An Online Resource Guide for Undergraduate
Pre-veterinary/Biomedical Science Majors at
Pennsylvania State University
Ian Keyser
English 202C
2/10/2014
Table of Contents
I.
Preface…………………………………………………………… 3
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
II.
Online Indexes………………………………………………….6
F.
G.
H.
I.
III.
Contents and Scope………………………………………………………. 4
Audience and Purpose……………………………………………………. 4
Assumptions……………………………………………………………… 4
Organization……………………………………………………………… 5
Tips………………………………………………………………………. 5
LionSearch………………………………………………………………...7
PubMed…………………………………………………………………... 8
ScienceDirect……………………………………………………………...9
Wiley Online Library………………………………………………….... 10
Professional Online Veterinary Journals……………………..11
J. Veterinary World………………………………………………………...12
K. Open Veterinary Journal………………………………………………....13
IV.
Journal Rankings Website……………………………………..14
L. SCImago Journal and Country Rank…………………………………….15
V.
United States Government Resources…………………………16
M. Catalog of United State Government Publications………………………17
1. Equine Infectious Anemia Example…………………………...18
2. Raccoon Rabies Prevention Program Example………………..19
N. Statistical Abstract of the United States…………………………………20
1. Dairy by State Statistical Example………………..…………...20
VI.
Citation Help……………………………………………………21
O. Google Scholar…………………………………………………………..22
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(A) Contents and Scope:
This guide contains information regarding online resources that are useful for
undergraduate pre-veterinary/biomedical science majors at Pennsylvania State University.
The resources provided are acceptable resources to be used when constructing research
reports or various other assignments for class. The Preface section of this guide will
provide the reader with the necessary background information to make effective use of
this guide. Next, the Online Indexes section and the Professional Online Veterinary
Journals section of the guide will provide insight into online databases that can be used
to find peer-reviewed journal articles. The Journal Rankings section provides students
with a website which ranks peer-reviewed journal articles based on their relevancy. In
addition, the U.S. Government Resources section will provide pre-veterinary/biomedical
science majors with insight into government publications. Lastly, the Citation Help
section offers information on a quick and easy means by which to site scientific
publications.
(B) Audience and Purpose:
This guide was created for all undergraduate pre-veterinary/biomedical science
majors at Pennsylvania State University. The use of the resources contained within this
guide is not limited to these students. However, pre-veterinary/biomedical science majors
will benefit the most from the use of this guide as it pertains directly to resources that can
be used on their class assignments. Freshmen in particular will benefit from this guide as
numerous resources that are likely to be unknown to these students are identified and
explained within the guide. Seniors may also find this guide to be of use as it may contain
informational resources that they have not yet been exposed to.
(C) Assumptions:
I have created this guide with the assumption that the reader is a preveterinary/biomedical science major at Penn State University with knowledge of the
requirements of pre-veterinary courses at Penn State University. It is assumed that the
readers of this guide understand basic veterinary and research terms. In addition, the
assumption is made that the reader has a strong working knowledge of the internet and
numerous web designs. Users of this guide are assumed to be able to navigate efficiently
through an unfamiliar website. Access to a computer for extended amounts of time is also
assumed. Lastly, as a Penn State student, it is naturally assumed that all users of this
document have access to Penn State resources and therefore possess an active student
account.
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(D) Organization
This guide has been organized to meet the needs of the user. A table of contents
has been provided which highlights all sections and subsections of this guide. The online
resources are presented in order of descending helpfulness to a pre-veterinary/biomedical
science major. Each resource has been subcategorized for ease of access. In addition,
links have been provided to all of the mentioned resources.
(E) Tips
In order to effectively use this guide make sure that you, the user, consults the
table of contents when attempting to find specific online resources. Each section of the
guide contains a brief abstract of the resources presented in order to acquaint the user
with the resource. Each resource also has a tips section provided which will help users
make efficient use of the resource.
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(F) LionSearch
Website Link:
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/home.html
Description:
LionSearch is a broad database search engine provided by Penn State University
for the use of all students and faculty. Within the search engine are millions of scientific
articles, newspaper articles, books and databases. Much of the material accessible via this
search engine cannot be accessed from other portals. Content type, subject, publication
date, and language can all be selected for in the “refine your search” section located in a
column on the left of your search results page. For the pre-vet/biomedical science major,
the primary focus of LionSearch will be locating various scientific articles. These articles
will be useful in writing research papers as well as finding up-to-date knowledge on a
specific veterinary issue.
Tips:
 If you are confused at any time click on the “chat with librarian” tab located on
the right side of the page. This will open a chat box between you and a librarian
located at the library.
 Always have the “limit to articles from peer-reviewed publications” tab checked
if you are looking for citable references.
