Finding Information in the
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
September 2005, AOS 907
Jean Phillips
Schwerdtfeger Library
Space Science and Engineering Center
Jean.Phillips@ssec.wisc.edu
Discussion Threads
• MadCat overview
• Finding journal articles: Peer review, searching,
subject databases
• Finding dissertations
• Searching Google
• Evaluating what you find
• Citation guides
• Recap
MadCat Overview
• The Library catalog, used to find books,
government reports, journal titles and their
locations
• Journal articles or contents of books (specific
chapters) ARE NOT in MadCat – find them in
article database, then search for journal or book
title in MadCat or use
• Schwerdtfeger Library holdings in
MadCat
My MadCat Account
Patron Information
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Update address/contact information
Check for patron blocks
View and renew items checked out
Check on requests pending or items available
(important)
• Check fines and fees
Basic Search: An Introduction to
Dynamic Meteorology
Results
Place Request
Recall or Retrieve
ID, Pickup Desk, Submit Request
Basic Search: IRS ‘84
Guided Search: IRS ‘84
Results
Finding Journal Articles
• UW-Madison Libraries have licensed many databases for your use
• Information cannot be accessed by using Google
• Emphasis is on finding literature related to the atmospheric and
oceanic sciences
• After finding specific articles, search for the journal title in MadCat for
location on campus
• Some databases may have links to full-text via
• Links to databases from our home page
• By subject or name from E-Resource Gateway
• Remote access: http://www.library.wisc.edu/help/remote/remoterestrict.html
Peer Review
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Sometimes called “refereed”
When was it established?
Reasons for peer review
How it works
Criticisms of the process
Searching
• Plan your search
• Remember variant word endings, Boolean connectors and synonyms
• Limit search terms to specific fields (title, subject heading), within a
certain proximity to each other, year ranges
• To narrow a search: limit by theoretical approach, one aspect of
subject, by time, by geographic location
• To broaden a search: generalize your topic, check more databases,
limit jargon, check Web or newspaper databases if topic is too new
• Note controlled vocabularies
• Perform search, review results, refine search, search again, refine
search, search again, export results
Subject Databases
• Meteorological and Geoastrophysical
Abstracts (MGA)
• Oceanic Abstracts
• NTIS
• Web of Science
• Inspec
• Georef
Meteorological and
Geoastrophysical Abstracts
• Updated quarterly, July 1974 –
• MGA covers meteorology, climatology, oceanography,
remote sensing, atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, etc.
• Indexes journal articles, conference proceedings, books,
technical reports
• Includes abstract for most entries
• Includes links to full-text for AMS journals and other
journals if the campus has a license
• Pre-1974 literature can be found using print
equivalent
Oceanic Abstracts
• Updated monthly, 1984 –
• Premier database for marine resources
• Covers biology, ecology, marine geology,
geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography, marine
pollution, environmental protection
• Includes links to full-text where available
• Same interface as MGA, NTIS and Oceanic
Abstracts
NTIS Bibliographic Index
• Updated quarterly, 1964 –
• Contains descriptions of U.S. government sponsored
sci/tech research from DOD, DOE, EPA, NASA, NOAA…
• Covers astronomy, atmospheric science, biotechnology,
computers, energy, engineering, etc.
• Included are: reports on contracts/grants, technical
memoranda, technical reports, dissertations, etc.
• Pre-1964, consult Government Reports and
Announcements Index in print
• Same interface as MGA
Finding Government Documents
• What are they? Conference literature, government reports, internal
reports, reports on contracts, etc.
• Why are they important? Cited in literature and historically have
provided a rapid means of scientific communication.
• Who publishes them? Agencies, governmental bodies, professional
societies, federal contractors, etc.
• What characteristics do they have? Alpha-numeric report numbers,
accession numbers, grant or contract numbers, sponsoring agency, no
commercial publisher, distributed through facility like NTIS.
• Where can I find them? 1)Libraries: Campus libraries have most
reports distributed 2)NTIS, DTIS, NASA, STI 3)Author
4)Issuing agency
Define Research Problem
• What papers have been published that
define the urban heat island phenomenon
and its possible relation to global warming?
