Getting background information and general facts about your topic is a good way to start your research, including finding important terms and concepts, relevant names of people or places, and dates of specific events. Finding background information can help you locate keywords for searching databases and identify more specific areas of your topic that you may want to research further; this will help you narrow your research topic.
Try using the Credo Reference to begin finding a topic for your research. It's like Wikipedia, but academic.
Encyclopedia of Estuaries by
The Encyclopedia of Estuaries, part of Springer's Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series, provides a single, state-of-the-art, comprehensive reference volume on estuaries for research scientists, educators, students, and others. Consisting of almost 270 subject entries in an easy-to-use format, this volume covers the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of estuaries. In total more than 225 authors from around the world have contributed to the encyclopedia on such diverse subjects as biotic communities, essential habitats, food webs, fisheries, hydrology, pollution, conservation, and many more. The Encyclopedia of Estuaries will meet the needs of professionals worldwide by supplying detailed information from world-class estuarine and marine scientists as well as experts from other fields of study.
Encyclopedia of Marine Science by
Praise for the previous edition:Vertebrates and invertebrates are well-represented here...a first-rate undergraduate or early graduate classroom text and also an advanced reference for the general readership.--SciTech Book NewsThe writing is clear and concise...Highly recommended.--Choice...highly commended for its efforts and would be suitable for those institutions supporting secondary or tertiary education, or as a public reference resource...an excellent acquisition for any library.--Reference Reviews...handy...well written...--American Reference Books Annual...a useful reference source for researchers as well as for students in the field of marine science...well organized...a comprehensive and useful reference book for practitioners of ocean sciences...recommend[ed]...highly for libraries to have in their collections.--Marine Geodesy...top-notch information...invaluable to students and reference librarians.--School Library JournalOutstanding Academic Title--ChoiceOutstanding Reference Source--RUSABest Reference Source--Library JournalAn invaluable reference, Encyclopedia of Marine Science, Revised Edition explores the principal areas and issues of this core science discipline in hundreds of entries, essays, photographs, and line illustrations. This comprehensive encyclopedia brings together information on marine science from its component and affiliate sciences, along with information on technology, commerce, business, society, history, and more.Detailed entries cover concepts, technologies, phenomena, organisms, treaties and legal issues, research stations, places and geographical features, vessels, experiments, marine sanctuaries, scientists and lawmakers, programs, organizations, occupations and careers, and other subjects related to marine science. Spanning 1872 to the present and designed for high school and college students, Encyclopedia of Marine Science, Revised Edition concentrates on developments since World War II, including organizations, people, concepts, and laws of international or regional importance.
Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences by
Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences 2e is a new 6-volume online reference work, pulling together all the key information in one source from the leading publisher in the field. This second edition is online, offering the user greater flexibility, accessibility, and most importantly, usability with 24 hour access, multi-user access, remote access and excellent search functionality. Structured for success, each article contains a glossary, an introduction, a reference section and a wealth of cross-referenced links to premium and related material all accessible in a mouse-click, making complicated, time consuming research a thing of the past. *Approximately 500 articles covering the breadth and depth of the field with over 30% new and updated content reflecting the latest research in the field *Greater coverage of climate, remote sensing, and data modeling, with greater consideration of economic and political aspects provides a broad view of the field *Online availability facilitates easier research and increased productivity
Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences by
The oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, and are critical components of Earth's climate system. This new edition of Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences summarizes the breadth of knowledge about them, providing revised, up to date entries as well coverage of new topics in the field. New and expanded sections include microbial ecology, high latitude systems and the cryosphere, climate and climate change, hydrothermal and cold seep systems. The structure of the work provides a modern presentation of the field, reflecting the input and different perspective of chemical, physical and biological oceanography, the specialized area of expertise of each of the three Editors-in-Chief. In this framework maximum attention has been devoted to making this an organic and unified reference. Represents a one-stop. organic information resource on the breadth of ocean science research Reflects the input and different perspective of chemical, physical and biological oceanography, the specialized area of expertise of each of the three Editors-in-Chief New and expanded sections include microbial ecology, high latitude systems and climate change Provides scientifically reliable information at a foundational level, making this work a resource for students as well as active researches
Encyclopedia of Toxicology by
The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Toxicology, Four Volume Set presents entries devoted to key concepts and specific chemicals, and is updated to reflect current advances in the field. It contains new information on nanotoxicology, epigenetics, persistent organic pollutants, computational toxicology and bioinformatics, controversial chemicals, and much more. Along with the traditional scientific entries, new articles focus on worldwide initiatives, the potential health and environmental effects of new technologies, and the societal implications of global legal and regulatory issues. With thoroughly updated articles, references, and resources for recommended reading, the third edition has been expanded in length, breadth, and depth, and continues to provide an extensive overview of the many facets of toxicology. Provides easy access to content on chemicals and all core areas of toxicology Thoroughly updated with the latest advances in toxicology, including epigenetics, nanotoxicology, computational toxicology, and translational toxicology New topics include implications of global legal and regulatory issues, persistent organic pollutants, REACH, SAICM, e-waste, and many more
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Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files.
