help pages that contain tips and/or tutorials.

Suggested Databases for Biochemistry:

• Biological Abstracts
  Biological Abstracts encompasses all disciplines of the life sciences. Coverage includes traditional areas of biology, such as botany, zoology, and microbiology, as well as related fields such as plant and animal science, agriculture, pharmacology, and ecology. Interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry, biophysics, and biotechnology are also included. Over 6,500 journals worldwide are monitored for inclusion in the database. Coverage is 1980 to date.  Earlier years are available in print: Ellis Library Reference QH 301 .B37 (1926 - 1979)
  
• CABDirect
  Produced by CAB International and provides worldwide coverage of agriculture in a very broad sense. Coverage includes plant and animal sciences, forestry, human health and nutrition, veterinary medicine, and agricultural biotechnology. Nearly all records have English abstracts. Coverage is 1900 to date.
  
• PubMed
  The National Library of Medicine free article search engine, containing article references from MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, OLDMEDLINE, plus some publisher-supplied and out of scope citations from certain general science and chemistry journals, such as Science and Nature.
  
• SciFinder Scholar
  SciFinder Scholar (Chemical Abstracts Service or CAS) contains a comprehensive database of chemical literature (1907 to date), patents, and the CAS Registry with information on 18 million substances.  Continually updated.  Available via downloadable client software or by the web which requires registration using your MU e-mail address.
  
• Web of Science 
  1990 to date.  Includes Science Citation Index Expanded. Indexes over 5,700 major scientific journals as well as journals in the humanities and social sciences. Besides author and topic searching, this database allows you to determine which journal articles have cited previously published research.  This is called Cited Reference searching.  
  Older years available in print as Science Citation Index  Ellis Library Reference Z 7403 .S3 (1955-1989)

Find the Full-text of Journal Articles

• If you're looking at results in one of the databases listed above just click on the button next to the article citation. The article will display if it's available electronically. If there is no online access, you'll be given the opportunity to look for a print copy in the MERLIN Catalog
  
• If you have an article reference, but are not currently in a database, go to the MU Libraries' homepage and select Find a Specific Article/Journal to enter . Once in you're given the choice to search for a specific article or journal title. If electronic coverage is not available, check the MERLIN Catalog to see if we have a print copy of the journal.
  
• Use our interlibrary loan service called ILL@MU to access articles not owned by MU Libraries. If you find a journal article that you need, but cannot find the article using click on the option Request through Interlibrary Loan/Request a Copy.
  
• You can also request an article without using the feature by filling out an article request form available from the ILL@MU Logon under About the Libraries on the MU Libraries homepage.
  Usually you will receive the article electronically within a few days of making your request.

Save Searches and Auto Alerts

• Many resources have the functionality to allow you to save searches to run at a future date or set up Auto Alerts (a saved search that the provider will run whenever the database is updated and email you the results).
  
• Go to the following link for instructions for setting up alerts in specific resources: Saving Searches and Auto Alerts

Keeping Track of Your References and Making Bibliographies

• Download Endnote software which is free for MU students.
  
• Endnote instructions and guides.

Other Resources

• Brenda: the Comprehensive Enzyme Information System
  Searchable database of enzyme information including nomenclature, enzyme-ligand interactions, functional parameters, organism related information, enzyme structure, molecular properties and bibliographies.  Available free of charge for academic, non-profit users.
  
• Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
  
• Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry
  Ellis Library Reference QD 415 .A25E53 2004 (4 volumes)
  
• Facts on File Dictionary of Biochemistry
  Ellis Library Reference QP 512 .F33 2003
  
• Glossary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  Ellis Library Reference QP 512 .G55 1997 (print copy)
  
• Methods in Enzymology
  
• National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI)
  U.S. government site established as a National Resource for molecular biology information. Provides access to the GenBank, the Genetic Sequence database as well as databases dealing with nucleotide sequences, protein sequences, macromolecular structures and whole genomes.  This site also provides a guide to online information resources on the Human Genome. Entrez is the search engine for all of the NCBI databases as well as PubMed.
  
• For additional online and print resources in biochemistry go to the following MU Libraries subject web guides: Biochemistry | Molecular Biology

Find Library Books

• From the MU Libraries' homepage, choose the MERLIN Catalog.  Type in words describing the topic you are researching. Once you have a list of hits, select one that looks on-target, then examine the subject headings for that item. Try clicking on that subject heading to retrieve similar items.
• If you do not find enough books on your topic to meet your needs, change your search to "ALL MERLIN." By doing so you will be checking the library holdings at UMSL, UMKC, UMR and MU all at once.
• Still not enough? Click on the MOBIUS Catalog button. This expands your search to about 50 additional libraries in our network.
• Most books you find through the MERLIN Catalog or the MOBIUS Catalog are requestable online, simply by clicking the "Request Item" link. Books requested through the MERLIN Catalog or the MOBIUS Catalog usually take about three working days to arrive.
• You may request books not listed in the MERLIN Catalog or the MOBIUS Catalog via Request Books & Articles under the About the Libraries section of the MU Libraries' homepage.
  
  This SOURCEPACK is a service of Ellis Library