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(G) PubMed
Website Link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
Description:
PubMed contains more than 23 million citations and includes information from
biomedical literature, life science journals, and online books. As a pre-vet/biomedical
science major you may be surprised to find out that PubMed is a very useful online
database. Despite being primarily focused on human medicine and biomedical sciences,
much of the information that can be found within the search engine can be used to
acquaint one’s self with a given medical topic. In addition, the results found by using the
search engine on PubMed will all be scientifically reviewed publications. Thus,
PubMed’s search results can be used in every assignment for the pre-vet/biomedical
science major.
Tips:


From the home page, links can be found to a quick start guide as well as tutorials
and frequently asked questions (FAQs).
On your search results page, click on the “RSS” link below the search bar. This
link will create a live RSS feed which will provide you with updates in the
literature pertaining to your search topic.
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(H) ScienceDirect
Website Link:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/
Description:
ScienceDirect is a full-text online scientific database that contains over 12 million
scientific articles, 2,500 journals and over 19,000 books. This database encompasses all
scientific disciplines including the physical, life, health, and social sciences.
Undergraduate students at Penn State will find that this large database will provide
information pertaining to almost any class or assignment. Articles and other publications
found within this search engine will be citable for most reports and research assignments.
Since ScienceDirect keeps track of the frequency their articles are used, students can find
the current “hot-topic” of the science world relatively easy. ScienceDirect does contain
some content that is not free to use and may require an account or payment to access.
Tips:
 At the bottom of the page there are links for help and online tutorials which will
provide the user with information regarding the use of ScienceDirect.
 Instead of searching for a specific topic, you can click on the “veterinary science
and veterinary medicine” link to access various information pertaining to your
major.
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(I) Wiley Online Library
Website Link:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
Description:
Wiley Online Library claims to contain the “world’s broadest and deepest
multidisciplinary collection of online resources covering life, health and physical
sciences, social science, and the humanities.” This online database publishes 1,500 peerreviewed journals and over 1,500 books a year both in print and online. As a preveterinary/biomedical science major at Penn State, this database can be used to find both
journal articles and books regarding a wide range of topics. Wiley Online Library
contains an entire section devoted to veterinary medicine and another section devoted to
equine sciences. Not all information on the database is openly accessible however most
of the information it contains is available for free online access.
Tips:
 Be sure to look for the opened lock symbol. This symbol indicates that the
information in question is considered “open access” material and is free to use.
 Under the resources column on the home page, the training link will provide
tutorials and other guides to improve navigation and usage of this database.
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(J) Veterinary World
Website Link:
http://www.veterinaryworld.org/
Description:
Veterinary World is an open access, peer reviewed journal. This journal will
provide only peer reviewed articles as it is a scientific publisher. While not as broad and
comprehensive as other resources, Veterinary World provides current scientific journal
articles from approximately 2012 on. The current publications can prove useful when
class requirements dictate the use of only “recent” information. Many of the publications
found on this site will be of research conducted in other countries which can help to
diversify the data you are collecting. Pre-veterinary students need to use diversified
citations when constructing assignments.
Tips:
 When searching for an article using the search bar, click “abstract” for a brief
introduction, results, and conclusion summary of the research article.
 There is a tutorial located in the left hand column for those seeking to submit a
research article online. This may be useful in exploring the potential publication
of your research.
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(K) Open Veterinary Journal
Website Link:
http://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/
Description:
Open Veterinary Journal is an online and printed journal that emphasizes free
publication. The journal produces research articles, review articles, short communications
and case reports that are all peer-reviewed. Scientific information can be found from all
aspects of veterinary medicine from zoonotic diseases to animal nutrition and food
sciences. This journal is relatively small and produces only one or two volumes a year.
Articles have to be found via their volume and year published. Once again, pre-veterinary
students will find that this resource will be most effective when used to find “current”
research. In addition, there is a high frequency of exotic animal studies that are published
on this site which may be useful for students looking to go into a wildlife veterinarian
career.
Tips:
 If attempting to publish a scientific paper, instructions can be found and this
journal will openly accept articles for review.
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(L) SCImago Journal and Country Rank
Website Link:
http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php
Description:
SCImago Journal and Country Rank can be used as a search engine for finding
journal and country scientific publications. The premise of this website is to rank journals
found in the Scopus database from 1996 based on their “visibility.” Simply put, this site
will use increasingly complex methods of analysis to determine a ranking of journal
publications from around the world. What this means for a pre-veterinary/biomedical
sciences student is that he or she has a website in which to locate various online databases
and journal publications. In addition, this website is also a means by which to determine,
in a very short amount of time, how relevant and extensive the scientific publications are.
Therefore, SCImago should be used to quickly find access to journals which contain the
materials you will need for your assignments. However, keep in mind not all of these
journal publications will be free or will be able to be accessed by a Penn State
undergraduate student.
Tips:
 Rankings can be exported into Excel using the link located above the individual
rankings.
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(M) Catalog of United States Government Publications
Website Link:
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F?RN=62647574
Description:
The Catalog of United States Government Publications is an online database
containing both electronic and printed publications from the United States government.