• Synonyms: urban climate(s), urban
influences on (temperature, climate…),
urban meteorology, urban microclimate(s),
climate change
Open MGA, Select Database(s)
KW=urban heat island*
(KW=TI,AB,DE)
Results
Refine Search:
KW=urban heat island* AND
KW=global warming
Results: Review, Refine, Save
How to Use
View Abstracts and Descriptors
for Additional Search Terms
Refine Search
• KW=(urban heat island*) OR (urban
environment*) OR (urban influences on *)
OR (urban climat*)
• AND
• KW=(global warming) OR (climate change)
OR (climat* trend*) OR (heat reflection)
Command Search
Review Results
Web of Science
• Updated weekly, 1970 –
• Combination of three databases
• Indexes peer-reviewed journal literature only – does not
include reports, conference proceedings, dissertations…
• Known for its currency and meticulous indexing
• Used to do general, cited reference or author searching
• Pre-1981, use Science Citation Index in print
• Journal Citation Reports is companion database:
http://portal17.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi/jcr?Init=Yes&SID=B5@2ppdAkL
Mm4j4b7O5
Search/Database Options, Limits
Topic Search: urban heat island* AND
global warming
Review/Mark/Submit Records
Check Cited References and Times
Cited
Cited Reference Search
Cited Reference Results
Print/Save/E-mail Records
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Mark records
Print/Save/E-mail records
Use
to locate full-text
Use MadCat for other locations
Other Databases
• INSPEC, updated monthly, 1969 • Covers physics, electrical engineering, electronics, computers, etc.
• Includes journal articles, conference papers, significant books, tech
reports, dissertations
• Pre-1969, consult Computer and Control Abstracts
• Georef, updated bimonthly, 1785 • Indexes earth sciences literature of the world
• Includes journal articles, conference papers, reports, guidebooks,
theses, monographs
Yet More Databases
Finding Dissertations on Campus
• Schwerdtfeger Library holds masters theses and doctoral
dissertations for AOS
• Memorial Library is the depository for all PhD
dissertations; not all masters theses are deposited in
libraries and not all masters circulate
• Search MadCat for location
• Contact a library for interlibrary loan, to see if it was
published in report form or to purchase
• Some dissertations published as journal articles
or reports if funded by government contract
Finding Dissertations: Databases
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
http://www.ndltd.org/browse.en.html
• Current Research @ UW-Madison
http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/wisc/main
• Proquest Digital Dissertations, 1861 –
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/search
• Index to Theses…Great Britain and Ireland
http://www.theses.com/
• CRL Foreign Doctoral Dissertations Database
http://www.crl.edu/content.asp?l1=5&l2=23&l3=44&l4=25
Searching Google
• Title: intitle:urban heat island and intitle:global warming
Returns 21 hits
• Top level domain: “urban heat island” and “global warming” site:gov
Returns 351 hits
• Specific site or subdomain: "urban heat island" site:www.epa.gov
Returns 158 hits (w/out quotes, Returns 915 hits)
• Specific URL: “urban heat island” inurl:www.epa.gov/globalwarming
Returns 2 hits (w/out quotes, Returns 8 hits)
• Links “to”: link:www.epa.gov/heatisland/
Returns 18 hits
• Use “quotes“ around terms to group them together
Evaluating Accuracy
• Examine references or bibliographies
• Verify information in another source (journal,
book, another Web site)
• Is it well-documented?
• Are there errors in spelling or grammar that might
lead you to question accuracy?
• Is the page thorough? Does it have the kind of
information you want?
Evaluating Authority
• Who created the site?
• Verify author’s qualifications (use another
database, journal, directory if necessary)
• Is there an “About” page?
• Does the document link back to the home
Web site?
Evaluating Objectivity
• What is the purpose of the site?
• Is the information representative of multiple
viewpoints? Does it present results of
research or statistical analyses?
• Does the site present one side of an issue or
try to persuade or sell?
• Examine URL: .gov, .edu, .com, .org,
country codes
Evaluating Currency
• If there are dates listed, is their meaning
clear?
• When was the site last updated and is this
important?
• Are there dates on publications?
Citation Guides
• American Meteorological Society
http://www.ametsoc.org/pubs/refstyl.html
• American Institute of Physics
http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html
• American Geophysical Union
http://www.agu.org/pubs/inf4aus.html
• Internet Citation Guides (UW-Madison)
http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/citing.htm
• Citing References in Your Paper (Writing Center, UWMadison)
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Documentation.html
Recap
• Determine search criteria
• Select database(s) to be searched: MGA, NTIS, Oceanic Abstracts,
Web of Science
• Check MadCat for availability and location
• Schwerdtfeger Library: http://library.ssec.wisc.edu
• Finding Information (Powerpoint):
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/library/teaching/finding_information_Septe
mber2005.ppt
• Resources in the Atmospheric Sciences
http://library.ssec.wisc.edu/library/resources/eresources/index.htm
• Questions: Ask a librarian