For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
Treatise on Geochemistry by
This extensively updated new edition of the widely acclaimed Treatise on Geochemistry has increased its coverage beyond the wide range of geochemical subject areas in the first edition, with five new volumes which include: the history of the atmosphere, geochemistry of mineral deposits, archaeology and anthropology, organic geochemistry and analytical geochemistry. In addition, the original Volume 1 on "Meteorites, Comets, and Planets" was expanded into two separate volumes dealing with meteorites and planets, respectively. These additions increased the number of volumes in the Treatise from 9 to 15 with the index/appendices volume remaining as the last volume (Volume 16). Each of the original volumes was scrutinized by the appropriate volume editors, with respect to necessary revisions as well as additions and deletions. As a result, 27% were republished without major changes, 66% were revised and 126 new chapters were added. In a many-faceted field such as Geochemistry, explaining and understanding how one sub-field relates to another is key. Instructors will find the complete overviews with extensive cross-referencing useful additions to their course packs and students will benefit from the contextual organization of the subject matter Six new volumes added and 66% updated from 1stedition. The Editors of this work have taken every measure to include the many suggestions received from readers and ensure comprehensiveness of coverage and added value in this 2nd edition The esteemed Board of Volume Editors and Editors-in-Chief worked cohesively to ensure a uniform and consistent approach to the content, which is an amazing accomplishment for a 15-volume work (16 volumes including index volume)!
Treatise on Geophysics by
Treatise on Geophysics, Second Edition, is a comprehensive and in-depth study of the physics of the Earth beyond what any geophysics text has provided previously. Thoroughly revised and updated, it provides fundamental and state-of-the-art discussion of all aspects of geophysics. A highlight of the second edition is a new volume on Near Surface Geophysics that discusses the role of geophysics in the exploitation and conservation of natural resources and the assessment of degradation of natural systems by pollution. Additional features include new material in the Planets and Moon, Mantle Dynamics, Core Dynamics, Crustal and Lithosphere Dynamics, Evolution of the Earth, and Geodesy volumes. New material is also presented on the uses of Earth gravity measurements. This title is essential for professionals, researchers, professors, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of Geophysics and Earth system science. Comprehensive and detailed coverage of all aspects of geophysics Fundamental and state-of-the-art discussions of all research topics Integration of topics into a coherent whole
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Updated continually. A multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model. The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.
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Updated daily. A comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database, with more than 5,300 full text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. Offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
Features PDF content going back as far as 1865, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for 1,000 journals.
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The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is an online library providing free and open access to the legacy literature of taxonomy and biodiversity. Materials in BHL are provided by a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries who have come together to digitize the literature of biodiversity held in their collections and to make it available as part of a global 'biodiversity commons.' The bulk of material in the BHL is in the public domain in the United States, meaning that the publication date is prior to 1923. Many of the collections contain rare published literature previously available only to those who could visit the institutions.
Users may search the entire library by multiple access points, read the texts online, or download selected pages or volumes as PDFs.
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Updated regularly. Collection of over 3600 books and reference works published by the Taylor & Francis group, covering biology, healthcare, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and more.
For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
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Google Scholar uses the popular Google search engine to enable searches for scholarly materials such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from broad areas of research. It includes a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web. Google Scholar includes full text and citations.
Use this link to access Google Scholar, and see our Google Scholar Guide for information on using this resource.
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Updated weekly. Provides access to over 36 million citations in MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, and other related databases. Links to the full text articles are provided when available, subject to UT subscription status.
Set up LibKey Nomad to find access through the UT Libraries subscriptions and purchases.
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Updated weekly. The Web of Science Core Collection is a group of databases (Science Citation Index Expanded, 1900-present; Social Sciences Citation Index, 1900-present; Arts & Humanities Citation Index, 1975-present) that together cover more than 21,000 journals across all disciplines. The Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-present) tracks thousands of additional journals that are being considered for inclusion in the main citation indexes. Other files track references from conference proceedings (1990-present) and citations to books (2005-present).
The Web of Science platform currently also provides temporary access to several databases that are not part of the Core Collection, including Biosis Citation Index, Data Citation Index, and Zoological Record.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.