There are over 500,000 records that date back to July 1976 with addition records being
included dating back to before the year 1900. When a search is conducted, results are
displayed according to the most recent article produced. This option can be changed
through the “sort options” tab located above the search. Some reports cannot be accessed
online and must be found in print in a government library. An extensive help section is
located on the webpage to provide assistance with everything from navigating the page to
technical glitches. A pre-veterinary/biomedical sciences major could use this database to
find numerous sources of information published over many years that pertains to his or
her field of study. I have provided two examples of what may be found within this
database in order to illustrate this point.
Tips:
 When trying to access a found report, make sure to click the link under “internet
access” otherwise an error may occur when trying to access the report.
 Use the “new titles” tab at the top of the webpage to access up-to-date reports.
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(M.1) Government Factsheet on Equine Infection Anemia
Website Link:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/fs_equi
ne_infectious_anemia.pdf
Description:
The above report is a factsheet produced to increase public awareness and aid in
the control of equine infectious anemia. Within its pages it describes the disease, its
relevance, prevention, signs, transmission, and course of action for its “treatment.” The
report also lists the contact information for the various organizations responsible for the
biocontainment of equine infectious anemia.
Note:
Equine infectious anemia is a highly transmissible disease carried through equine
blood. Once infected, horses are contained to a stall for the duration of their lives with
every precaution taken to ensure there are no vectors to transmit the infected blood to
another equine host. The alternative course of action is to euthanize the equid; an option
that is most commonly taken. These precautions are mandated by the United States
Department of Agriculture. Therefore, the use of government publications as a reference
on this disease is extremely useful.
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(M.2) Government Publication on Preventing Raccoon Rabies
Website Link:
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo24670/raccoon_rabies.pdf
Description:
The above publication serves as a quick flier for the general public informing
them of a raccoon rabies prevention program. It describes both what rabies is and why
such a program exists to try to limit its spread. In addition, the document also outlines the
program currently in place as well as potential future aims of the program. For an
assignment in the pre-veterinary/biomedical science major, this resource would be a great
background information citation used to inform the audience of the current prevention
programs in place.
Note:
Rabies is a virus that affects ALL mammalian species. The disease is debilitating
to the central nervous system and is spread through contact of bodily fluids, primarily
saliva. Incubation times vary amongst species with several species, such as the raccoon,
demonstrating a potential extended multiyear incubation period. Due to such long
incubation times, species such as the raccoon are believed to be reservoir hosts for the
disease. New vaccines are being deployed in an attempt to prevent the recurrence of the
disease through certain reservoir populations. If successful, rabies infections are expected
to drop off dramatically. As prevention programs such as this one are huge areas of
current research and prevention programs, this resource would be valuable for numerous
assignments pertaining to rabies and/or prevention programs for zoonotic diseases.
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(N) Statistical Abstract of the United States
Website Link:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Description:
The Statistical Abstract of the United States contains statistics on the social,
political, and economic organization of the United States. The data found on this
webpage will be no more recent than 2012 as the statistical abstract program has been
terminated. The statistical abstract is meant to be used as a reference for other statistical
publications and covers a very wide range of topics including agriculture, banking,
population, and science. A pre-veterinary/biomedical sciences major can use this
government resource to provide statistics for a class assignment. In the following
paragraph, I use a dairy industry example to portray this.
(N.1) Dairy by State Statistical Example:
Website Link:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/agriculture/meat_and_livestock.html
Description:
This document charts provides a statistical look into the differences of the dairy
industry between numerous states. This information could be used in veterinary reports to
address the relevance of a disease process that would affect the dairy industry. Another
analysis could use this statistical information to indicate a decline or increase in the dairy
industry which could be linked to a disease or new advancement in veterinary medicine.
As a government produced document, the information contained within the publications
of this website would be acceptable for use by students in class assignments.
Tips:
 Many of the documents located on this website can be found in print in Penn
State’s Pattee and Paterno Library.
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(O) Google Scholar
Website Link:
http://scholar.google.com/
Description:
Google Scholar is another online database that allows individuals to search
through multiple disciplines of scientific literature in a single search engine. In
addition to containing various scientific resources, Google Scholar also ranks the
documents based on the content, author, and citation frequency of the article. While
this database may be used by a Penn State undergraduate student to find scientific
resources for class assignments it can often be difficult to use and rather time
consuming. The online databases located within the “Online Indexes” section of this
guide should be referred to and utilized when searching for online resources. Google
Scholar excels at providing quick and easy citations for any scientific publication
contained on its website. With this in mind, pre-veterinary/biomedical science
students at Penn State should locate their resources via other means listed in this
guide and then search for them on Google Scholar. Once found on Google Scholar,
the student can have Google Scholar create a citation for the document in question
with a simple mouse click.
Tips:
 Copy and paste the title of your resource into the search bar. Once your
resource is found, click the blue “cite” link underneath your resource’s search
result for a quick citation.
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