An Introduction to Searching for Scientific Literature on the Internet

"Be very, very careful what you put into that head,
because you will never, ever get it out."
Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (1471-1530)

Introduction

The development of the internet as a means of communication and commerce in the marine ornamental industry during the last 10 years has been extraordinary. Internet discussion forums facilitate opportunities for the sharing of husbandry observations and techniques, as well as opportunities for acquiring quality livestock, products and technical support … opportunities which were literally unimaginable when I purchased my first marine aquarium system in 1976.

And yet, there are problems with the rapid, mass dissemination of information on the internet. As a biologist and former science educator, I am often concerned with the accuracy, replication, and safety, of “anecdotal information” that is presented as “scientific information” within the discussion forums that have served our hobby, and the industry, so well.

"The most experienced and well-informed minds are too busy still working in the trenches to take the time to write or teach to exclusion. ... Keep in mind that you are unlikely to meet such a guru on the internet at 2:00 AM. Most of the real wizards of the industry are not waiting for you with a speedy electronic reply at a moment's notice. In fact, it is more likely that the self-professed expert that has been so generously giving you electronic misinformation sits in front of his computer … just like you and me. I know, I know ... I don't like to think about it either; it's sad but true."
- Anthony Calfo. Book of Coral Propagation.

There are distinct differences in the quality, meaning, and applicability of “anecdotal information” vs. “scientific information.” An important question immediately presents itself: How can individuals interested in learning more about marine aquaria evaluateanecdotal information, and scientific information?

The answer to this question is straightforward: Hobbyists must be able to compare the anecdotal information presented in discussion forums, with the information presented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. The purpose of this article is to provide folks with information and internet resources which will allow them to more efficiently access and review scientific literature available on the World Wide Web.

Enriched Structure

Taken as a whole, the sections of this article are relatively cumbersome. For your convenience, this article has been divided into different subjects. The subjects are listed below the "Article Overview" heading. Each subject is hyper-linked to another document. Simply "click" the subject you are interested in, and the section will open in a new window.

Article Overview

If you are in the process of building your internet research skills, the following sections may be of interest to you:

Preparation for Searching
Online Search Engine Tutorials
General Search Engines
Metasearchers (Crawlers)
Using the Internet to “Ask an Expert” 
Advanced Google
Librarians’ Indexes

If you are already aware of relevant terminology, and, if you are already comfortable with the use of search engines, the following sections will be of most interest to you:

Scirus
BUBL
ScienceDirect
Online Literature Publishers
Subject Search Directories and Literature Search Engines
International Search Engines
Selected Scientific Journals: A - C
Selected Scientific Journals: D - I
Selected Scientific Journals: J
Selected Scientific Journals: K - N
Selected Scientific Journals: O - Z
Selected Scientific Associations, Societies, and Organizations: A - D
Selected Scientific Associations, Societies, and Organizations: E - P
Selected Scientific Associations, Societies, and Organizations: Q - Z
Selected Governmental Sources

Participation

Please feel free to post questions, replies, and comments regarding the material presented. If you have specific questions about specific subjects presented in this article, please include the link to that subject in your post, so that others may more efficiently participate. If you are aware of additional internet resources relevant to the topic of "Searching for Scientific Literature on the Internet", PLEASE consider posting the resources' links so that others may benefit from your work and experience.

There are two ways you can participate. You can email any questions, replies and comments to info@thedibsfoundation.org or you can log on to the Project DIBS Forums (registration is required) and post a response to the thread "Searching for Scientific Literature on the Internet Discussion".

2005